Besides your location, the food for your wedding weekend will probably consume the largest portion of your wedding budget and be one of the most important factors in ensuring a successful event. Great food service will leave a lasting impression on your guests whether you are having an intimate affair or really big blowout.
A lot of things come into play when selecting a caterer, so don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. Whether your potential caterer works at your event facility or you’re hiring them independently, here are some vital questions that are often overlooked:
- How many weddings do you do per year, and how long have you been in business?
- Have you done any events at my location before?
- Are you licensed and insured?
- Will you provide a banquet manager to coordinate the meal service or an on-site coordinator who will run the entire event?
- Do we have to work off a pre-set menu or can you create a custom menu for our event? If I have a special dish I’d like served, would you accommodate that?
- Can you accommodate dietary restrictions, such as kosher, vegan, etc.?
- What décor do you provide for appetizer stations or buffet tables?
- What’s the difference in cost between passed appetizers and appetizer stations? What’s the price difference between a buffet and a sit-down meal? If we have a buffet, are there any stations that cost extra, like a carving station?
- How much do you charge for children’s meals?
- How much do you charge for vendor meals?
- Do you do food tastings and is there an extra charge for this?
- If there is leftover food from my event, can we have it wrapped up for guests to take home or have it delivered to a local shelter?
- What is the last date by which I have to give you a final guaranteed guest count?
- What is your payment policy? Do you accept credit cards?
- How much of a deposit is required to hold my date? When is the final payment due?
