9 Key Questions To Ask Your Caterer For Your Wedding or Event
The food at your wedding plays a huge part in the day. From the canapes at the drinks reception, through to your wedding breakfast and evening food, your guests will be indulging in food throughout, so you want to make it special and enjoyable for everyone. Not only that, but you want to create a menu which perfectly reflects the both of you and your personalities. This is why it is incredibly important to choose the right caterer for you!
Below is a list of 9 questions and some of our team's top tips to consider, when finding the caterer for your wedding or event.
Top Tips When Choosing Your Caterer and Menu
Book in advance – Booking well in advance will give you the luxury of time. It will also take some of the stress away and give you a higher chance of securing your chosen caterer for your special day.
Remeber your vegan or vegetarian guests - Make sure to consider these guests when selecting your caterer, and find out if they can accomodate your guests' dietary requirments. We recommend choosing 1 vegetarian option per course or catering specifically to the guests with different dietary needs or preferences.
Think about the time of year you are getting married - Your caterer will be able to advise you about the different foods and their seasonality. For example, a perfect dessert for a winter wedding would be sticky toffee pudding; a British classic that everyone enjoys to warm up at the end of the meal.
9 Questions to Ask Your Caterer
1. How do you handle dietary restrictions and allergies?
It is important you know that your caterer has experience in handling different dietary restrictions and catering to guests with different allergies, ensuring their safety. We have a team of well-experienced chefs on board, who have plenty of experience dealing with dietary restrictions and allergies.
2. Do you provide crockery and glassware?
It is good to know whether your caterer provides crockery and glassware and also if the crockery and glassware they provide suits the theme of your wedding. It’s helpful to know if they have different ranges available to hire, so you can personalise the tableware to suit the overall style of your day. We hire all of our crockery, linen and glassware in, which means our couples aren’t limited to certain ranges and can chose those which best suit their day!
3. When do you need final choices?
This is an important question to ask, as all caterers are working to a time constraint. This also means that you can inform all your guests and confirm your final choices in time. We ask our couples to get back to us with the final choices 6-8 weeks before the day, giving both you and us plenty of time to finalise everything.
4. Can you provide the alcohol?
This is a good question as not all caterers can provide alcohol. Whilst we don't typically supply the alcohol for weddings or events, we can certainly serve your own drinks. We also have a have a list of preferred suppliers that we work closely with and can provide recommendations.
5. Are non-alcoholic beverages included in the price?
You might need to provide non-alcoholic drinks for some of your guests such as children or guests who are driving, asking this question will help with pricing and knowing what exactly needs to be sourced for the wedding. At Hall & Co. we can serve soft drinks that you provide and or supply a range of non-alcoholic beverages such as juices and fizzy drinks.
6. Will the food I try at a tasting look and taste the same on the day?
It is important to know that the food you try at a menu tasting will be just how it was when you sampled it at a tasting, unless of course you wish for the presentation to be changed! It's important to ask your caterer about portion size and how different things will be presented on the day, this is especially important if you are having a styled station. Our team takes a photo of each dish you try at your menu tasting to make sure your wedding breakfast is presented exactly how you remember and ensure any comments and alterations are noted down.
7. Do you offer a children’s menu?
Not all children attending a wedding will eat the 3-course adults optionand, children also have their own preferences and can be pickier, that’s why it’s good to cater for the children at your wedding and know whether your caterer offers children’s options. We cater for adults as well as children and have a specifically designed menu for children, making sure no guest gets missed out and gets to have the food they enjoy. You can see our full menu pack here.
8. Can we request a bespoke menu?
This is a good question for your caterer as some caterers do create bespoke menus, this is great way to personalise your menu and include some of your favourite ingredients or dishes. Our team of chefs loves to channel their creativity, are passionate about creating bespoke menus, and always happy to tailor the menu specifically to your preferences and needs.
9. Will there be an on-day coordinator?
Some caterers work very closely with on-day coordinators or can often make a recommendation, so it’s always worth asking. At Hall and Co, our catering service includes a catering event manager to ensure all elements of the catering runs smoothly, we alos have a very talented team of event planners and stylists, who have an abundance of experience in on-day coordination and are happy to do this in addition to our catering service.
Want to know more about our catering service? Our team are always on hand to answer any questions you might have! Get in touch now.
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