Quick Guide to Wedding Catering: Part One
After watching the happy couple exchange vows and begin their
married life together, your guests will be hungry. Many of the
guests may have scaled back on eating in order to look good for
pictures or just because they were so busy during the day.
So feed them right.
Different needs
When you're putting together such a large assortment of people,
there are bound to be those that have certain ways or
preferences of eating. You may find that there are vegetarians
or those that can not eat dairy. You might have a diabetic in
the crowd or some other health restriction.
Do you have to make arrangements for everyone?
You should certainly try to have options for any sort of eating
arrangement. In the case of those that don't eat meat, you might
want to have a cheese lasagne available or other pasta dish.
This is becoming widely popular to have two options anyways, so
why not offer them?
Another way to cope with varied needs is to serve dinner in a
buffet style. This allows each person to pick only what they
want or what they can eat.
How to find good food
A lot of wedding caterers rely on word of mouth (no pun
intended) to get their services recognized. If you can, talk to
other people that have gotten married in your town to see who
they recommend. Of course, you will still want to see them for
yourself, but this list can be a great starting point.
Another way to find good catering is to talk to the reception
hall coordinators. Many times they will either require the use
of a particular caterer or they have a list of those that they
recommend.
Of course, you will want to schedule an appointment with all of
the catering candidates in order to do a taste test of their
menu options. At that point, you can pick what you think your
guests will enjoy.
A good meal is a great way to send your thanks to your guests
for coming to your wedding. This is the part that shouldn't be
skimped on for any reason. Of course, that doesn't mean that you
can't find moderately priced options.
Try your favourite restaurant, for example. If they're able to
cater, then you may be able to get a better deal because you're
buying food in bulk.
Having a friend who is a cook is even better--so long as they
don't mind working through the wedding.