If there is one thing that guests remember about a wedding it is the food! That’s is why your wedding caterer is so important, a good wedding caterer will match your style and your budget to give you great food with flair for your special day.
Depending on your choices you could have many food elements to your day there could be any combination of the following; Welcome Drinks, Ceremony Toast with/without canapés, Wedding Breakfast, Evening Meal, Late Night Snack and these elements can be delivered in a variety of ways for example, sit down meal, circulating waiters, buffet style, silver service or food stations. Then there is the food itself, from sushi to sausage rolls, curry to canapés, with a world of flavours and options available to you, a trusted wedding caterer is essential to your big day.
These are 5 key items to consider when hiring a caterer for your wedding:
1. Your Wedding Venue: Your venue is the first thing you need to consider when hiring your perfect wedding caterer as this can inform the style of food, whether food can be served indoors or/and outdoors, how many guests you need to cater for and whether you want a fine dining or buffet approach or perhaps need a mix of the two. Whatever wedding venue you have chosen be is a Marquee in beautiful floral gardens, a castle or stately home in the countryside, an unusual venue like a lighthouse or museum, or a vintage styled village hall a good wedding caterer will be able to adapt any menu to you unique wedding requirements.
2. Your Wedding Budget: Once you have decided and booked your wedding venue you will probably have a good idea of how many people you are inviting as wedding guests. Your guest number is probably the most important element in your budgeting and this is very true with your catering budget. A good wedding caterer will be able to give good realistic advice about what is possible for your wedding budget.
Remember that many caterers have a pre-set menu for a set price which is a great starting point and can be very effective but don’t be afraid to ask to switch items or add items to ensure you get your favourite foods and food that will suit your guests. As a general rule of thumb if you want to feed lots of people then the most cost effective option is a buffet or Hog Roast with lots of sides. If your dream wedding includes a serviced sit down meal then be realistic about how many people you can have at that meal for your budget. Many Brides opt for a smaller amount of people at their wedding ceremony and wedding breakfast and have a sit down meal here, then invite more people for an evening reception and serve a buffet.
3. Your Caterers Experience: Always employ a caterer that has been in business for some time and is able to provide recent references for the type of food you want at your wedding. Don’t employ a caterer to do fine dining when all their references and experience is for buffets only.
The most versatile caterers are always in demand as they can turn their hand to all food types and have experience in delivering they type of food you want in the same type of venue that you have chosen. A caterer like www.devoncatering.com is experienced and can deliver every type of food from the most delicious canapé’s to the wedding cake at the end and everything in-between! An experienced caterer will be able to create delicious looking and tasting food and will be able to let you pick and mix different options so you get the perfect combination for you.
4. Find a caterer that lets you taste test their food: You have searched for a caterer and have found one that tells you they can do everything you want for the budget you have and they assure you that their food is delicious – but they won’t do a taste test! If this is the case then you have to ask yourself why not? A good, experienced wedding caterer should always meet you and let you try some of their food so they can get the right balance for your wedding. This also gives you and the caterer a chance to meet face to face and understand each other better.
5. Think about Dietary Requirements: Accommodating dietary requirements should be no problem for an experienced caterer, as standard most caterers will expect that for a large wedding there will be a proportion of special requirements. These can include vegetarian, vegan, allergies and children. How much you want to accommodate your guest’s special requirements is up to you but a good caterer will be able to talk you through all the options and price implications of different menus.
Keep these 5 top tips for choosing a wedding caterer in mind on your search and remember also the practicalities about hiring any supplier. Check and recheck dates, agree a deposit and payment schedule, ensure you keep your caterer up to date with any major number changes and keep in mind the date for giving final numbers to both your venue and your wedding caterer.
And finally, once you have found your perfect wedding caterer (and for those of you in the South West, including Devon and Cornwall, visit www.devoncatering.com) you should have great fun choosing and then tasting your chosen wedding food and enjoying your special day.