Category Archives: Wedding Catering

How to Pick a Wedding Caterer

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How to Pick a Wedding Caterer

How to Pick a Wedding Caterer

Choosing the people responsible for creating mouthwatering delicacies for your wedding can be a real challenge. There are a few things you must consider before making your decision.

I wish there had been someone to warn me when I was going through this because the wedding catering business is quite diverse and quality of food can make the world of a difference.

With my experience in mind, I developed this article to hopefully help another bride to be.

Start with the Basics
The best way to begin you selection is to come up with a basic meal plan that you both agree on including a couple appetizers and the main course. This doesn’t have to be definite, just an idea for each caterer to expand on with their specialties when you go food tasting. An example might be baked chicken, potato, beef roast, white fish, rice dish, noodle dish, seasonal vegetable. Then they have the opportunity to turn each part into a nice dish to impress your taste buds.

Budget Considerations
Another important aspect of choosing a wedding caterer is the cost. This comes in when you choose the type of meal you would like for the wedding and the specific caterer. You should get a list of about 10 caterers in the area to start your decision making. It is important you get rough figures from each caterer based on the numbers from you estimated guest list to eliminate any out of your budget to save yourself time and trouble. Also this is the time to ask if each caterer is available on your wedding date and if they allow you to provide you own beverages which can save you money.

The cost of your caterer will differ with the type of meal you provide at the wedding. Sit down vs. buffet style are your two main choices and each have good and bad aspects. Sit down dinners are wonderful because everyone gets what they ordered and they just relax as the wait staff serves the food and cleans up the plates while continuously refilling beverages on the tables. They are also not so great if you don’t want to spend a lot of money and time planning every detail.

Sit down dinners require you to send out eating cards to get everyone’s order, which you typically get to pick two or three choices and the more you choose the pricier the bill. Also you then have to have a seating chart which can be a huge headache if your families don’t know each other extremely well or there is a divorce on either side. However if you do want a seating chart you can arrange it with either type of meal. One last thing is that sit down meals require the same portions so some people will have too much food and others won’t have enough. This tends to lead to wasted food, which in the end costs you more.

Buffet meals on the other hand are more flexible with portions because people eat as much as they need and require less wait staff to serve food which saves you money. Also you have the option for more types of food because people can choose the sides they want and take a little of everything. This keeps the stress off of what you picked to go along with each main course. You also don’t have to worry about getting meal cards from everyone you invited and planning what meal goes with which main course and the price is right. Buffets cost about half to two thirds the price of a sit down meal which works well if you are on a tight budget. Just make sure your venue has the room for the set up and people walking around to get to and from the buffet. Overall I loved the buffet at my own wedding and it allowed me to taste a little of everything with room for cake!

Good Eating Enhances the Day
After reading all that I know it seems like a crazy process with a lot of headaches but it really can be easy as long as you follow your budget and taste buds. If you shop around and find that catering a full meal is way out of your budget you can always have your wedding around late lunch time and order a bunch of appetizers. This way you don’t have to pay for a sit down meal or a buffet and can have food and beverages provided at less cost. There are many great caterers out there and the right one can help you with the hard decisions. Good luck with picking your caterer and I hope this advice helps!

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Ideas for Catering a Las Vegas Wedding

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If you are hosting your wedding in Las Vegas, you are probably trying to come up with ideas on how catering a Las Vegas wedding works. Honestly, just like if you are hosting a wedding anywhere else in the country, the possibilities for catering your wedding are almost endless.

When you are catering a Las Vegas wedding, you need to decide what your budget is, before you make your final decision on where you want to hold your reception. The great thing about holding your wedding in Las Vegas is that there are delicious catering options for every budget. And, of course, your reception or wedding dinner location will also depend on how many people you have attending.

If you are having a more traditional wedding with a larger number of guests at one of the Las Vegas hotels, you can try to negotiate a package that involves the hotel catering a Las Vegas wedding for you in one of their fancier private rooms. Several of the nicer hotels along the Strip have great restaurants and private rooms that you could use, to put together the food selection for your reception. This option is especially convenient if you are having a wedding with several out-of-town guests, since you can also probably negotiate a less expensive group rate for them, if they want to stay in the same hotel. This means your guests will not have to add extra travel time to their schedules, and can spend more time celebrating your wedding.

If you are only looking at catering a Las Vegas wedding for a few people, you have several options. You can reserve a private room at a restaurant and request a special menu for your guests if you want to allow them to have choices. Guests always appreciate having a choice in what they eat, so you can arrange with the restaurant’s event planner to have special menus printed up in honor of your wedding, which will allow your guests a choice between a few different appetizers and entrees.

Another unique option to consider when catering a Las Vegas wedding is to arrange to have your wedding dinner at a buffet. In Las Vegas, you will find buffets with a wide variety of food and prices, and if you arrange it with the hotel’s event coordinator ahead of time, you might even be able to get a more private area set aside for your guests. Keep in mind, though, that at most of the dinner buffets in Las Vegas, the cost of drinks is not included in the price, so if you want your guests to be served alcohol and you are concerned about your budget, you might see if you can arrange a special package for that ahead of time or order a few bottles of wine for your guest to share instead of having everyone order whatever they want.

With all of the great restaurants in the hotels along the strip, private reception halls in a lot of the hotels, and the great choices of buffets, no matter what your budget or your taste, you will be able to find a place that will make catering a Las Vegas wedding easy.

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How to Choose a Wedding Catering Service

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Good food is an integral part of most celebrations, and weddings are no different. Choosing the right wedding catering service is something that make take time, so you will want to plan accordingly. The right menu can make your wedding reception something everyone will talk about for months.

Many wedding venues offer their own catering services. The majority of these venues will not allow outside caterers. It is essential to inquire about this when looking to book a wedding location. It makes sense to choose and book the wedding venue before choosing your caterer, and even before choosing who makes your wedding cake. If the venue does not offer a catering service, they will likely be able to recommend several catering companies in the area that they have worked with before. Do not forget to ask friends and family for recommendations as well.

Unless you have used a catering company before, you will probably want to sample their food before making your final choice. A decent caterer will be happy to make time for clients to sample food. If a caterer does not allow sampling ahead of time, be wary. During a sample, you probably will not be sampling the actual menu for your wedding, but you will get a general idea of whether the food is good or not. Some caterers will give you samples to take home to try with your family.

Price ranges for caterers can vary widely, depending on the education and reputation of the chef, the menu chosen, how many people will be served at your wedding, whether it is a buffet or sit down, and so on. Some caterers will have a very limited menu for you to choose from. While many can prepare whatever you want, having this limited choice selection allows the caterer to be prepared well in advance.

Be sure to discuss menu requirements with potential caterers before booking one. You will need to mention if there are special dietary needs, such as vegetarian, food allergies or other requirements. Food allergies are especially important to mention before settling on a menu. Many dishes contain ingredients you would not normally think are in them, and cross-contamination in the kitchen often happens. If the caterer knows about food allergies ahead of time, they can make sure that recipes are modified and that steps are taken to prevent cross-contamination when preparing and serving the food.

As you speak to caterers and sample their food, keep notes and rate each caterer as to taste, menu variety, presentation, and price. Give yourself time to interview several wedding caterers well before your wedding and your wedding reception will be one remembered forever.

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