3 Essential Steps for Planning a Plated Dinner

So, you want to elevate your dinner service with a plated meal? Love it! Offering a plated dinner service at your reception will give you and your guests a luxurious, upscale dining experience.

If you have chosen to offer your guests the “choice-of” two or three entrees, this information is for you!

There are few essential steps and guidelines to follow that will allow us and our Inclusive catering partners to successfully execute your plated dinner service.

1: Invitations

Once you have created a guest list and are ready to send out your perfectly curated invitations, you’ll want to be sure to request each guests’ entrée preference.

If you are using a virtual RSVP service through Zola, The Knot or another wedding website, be sure to input the selections you are offering for your guests to choose from. On a formal paper invitation, this information is typically included on the separate RSVP card that will be returned back to you via mail. Below is a sample of an RSVP card:

2: AllSeated

AllSeated is a fantastic resource to manage RSVPs, track entrée selections and develop your seating chart. Upon accepting your WinMock invitation to utilize our AllSeated software, you will want to use the excel document sent to you by your venue coordinator to import your guest list into AllSeated.

AllSeated will then allow you to assign each guest to a particular table. Since you will be tracking entrée selections within AllSeated, your venue coordinator will be able to access the information regarding each guest’s preference along with their assigned table.

3: Place cards

In addition to tracking entrée preferences within AllSeated, you will want to create place cards for each guest. These cards should have the guest’s name along with a symbol or letter that corresponds with their chosen entrée. All place cards must be approved by your venue coordinator to ensure a successful plated dinner. Place cards should be placed at each place setting prior to the start of your reception. Below is a sample place card for a guest who chose “beef” for their entrée.

After ensuring you have provided your guests with the appropriate menu selections, assigned them to a seat within AllSeated and created their place card with their menu selection, all that’s left is for you to enjoy the most magical evening of your life!!