Wedding Caterer

You probably realized you needed to start looking for wedding caterers when you started to plan your wedding reception. Even if you were at one time considering planning and making the food for your wedding yourself or having a close friend or relative do it for you, chances are when you started to make the actual plans, you realized you needed professional help. While wedding caterers are a big expense, the amount of stress and worry that they save is well worth any monetary cost.

Before you can start shopping for caterers, you must plan some details about your wedding reception. First, decide whether you want a full meal at your reception, or just wedding cake and snacks. The answer to this question will depend a lot on the time of day you wed. If your wedding coincides with a major mealtime, your guests are going to expect a meal at your reception.

Next, as a couple you need to determine how many people are probably going to attend your reception. This requires deciding whether you are going to open the reception to all who attend your wedding, or just select individuals. Some couples, for example, open receptions for adults only. Others have small receptions right after the wedding for all in attendance, with larger receptions for family and close friends later that evening. Once you have made these determinations, then you need to budget for your reception.

The question of how much a caterer will cost is on the forefront of many couples’ minds. Weddings are expensive, and typically the bride’s family pays most of the expenses, including the reception costs. In today’s modern world, many couples are using their combined resources to pay for most aspects of the wedding. No matter who ends up with the bill, knowing how much wedding caterers cost is important aspect of the budgeting process.

In order to understand how wedding caterers charge for their services, you must first understand how they think. What drives a caterer’s decisions is food cost. The cost of the food they provide you for your wedding directly affects the amount of profit they make. When you add something to the menu that is not in their typical package, they start thinking immediately about the cost of ordering enough of that particular item in order to have the right amount on hand for the guests that choose that item.

If you are planning to serve a full meal with salad, appetizers, main dish, and dessert, as well as having a traditional wedding cake and drinks, your wedding reception catering can cost up to half of the total cost of the wedding. Be prepared to pay a bit for catering services, as elegant food is expensive. Costs will vary by location, so the best way to determine the costs for your particular wedding reception needs is to interview several caterers in the area where you plan to be wed.

Interviewing wedding caterers is a complete waste of time if you do not know what to ask. Remember, each caterer you talk to is a professional, and they expect you to have plenty of questions. Have an idea in mind of the menu you may want to serve, because this will make the interview process go quickly.

Choose around four caterers to interview at the beginning of the process. You can talk to friends about their caterers to get ideas for potential candidates. Once you have scheduled the interview, ask for references from each wedding catering company. Do not be afraid to call a couple of the brides the caterer gives you as references and find out what they thought of the service and food.

The fun part about interviewing potential companies to cater your wedding is the samples! Wedding catering services expect to bring samples to interviews, so feel free to request them. Ask them if you can sample their premier dish, as well as their most popular dessert. While you may not choose these items, knowing what their best dish is helps you know the quality of their work. Also, sampling the favorite of their customers might open your eyes to a food you had not considered for your wedding.

Ask to see pictures of past events. Food for a wedding reception needs to be tasty and attractive. Part of the job of a wedding caterer is to present the food in a beautiful way. Pictures are the best way to determine if the caterer is doing his job properly.

How do you know if you have found a good caterer? Wedding caterers who are worth their salt will have a professional appearance, even in the early interviewing stage. Their goal is to land a contract with you, so if they are not willing to dress the part for the interview, what makes you think they are going to provide professional service at your wedding? Part of being a professional wedding caterer involves getting to know each bride’s desires. At the first meeting, the caterer should not be puling out menus and trying to sell his services. Instead, look for a caterer who listens to your current wedding plans, then proposes a menu and reception theme that matches.

A good caterer is going to be there when you need him, within reason. If your caterer is not accessible, you may want to consider a different company. Professional caterers will respond to phone calls and questions in a timely manner. While the caterer may not always be available to take your call, he should respond to your voice mail or message quickly. Many caterers now offer e-mail services to their clients, which speeds up the communication process.

Finally, the wedding caterer you want is going to have flexibility. This quality is important, because it will help when something goes wrong at the actual event. If you want to make a change to your menu or catering plan within a reasonable time period, the caterer should be willing to do this, without adding much cost to your catering bill.

After interviewing several caterers and finding professional catering companies, many brides to be find that their wedding caterer options are still wide open. Most companies have not built a good reputation without being professional, available, and flexible, so even after an ardent interview process, there are often several caterers to choose from.

Making the final decision about wedding caterers form a short list of potential candidates comes down to going with your instincts. If, for example, one particular caterer seemed pushy during the interview process, he will probably be pushy if you ask him to cater your event. You would probably like to have a different caterer.

The food options and cost can be the deciding factor as well. If all the other aspects of two particular wedding caterers are the same, there is no shame in going with the cheapest option, or the caterer with the tastiest food. You may even want to tell your two final choices that you are trying to decide between them and another company. You may be offered a lower price or a free entree in order to land the contract.

Remember, promotional materials do not guarantee quality service and tasty food. Look carefully at the companies you are considering, call the references they provided, and then decide together as a couple which company fits your wedding plans best. Once you have signed a catering contract, changing companies may involve some penalties, so make the decision about who is going to cater your wedding reception carefully.

Before you sign a contract with any wedding caterers, you must take the time to read the contract in its entirety. If anything is unclear or appears incorrect, ask! Remember, if there is a problem with the catering service, only what is on the written contract protects you. Make sure to get all of your agreements in writing. Verbal agreements are nice, but they do not offer you any protection.

Your catering contract for your wedding reception will include the date of the event. The contract will also include the set time, which is the time the different parts of the meal will be set out for guests. Read this part of the contract carefully, and make sure the times are how you want them to be. Generally, food items should be set out fifteen to thirty minutes before they are served. The final time on the contract will be the start time, which is the time when the caterer begins his services.

The next part of the contract to look over carefully is the fees. You can expect to pay for food, as well as labor charges, rental of equipment, service fees, and tax. Read carefully to find out what the termination penalty is, and when you can terminate the contract should something change with your wedding.

You will need to set a guaranteed guest count in the contract. This is the number of guests you will pay for, no questions asked. Even if fewer guests actually show up for the reception, you must pay for the guaranteed guest count. Make sure this is a realistic number. You may want to send out RSVP cards to your guests to help you anticipate your need in this area.

The caterer’s role at your wedding is to be as inconspicuous as possible. Neither the bride nor the groom should have to talk to the caterer on their wedding day, unless they want to. All payment arrangements should be made prior to the wedding reception. A friend or family member should be asked to give the final payment to the caterer.

The best wedding caterers are the ones no one even knows are there. The food is served efficiently and correctly, and problems are cared for behind the scenes. No problem should touch the bride on her wedding day, and she should not have to be concerned with the caterer.

Food needs to be served hot and fresh, and drinks need to be kept full. Each caterer will have his own way of doing this, but the bride and groom should never have to wonder if their guests are hungry or thirsty. All food should be served when promised, and guests should not be left waiting for their meals.

When planning for the wedding reception and giving instructions to the wedding caterers, there are a few items that many brides forget. One of the easiest things to forget is to pay the caterer. You put a down payment on the reception, but the final payment is not due until the event has successfully been completed, and the two of you are officially wed. Make sure you give someone the check, with instructions on whom to give it to. You can pay before the event, provided you are confident in your caterer.

You will be surprised how easy it is to forget to eat at you own wedding reception. You have spent thousands of dollars on the catered food, yet if you are not careful, you will not eat a bite! To avoid this, plan for some time for you and your groom to eat. Schedule that into the course of events, and tell your caterer what your choices are for food and beverage. Consider having a head table, where you and your new spouse can sit and enjoy a meal before greeting your guests.

Have the caterer pack you a goody bag to take to your hotel room. If you do not get the chance to eat at the reception, this will give you something to eat later on. Talk to your caterer about the leftovers from the reception as well. Some brides arrange to have these donated to a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. There may be friends and family members in attendance who could benefit from some of these leftovers. Make arrangements ahead of time, because, after all, you did pay for this food!

The frugal bride can save money when shopping for wedding caterers in a couple of ways, without sacrificing the service and food quality she wants. One option to have a less expensive wedding reception is to have an appetizers only wedding reception. Schedule the wedding at a time when the guests will not be expecting a meal, and offer them tasty appetizers at a shortened reception.

If your reception hall allows it, consider bringing your own beverages to the reception. This also will cut down on costs of having to cater the wedding reception. You can still have the caterer provide some of the drink, but not all of it. Having your meal served as a buffet is another way to cut down on wedding reception costs. You will not have to pay for as many wait staff or serving dishes. However, there may be more food involved with buffet reception because your guests might eat more.

With these tips in mind, get out there and find your caterer. Remember, wedding caterers are an important part of the wedding day. Whether you have a sit down meal, or simply serve dessert and hors d’oeuvres, your guests are going to remember your reception for a long time. Choose your caterer wisely, and have fun!