When I catered my cousins wedding of about 50 people, I used 5 chafing dishes for the meal (tri tip, chicken, green beans, potatoes, baked mac & cheese). There was very little left overs, so for 150 people, tripling the amount of food you'll need, I'd guesstimate you'd need 15 chafing dishes.

I'm cooking for my own wedding for about 150 people buffet style. Instead of requiring some of my guests to keep bringing food out to refill the chafing dishes, I wanted to know how many estimated dishes I would need if I just put EVERYTHING out at once. Cost of the chafing dishes and extra tables isn't the issue, trying to figure out how many chafing dishes I need is the issue! Thanks

Btw we're doing typical foods and serving sizes, things to keep warm:

Pre-slowcooked roast

Chicken

Pasta (maybe with meatballs)

Mashed potatoes

Veggies

Cold items: two salads, appetizers, etc