Book the Wedding Caterer for Your Reception: How to Find and Hire a Wedding Catering Service

Summer and spring weddings really must be booked as early as possible.

Off-peak weddings have a little more flexibility since they are not booked right away.

• Ask everyone you know if they can recommend a caterer they’ve worked with.
• Find caterers at wedding shows or advertising in your local paper in wedding inserts.
• Ask your favorite restaurants if they cater.

When meeting with a wedding caterer for the first time, be prepared with the date, the budget, and approximate number of guests.

You will also need to tell the caterer if the reception is indoors or outdoors and if there are any location challenges like difficult terrain, no kitchen, and limited power sources.

Inform the caterer of how much time you have in your venue contract for set-up and break down.

You should expect the caterer to have an array of wedding reception menus and a book that includes pictures of functions that they have catered. Look at the photos carefully.

Is the presentation bland, just platters and chafing dishes on plain tablecloths? No matter how good the food actually tastes, people taste with their eyes too.

Well presented food tastes better.

Depending on the experience of the wedding caterer, they may have price fixed menus, meaning you pick 3 food items from category 1, 2 items from category 2 and the price per person is X. Pick 4 from category 1, and 3 items from category 2 and the price per person is Y.

There typically is no tasting for the first meeting because the caterer needs to get an understanding what you’re looking for in terms of food desires and budget.

If you have a specific wedding reception menu in mind, ask them to compare pricing for the different styles of service.

• Have you worked at the reception venue before?
• I’d like an extra service, like a dinner station with a server carving beef. Do you have the capability to do this?
• Do you provide the servers and bartenders, or do we have to secure waitstaff separately?
• Do you provide any of the tables, chairs, serving pieces, dishes or linens?
• Do you make wedding cakes? Can I use an outside cake vendor if I choose? Can you recommend wedding cake vendors?
• Is outside food allowable? Can Aunt Nancy make the groom’s cake or can we bring in our favorite donuts for the desert table?
• Will you prepare my mother’s recipe for Dijon Chicken?
• What happens to the leftover food? Can we take it with us or donate it to a soup kitchen?
• What are your refund and cancellation policies? What about overtime and set-up and breakdown fees?
• Our wedding is outdoors, do you have the ability to handle bad weather situations? (If so, get it in the contract!)
• What is the latest date we can make changes and additions to the menu? If we need to change the time, how soon in advance does the caterer need the information?
• When do you expect payment?
• What are the drop dead dates for final guest counts, menu changes and to inform you of any specific dietary needs guests may have?
• What is the typical amount of communication you have with engaged couples between the time you’re booked and the wedding?

You should walk away from that first meeting with a price estimate, deposit information, how much time you have before your wedding date is taken by another couple, and, if you’re seriously considering the caterer, an appointment for a tasting.

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