12 Top Catering Tips
1- As far as wedding expenses go, your catering or food bill
is typically your largest expense (45-50% of most wedding budgets).
Therefore, choose your caterer carefully. Spend plenty of time
with your caterer talking about your budget, the style of reception
you’d like (i.e. buffet, food stations, sit down dinner
or cocktail reception) and the types of food that you’d
like to serve.
2- If you are unfamiliar with the caterer, always schedule a
"tasting" to sample their culinary skills and take
note that the food is attractively presented too.
3- Check References! Many brides ask for references but never
call them. Make at least TWO reference phone calls. Don’t
by shy, remember -- brides love to talk about their wedding!
4- When hiring your caterer, be sure to ask about the dinnerware
or china they will be using. Some caterers will include all
the dinnerware in their price - but they may be chipped, scratched
and worn out. So, ask to see samples to make sure that the place
settings nicely compliment the rest of your wedding decor.
5- Service is an extremely important element when choosing your
caterer. Be sure to ask about the ratio of servers to guests.
Now, this can vary depending on the type of reception you have
(seated dinner versus buffet). One good rule of thumb is to
have one server for every 8-10 guests.
6- When determining a final head count for your caterer, you
should include a meal for your entertainer (DJ or Band), photographer
and Wedding Day Coordinator. But, always confirm with these
vendors that they do want a meal before you include them in
your head count. And, make sure to separate these from your
guest head count because your caterer will usually charge you
less for "vendor" meals.
7- If your caterer is providing meals
for your DJ, Band or photographer, be sure to ask your caterer
where the meals will be served for them and confirm that they
will be eating somewhere "out of sight" from your wedding
guests.
8- Ask your caterer to prepare a "leftover basket" that
is a sampling of all the food at your reception. It's likely that
the bride and groom will not get a chance to eat and enjoy all
of the wonderful food at the reception. Even if you're leaving
the next day on your honeymoon, it makes for a great late night
snack.
9- Be sure to ask your caterer about "guaranteed numbers".
Many caterers will quote prices based upon a minimum or "guaranteed"
number of guests. Many base their figures on a minimum of 100
guests. If your final guest count is less than a hundred, there
may be an additional fee.
10- Find out what decorations (if any) are included in the caterer’s
price. Ask to see pictures of their table displays. Some caterers
that do buffets or food stations will include floral arrangements
and other decorations. As your wedding plans progress, talk to
your caterer about your color theme so that all decorations and
floral arrangements will coordinate.
11- A recent trend when doing buffets or food stations is to have
a menu board. This is where the names of the entrees (and sometimes
a brief description) and items served are scrolled elegantly onto
a piece of paper displayed on a board or in a picture frame.
12- Be careful on how many hors d'oeuvres you order. Do you really
need eight different varieties? You'd be surprised - some caterers
will suggest this! If you are doing hors d'oeuvres - four different
varieties is usually sufficient. For more money-saving catering
tips, check out the Frugal Wedding.
source: http://www.usabride.com
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