Top 10 tips to hire the best catering services for your wedding
Your wedding day is a celebration of your love, and you want everything to be perfect, and the food and drink plays an important part, from the canapés and fizz on the lawn, through to the wedding breakfast and evening buffet – that’s if you’re going down the ‘traditional’ wedding route of course.
VIVA has come up with our top 10 tips for when you are choosing the best catering services for your wedding.
Determine the style of catering you want
Of course, not everyone goes down the route of a traditional wedding breakfast, though this is still, by far, the most popular in the UK. The pomp and formalities of a wedding is what helps to make them one of the most special days of our lives.
The wedding breakfast is normally a formal, seated three-meal course meal, and there are plenty of caterers who will be able to give you the ideal meal.
Or, it might be that you don’t want a sit-down meal at all, but more so a buffet or even a hog roast or wood fired pizza van where guests can help themselves and find their own places to sit, so they can mix with their friends.
No one format is better than the other, it’s purely down to individual preference. That said, certain caterers will specialise in certain ones, and so firstly, work out what you want, and then go and find the best caterer to suit your specific catering requirements.
Work with a locally based caterer
The world of professional catering for weddings is a competitive one, and you will find that there’s certainly no lack of choice when you are looking around. As that is the case, always try to work with a locally based caterer, as this has has to make life easier for you. Whether it’s organising a visit to their premises, or a meeting in a local pub before the event, for instance, dealing locally will certainly save you time, money and effort.
Check availability
As part of the process, you’ll of course need to check the availability of your caterer. Naturally, the best wedding caterers get booked well in advance, especially for the peak summer months when most weddings in the UK take place. The message, therefore, is clear – don’t leave it until the last minute!
Ask if the caterer can work within your budget
It’s all well and good choosing a caterer who can provide what you are looking for, but are they able to do it within your budget and price range. Everyone has a budget to work to, and so you’ll need to work together with your caterer to come up with a food and drink offering that hits the right notes from the point of both taste and price!
Find out their menu offering & recommendations
And, with your budget in mind, you’ll need to have discussions about what their proposed menu is. Is this fixed, or is your caterer open to suggestions from you as the couple. How do they deal with specific dietary requirements? Have they got any food or menu choice recommendations based on your brief? The more experienced the caterer, the more ideas they will have – ultimately, they want to please you, as the client, in the hope that you will recommend them to others who are looking for wedding caterers.
Set up a food sampling for you and your partner
One of the most enjoyable experiences of choosing a wedding caterer is being able to sample their food in advance. OK, so we’re not all Michelin-starred chefs or food critics, but we probably all recognise tasty and elegant food when we see and taste it. Get your caterer to produce the menu that you have decided upon, to make sure it is going to fit the bill. And, at this point, don’t be afraid to point out areas that you think could be improved – after all, you’re no doubt paying a lot for this service, and so satisfaction should be 100% guaranteed!
Ask how they present their food
You’ll have heard the phrase “people eat with their eyes” when it comes to food, and so the way that your caterer presents their food is important. Do they use basic white china, or do they use more upmarket crockery such as coloured or textured plates and bowls, for instance. You want your food to be memorable for your guest, so they are talking about it for years to come, and the way that your starters, main courses and desserts are presented is an integral part of the whole experience.
Find out if your caterer is familiar with your particular wedding venue?
It certainly helps if your caterer of choice is familiar with your particular wedding venue. It means that they know about any access restrictions for set-up and dismantle, any space or power issues, what kitchen equipment is already in-situ, and so on. If they already know your venue, it’s a bonus!
Ask if any extra catering equipment hire is needed
Let’s face it, any wedding or event is different to the next, both in terms of requirements and numbers. Therefore, it may be the case that your caterer needs to hire in additional wedding catering equipment hire, for instance, to cater for your specific numbers. If this is the case, then it might be down to you to source this equipment. Don’t worry, though, just get a list from them of what you need, and jump onto Google to find a professional catering equipment hire company local to you – just type in “catering equipment for hire near me” and you’ll be presented with some options from which you can choose.
Find out if there are likely to be any extra or hidden charges
We all like to know how much we are paying for something, especially if we are working to a budget, and so nasty hidden surprises are always unwelcome! Aim to work with a caterer that is transparent on costs, so that you can build this into your overall wedding budget with confidence.
Hopefully, the tips above will help you find the best wedding caterer for your special day. Make sure you ask the right questions, stand your ground, and get your negotiating hat on. Ultimately, you want your wedding day to be perfect, and so you want the catering to be perfect. The best caterers will be able to do this for you, but only if they completely understand what you are looking for from the very start.