Who doesn't want amazing & delicious food at their wedding? Food is an essential part of any celebration, but menu planning doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out a few tips & considerations below as you work through the process.
Some venues have one exclusive food & beverage provider. Other venues have a list of catering companies to choose from. Still, there are others that allow you to bring in any outside catering company that you choose. Understand your options and also note if there are any additional fees/deposits and/or insurance requirements needed for outside catering.
Do your homework. Check out each website and get a feel for their menu selections, price points, and processes (payment options, tastings, etc). Narrow it down and reach out to a few companies that you find most appealing. Attend a bridal show to meet local companies and sample some of their food selections. Recommendations from family & friends can also be helpful.
Hors d’oeuvres/Appetizers
- Are you interested in having tray passed hors d’oeuvres or stations set-up? There are pros & cons to both. If you have a small footprint in your reception space, then you may not have the room to set-up stations. Tray-passed may require more staff; however, once the food is gone – it is out of sight/out of mind versus a station with items that have visibly ran out. Stations may require less staff, but you may need/want to 1-2 servers manning the stations to help with portion control.
-How is each item displayed? Is this item something that can be easily eaten from a napkin as guests mingle or does it need a small plate? Is a utensil needed?
- When making your selections, ask your Catering Manager about the number of pieces per item that they would recommend based on your guest count and the timing of your reception.
Sit Down Meal vs. Buffet Style Dinner
- Are you leaning towards a sit-down meal or a buffet style dinner?
- What are the cost differences with each option? For a buffet, you may need less wait staff, but the caterer may need to prepare more food, thus the price point may be higher. With a sit-down dinner, you will pay for more staff, but the meal may be lower, since it is served, and portions are managed. Talk to your Catering representative to get more insight on this item and determine price implications.
- What are options for guests that have allergies and/or dietary restrictions?
Alcohol
- Open Bar vs. Cash Bar: What’s best for you & your budget? Are you looking to have an open bar and pick up the tab for all of your guests? Or start with an open bar to a specific dollar amount and then have the bar revert to a standard cash bar? Or possibly provide each adult guest with (1-2) drink tickets that would be redeemable for a drink (after use of the drink tickets, guests could then purchase drinks on their own)?
- Would you like a full bar or to simply serve wine/beer?
- Bars/Bartenders: Talk to your Catering Manager about the number of bars/bartenders needed for your event. There is typically a ratio of guests to bars/bartenders, so that there is no service impact and guests get their drinks in timely matter.
- Bar Front: Does the catering company include a bar front automatically with their services or is this something that you would need to rent?
Linen/Napkins/Flatware/China/Glasses
- Is standard linen/flatware/china/glasses included in the price point? Are you looking to upgrade these items? Or do you plan to rent from a local company? If you are renting these items, will your catering company set-up these items and handle tear-down and bussing of the tables? How will this work exactly and is there an additional cost for your catering company to handle the rentals?
Service Charges/Gratuities
- What are the standard service charges? Are gratuities automatically included? Any additional fees that you should be aware or that would apply?
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