A wedding is one of the most important days in a person’s life because you will get to begin a new chapter of your life and live with your better half as a legally wedded couple. Most women dream of having a memorable wedding and wearing the prettiest gown that will leave people talking long after the wedding is over. However, for a wedding day to be considered successful, all the different aspects of the wedding have to go well. The weather has to be great, the venue has to be ready, the food has to be delicious, and the photographer has to be skillful among other things. Food is especially an integral part of a wedding that you cannot afford to ignore. It will cost you a significant amount, but it will be all worth it in the end. Great food begins with finding a good wedding caterer.
There are different wedding caterers that you can hire. These include:
• Full-service wedding caterer; this type of caterer offers other services besides merely serving food.
• The restaurant wedding; restaurant weddings have become popular recently. Furthermore, you do not need to do your wedding at a posh restaurant; rather, you can do it at any restaurant that allows you to hold your wedding on their property. If the hotel has never hosted a wedding before, they will make the necessary arrangements to ensure that they can pull off the wedding and provide sufficient food for the guests. Holding your wedding in a restaurant will also give you the peace of mind knowing that the food will be delicious.
• The self-catered wedding; this is where you decide to cook the food yourself. You must be a great cook to take this route.
• The potluck wedding; this a wedding in which friends contribute a dish during the wedding. Chairs, cutlery, tables, and cleanup will be the responsibility of your loved ones.
• Food truck wedding; in this kind of catering, professionals will get into their kitchen and prepare tasty food. With food trucks, your guests can be served from the truck counter. Alternatively, the food truck can act as a portable commercial kitchen. Whichever the case, you will have to take care of tables and logistics.
• The traditional caterer preparing untraditional food; these caterers do not limit themselves to cooking the usual dry chicken and steak. Rather, they are open to cooking other foods that you might request them to cook such as a variety of appetizers, tacos, pizza, fries or whatever you fancy.
First, you have to decide which type of caterer you want to hire. You should then do an extensive research and find a good caterer. Ensure that you shop around and compare prices. However, you should never book a caterer before knowing the estimate of the people you will be expecting to come to the wedding, coming up with a budget and booking a venue.
Once you have found a caterer, you should ask them various questions to ensure that you make the right decision. Here are just some of the facts you should find out before you settle on a wedding caterer:
1. Whether the caterer has a license; asking this question will help you know if the caterer carries liability insurance and if they have complied with the health standards requirements. You should also find out whether the caterer has a liquor license if you intend to serve alcohol.
2. Whether the caterer has liquor liability insurance; this will shield you from incurring a lot of expenses if your wedding party injures themselves or destroys property after drinking.
3. Whether the caterer is booked by other clients on the same day or same weekend; if they will be working on other events or weddings during the same weekend you have booked, you may want to make sure that they will assign enough staff to your wedding.
4. What the dressing code of the caterer and the staff will be; if they wear clothes that match your wedding color theme the better for you.
5. Does the caterer bake cakes for their clients and if they do is it included? If you are not impressed with their cake baking skills, you can hire a different cake baker.
6. Does the caterer prepare food for people with a special dietary need such as gluten-free and vegetarian meals or special foods such as halal and kosher and do they charge extra for that?
7. Will the caterer cook for children and will they charge extra for it?
8. Can the caterer give you references of clients they have worked with before? References will tell you information that the company will not. Ask for references with the same menu and number of guests as yours for a better analysis of the company’s services.
9. Is the catering manager capable?
10. What is their backup plan in the event of a crisis such as a chef getting sick?
11. How much will the caterer charge you?
12. Where do they source the food and how much will it affect the cost?
Hiring a good caterer is the key to having an exceptional wedding. Take your time finding the right one, and you will definitely have the wedding of the century that you have always dreamt of.
