You have had the dreamy proposal and found the dress that makes you feel like a princess. Not only that but you have secured your perfect venue and planned your perfect guest-list. What comes next for wedding planning? The caterer of course!
Finding the right caterer can be hard and sometimes there are so many things to think about when it comes to food. Catering can be one of the biggest costs associated with a wedding, so it is good to make sure that you get the right caterer, to work with you to create the ideal wedding breakfast.
There can be lots of things to think about when working out which wedding caterer you should choose. In order to make sure you are getting the best possible caterer, speak to at least two or three caterers and take a look at this list of questions to ask your potential wedding caterer:
Budget and Price Range
What is your average price range?
Why you should ask this:
Everyone has a wedding budget and you need to know if it fits yours
Catering and alcohol will be a significant part of your budget so make sure you know what is feasible for you before you go in
Asking the price range is one of the most important questions to ask the wedding caterer at the start
Do you offer package deals?
Why you should ask this:
Is it incredibly important to know what you are getting and if it is good value for money. This is one of the most important things to think about when working out what to ask your wedding caterer
Knowing whether it is an all-inclusive rate or dependent on ingredients or type of food is also helpful for your budget planning
Packages can help to save you a lot of money, especially if you have a big guest list
What services are not included?
Why you should ask this:
Some things like cutting the cake, serving champagne or even a coffee service might not be included
Asking this question helps you to work out what the extras will be and what sort of service they are offering for the money.
Licences and Insurance
Do you have a food business license?
Why you should ask this:
This shows that the business has been approved by the local council for food preparation and service
It also means that the premises and equipment has been approved by the health inspectors
Don’t forget that it’s the biggest day of your life, you want to know that your food isn’t going to give anyone (including yourself) food poisoning, that would certainly put a dampener on the honeymoon!
Do you have Insurance?
Why you should ask this:
This is one of the most important questions to ask the wedding caterer, yet it is often forgotten
It’s important because it covers third party property damage or injury, which is especially important if your caterer is also running the bar, you don’t want to be sued by someone stumbling drunk out of your wedding and injuring themselves.
It also helps the caterers if something like a fire happens last minute, so they are more likely to be able to still cover your wedding
If you are really concerned about insurance, it might be worth taking out some wedding insurance of your own, just in case something were to happen to the venue or the caterer shortly before the big day.
The Food
What is your cuisine specialisation?
Why you should ask this:
It doesn’t make much senses to have a French food expert prepare an Indian dinner, so ask them what their strengths are
If you have a specific type of food in mind, it helps to know if they are at least familiar with this type food even if it isn’t their speciality
If you don’t have any particular preference with food, you might be inspired by their suggestions, especially if they are specialists in that particular cuisine
Can you cater to special diets?
Why you should ask this:
With so many people eating to specific diets right now, this is certainly one of the most important questions when you are thinking about what to ask the wedding caterer
Are they able to cater for allergies like gluten free or lactose intolerance? This will help you if there are any guests that have special dietary requirements
Ask what their options are for vegans and vegetarians. It’s likely that you will have at least one vegan or vegetarian attending your wedding and you don’t want them to go hungry.
This is also a good chance to ask them what type of ingredients they are cooking with. Fresh and seasonal ingredients are often the sign of a chef that is cooking with quality ingredients
References and Timing
Do you have any references?
Why you should ask this:
It’s only human nature to be interested if other people have had good experiences with them
Asking for references helps you to get an idea of what people really thought of their wedding
Just be careful that they may cherry pick the overly positive or outstanding reviews and comments, so in order to get a true picture of the company, you should search their name on Google to see if any other information pops up.
Also ask about the size and type of weddings they have catered before, if you have a grand venue that fits hundreds of people and your caterers have only ever catered small scale and informal weddings before, this could be a sign that it wasn’t meant to be
Do you have any other weddings or events at the same time?
Why you should ask this:
Weddings take some serious organising, both on your part and on the part of the caterer you choose
If they have other weddings the same day this doesn’t necessarily have to be a deal breaker, but you should ask about how they plan to cater at two events on the same day, so you can be sure that your wedding is getting the attention and care that it deserves
This could, however, be a sign that they aren’t cooking with fresh ingredients, so make sure to double check that they will be making your food fresh on the day. Often you are paying a significant amount of money for the food, so make sure you are getting the best quality possible.
Trying to find the perfect caterer can be stressful, so making sure you ask all the right questions can be the best way to make sure you know what you would be getting with any of the caterers you speak to. Make sure you keep in mind questions to ask your wedding caterer and keep a note of their answers, if you speak to a few different companies; it can be easy to get mixed up.
Do you have any more important things to think about when thinking what to ask the wedding caterer? Do you have any great experiences or maybe even some not so good ones with planning your wedding caterer? Let us know in the comments below!