HOW TO: Make your buffet display awesome

I spent years as a Director of Catering, and I CRINGE when I see a buffet display that's boring.  It only takes a small effort to make a buffet amazing, and it DOES make a difference!  Think about your wedding.  It doesn't matter what your budget might be for the wedding - you always cares about what the food tastes like!  And what's your first impression of the food, besides smell?  How it looks!  There's a saying "you eat with your eyes."  I'm here to tell you that it's true!  So let me share a few trade secrets to building a killer buffet display.

Also, while collecting materials to make your buffet awesome, remember how many buffets you're going to have!  We recommend one double sided buffet per 100 guests.  So make sure to get enough decor to cover them all.  And as always, get 3x the amount of decor you THINK you need.  It's better to have too much than not enough (as usually "enough" for a first timer isn't enough!)

#1:  The Hidden Height method.
Bring sturdy cardboard boxes, empty milk crates or dish crates.  All of these things can be hidden underneath linens.   Consider cool display "trays" when using this method.  The first image below shows the basic setup, before linens are added, and the second shows the finished product, using granite display trays.

#2:  The Visible Height Method.

Basically, height and staggering is the basis to building a stunning buffet.  But you don't have to hide the layers.  Consider using crates, or great looking boxes to add that height.  Plates and platters which provide dimension are also great!  Get creative, and use this to carry on your wedding theme!  Vintage?  Use old suitcases.  Rustic?  Use old milk crates, etc.

#3:  Label Your Food!

But don't do boring labels.  Paper is CHEAP.  Use it to your advantage, and theme it to match your invitations.  Or use another creative method.  Chalkboards are really popular this year, or make a big sign at the beginning of the buffet!

#4:  Do NOT Set Up a Large Table!

The biggest mistake people make is not maximizing the space you have!  That's what staggering does.  You want to make sure all your chaffing dishes fit on the table, but at the same time, you don't want extra space.  If you're going for a minimalistic design, use beautiful, clean chaffers, and make sure they're stacked closely (as in the first picture).  But that can also go terribly wrong if the tables are too long or wide.  The bottom two pictures are what NOT to do:  

 #5:  Have an Accent Piece.
One stunning piece of decor makes decorating much simpler!  Consider using a bookshelf with nooks, or a dresser, or a funky display!  Get creative!

#6:  No Gaps.
If you stagger your display well, and the food platters look stunning, you won't have gaps.  But if this is your first time designing your own buffet, BUY FILLER.  Flowers are not good for filler because of allergens, and most are not edible.  We suggest purchasing produce from a local farmers market to add as filler.  Find produce that will keep, and clean it before using (just in case guests eat it!).  If your wedding is local, you can take it home with you after the wedding and eat it!  Such a simple way to add a "farm fresh" touch to your buffet.  Otherwise, consider adding other decor pieces such as canning jars, baguettes of bread, etc.

Events by Autumn makes dreams a reality. . .even our own!

I have been talking about opening my own business for as long as I can remember.  And when I set a goal for myself, there’s no stopping it from happening.  Even if the road to get there gets windy and confusing, I always stay focused on the end result.  

As a kid, I spent every single summer and winter in Montana, skiing, riding, fishing, exploring, just enjoying everything the state had to offer.  When I got the chance to take a job in Missoula, MT at the age of 25, I jumped all over it.  I prefer being outdoors if given a choice, and Montana towns operate at a slower pace than the “big city.”  That combination makes living in Montana my ideal place, along with the fact I bought my dream home there – a log cabin on some acreage, ready for horses.  I’ve owned the house for about 5 years now in Stevensville, MT, located in the BEAUTIFUL Bitterroot Valley.

So when I took the job in Montana, it was with the goal of opening my own business one day.  But the job required more than 70 hours a week on a regular basis, and my salary wasn’t enough to save money.  So I didn’t have enough time, or money, to take the leap and open my own business.  I was good at my job, and was eventually recruited to take a position in Boulder, CO, doing the same thing I was doing previously.  I was hesitant to leave MT, but the pay was literally 3x what it was in Montana.  So, keeping my goal in mind, I took a leap of faith.  I took the job as the Director of Catering, thinking I would work there for 4 years, save some money, and move back to my dream home in Montana, live off the savings, and open my own business.

Well, the plans went awry, like they always do!  The new boss at the hotel was changing a lot of things – employees who had been there for 15+ years and were comfortable with the status quo didn’t like the new direction the hotel was taking, so they left in droves.  (Whole different topic, but change can be GOOD people, especially when the hotel hadn’t been making money for the past 15 years).  The mass exodus of staff alerted the ownership (from a foreign country), that they should take a look at what was happening at the hotel.  So they began to take notice of what we were doing, and the first thing they did was review the bonus structure -The same bonus structure that made my paycheck awesome.  It was cut completely.  So my plans of saving money and moving back in 4 years were up-ended.

It was time to re-evaluate my plans of opening my own business and how I was going to still make it happen.  So I took a part time marketing job with another company, and just went ahead and opened Events by Autumn in Colorado.  The past year and a half has been spent creating contracts, websites, marketing materials, and getting myself fully prepared to move back to Montana and hit the ground running.  And I’ve planned quite a few Colorado weddings as well in my first year, and received the kindest, most amazing positive feedback, which just reinforces that I’m on track.  But when you know where your heart belongs, you just feel compelled to follow.

In August, my renters moved out of my dream house in Montana, and I now had to be realistic about paying two mortgages.  So my decision was to move back to Montana, rent (or sell) the house in Colorado and get the business rolling where I really wanted it to happen in the first place.  Fall is the perfect time to move back, get re-acquainted with vendors & friends, and promote the business, since most engagements happen over the winter months.

I’ve been gone from Montana for 2 and a half years, and had planned on being in Colorado for 4.  I’d say that making a dream happen in about half the time is a pretty good feeling.

(A hazy day at the log cabin in Stevi. . .the Bitterroot mountains are barely visible in the background.)