What to Ask your Wedding Caterers to Make the Right Decision

It’s the happiest time of your life. You’re getting everything in order to celebrate the big day and say those vows in front of all your family and friends. Soon, the excitement turns to stress—and a wave of mixed emotions. Trying to balance work with planning the wedding of your dreams can be a nightmare. You need answers to your millions of questions, and rápido!

Your wedding caterer offers much more than just food. We serve as your confidant. While we communicate with you to provide you with the dishes you want, the on-site staff you need, and the bartenders to serve your guests drinks all night, we’re just getting started with our wedding packages.

Many catering companies serve as wedding planners, as they coordinate with venues where the reception will be held to make sure the room is set up to your wishes prior to your arrival after the ceremony. Relay your visions, and the catering company you hire will bring them to life. Ask questions, and you’ll get the answers. It just depends on if you like the answers you’re given. Questions like…

How many servers will you have? We’ll need to know how many guests you’re expecting, and our staff will be relative to the size of the party. Village Catering wants to provide you with the best service, so we’re at your disposal when it comes to wait staff. Usually, we select the number of staff based on how many tables are set up at the venue.

Have you worked at *venue* before? Ask them if they’ve ever catered at the place your reception is being held. If they’re familiar with the landscape, they’ll know the best way to approach the catering. If not, or if you haven’t selected a place yet, ask them if they can take a trip with you to the reception hall to understand the layout.

What do you provide with your wedding package? Get an understanding of what will be included in the wedding package without additional charges. Is it Hors d’Oeuvres, salads, entrees, and cake, or is there more? Will there be a bartender, and what gratuity is expected? Learn what they provide, and weigh your options of whether the caterers you’re speaking with will be the best bet for your wedding.

Do you charge overtime fees to stay longer than initially planned? If the party is running long, you want to be sure the caterers don’t pack up when the clock strikes a certain time, leaving your guests without food and drink. Know their fees, and know if they’ll be reliable.

Can you help us with other aspects of the wedding? It takes time and effort to communicate and coordinate with a number of different vendors. Will the catering company help with décor, lighting, table decorations, linens, and entertainment? This knocks the stress level down, and raises the trust level as the wedding day approaches.

There are bound to be other questions—less important—that you’ll want to know, but when you need to know answers to the important questions, ask these 5 questions first. If you do not like what the answers are, you’ll know you have to look elsewhere for your wedding caterer. When you’re looking, we hope Village Catering provides you with the answers you need.