Catering Choices: What Is Right For You?
There are so many big decisions to make when it comes to wedding planning. Some are quite straightforward, such as; Home or destination? Big or small wedding? Pay for bridal party's outfits or not? Whereas others are a little more complicated than just a black or white answer. Catering choices is one of them!
Choosing your wedding catering isn't just as simple as sit down meal or buffet. There are SO many other things to consider.
We are going to try and help you make some of those choices, by not only helping you with what you need to consider to keep your guests fed and watered throughout the day. But also give you some options for each element.
Catering Choices: Where do I start?
Firstly, you have to think about what is important to you, and where catering choices sits in your budget. This will help you no end in deciding how much or how little you are able to cater for your guests. So we will start with what parts of the day you need to consider your catering choices.
Getting Ready
The morning of the wedding is fun, exciting, chaotic and such a lovely experience. But one thing you NEED to do is eat! It can't be all Prosecco and giddiness. More often than not the getting ready process starts early! And the next opportunity for anyone to eat anything at all is hours away.
Welcome Drinks/Snacks
Once the ceremony is over, this is where the photographer is going to take centre stage and start getting those group shots, possibly whisking you away for some couple shots, giving the guests time to mingle and also get involved in said group shots. But it is a good 60-90 minutes your guests are stood around. As a wedding guest, it is actually probably the most boring part of the experience for them. And depending on the venue set up, could be difficult for them to get to the bar. It is time to think about whether you are going to provide them a welcome drink and snacks to keep them busy and involved whilst you are busy elsewhere.
Wedding Breakfast
This one is the BIG one! Commonly, this is the part where you HAVE to cater for your guests, but how is entirely up to you as a couple and of course your budget. Sit down meal, hog roasts and buffets are the most popular options but there are lots of others out there.
Reception Food
You're married, you've eaten, speeches are done. Its time for the reception to start. For a lot of people additional guests start turning up at this point too! And the guests that attended the ceremony, are likely to be a fair few drinks in. Should this be an opportunity to provide some kind of refreshment? A buffet perhaps? Or maybe you could get a little more creative. We will give you some ideas below!
Late Night Snacks
This one really does depend on how long your wedding day is. And could be considered completely unnecessary. However, by this point of the day the likelihood is people are starting to flag. The drinks have flowed, the dance floor has been raving and the mini guests have had enough. If you want (and your venue allows it) your party to go late into the night this a serious option to consider. If you've had a later wedding you might even choose this option over reception food.
Drinks
Whether it is wrongly or rightly assumed, many guests at a wedding kind of expect some form of drink included at some point of the day. Mostly during the wedding breakfast and definitely a glass of fizz during the speeches. In my experience of weddings over the years, generally you get provided; A welcome drink as we mentioned above. Some wine on the table during dinner, a glass of bubbly for the speeches and after that is all dependant on the wedding, the couples preference and, of course, wedding budget. Some have been one drink at the reception then buy your own. Others have not included anything post wedding breakfast.
What are my options?
Getting Ready
A lot of this decision will depends on where you are getting ready. If you are at hotel, hopefully breakfast is included and not something you have to consider at all. But if you are getting ready at your venue or even home, you may have to think about providing something yourselves. If you want to do it yourself, this is a great option but make sure the task is handed over to someone other than you! If you'd rather an outside company look after this for you, there are so many businesses that will offer this service.
Image Credit: Left - Middle - Right
Welcome Drinks/Snacks
Whilst a welcome drink is kind of an expectation, whether you choose to offer a light food refreshment at this point in the day will depend completely on your budget. If you do wish to do this, it does not have to be anything extravagant at all. A selection of cute canapes that compliment your theme, some little snack cones, or perhaps even a popcorn station or doughnut wall. The guests (and you) will be getting hungry by now, but it won't be too long before they're eating a full meal. You don't want to fill them up completely so they don't eat the main meal; which you have undoubtedly paid hundreds of pounds for.
With regards to the drinks option, many venues and/or caterers will offer a service as part of their package to hand out welcome drinks, but if you are going for more of a DIY day, think about having a drink or 'hydration' station ready for guests to help themselves. What you serve is entirely up to you. Water to keep them refreshed without the alcohol, a gin bar, a signature drink that means something to you as a couple, or simply a glass of fizz to get the celebration going. Don't forget an non alcoholic option too for the non drinkers and the little ones.
Image Credit: Welcome Drink/Food Section - unknown - Antipasti Cones - unknown - Welcome Drinks Table - Hydration Station - Burgers & Beers
Wedding Breakfast
The biggest question before you decide on exactly what to serve is do you want a formal sit down dinner, or a more relaxed buffet style option? Regardless of budget, both of these are great options it just comes down to the style and the vibe you want for the day. Once you choose which you are going to opt for. The next question is what to serve. Some venues have a selection of menus to choose from but you're generally quite limited. If you go for outside caterers, you will find the possibilities are endless. Just a few things to remember - The kids, The Vegetarians/Vegans, Guests with special dietary requirements, and mostly what YOU want!
*Budget tip - Make your wedding cake the dessert!
Reception Food
In my opinion, this is one of the best places to get creative with your catering choices. Gone are the days when reception catering was just a simple buffet spread out on a few tables. But, if you're not careful the budget can go a little crazy here too. Whether you need to provide food in the evening really does come down to your timeline. You may choose the option below instead. But if you are serving food up for the reception here are just a few ideas for you!
- Waffle Bar - Simple Buffet - Cheese Station - Dessert Table - Pizza Station - Nacho Station -
Late Night Snacks
Of all the catering options, this is the one you will look at and go yes or no immediately. It is very much a take it or leave it option. Or, you may decide to use this option instead of providing food earlier in the evening. So of course, all the above options apply. But if you are going all out and want to add this as well as everything above. Then here are just a couple of ideas. After a heavy day or night out what is the first thing you want? Food! The greasier the better. So we are thinking mini burgers, chicken nuggets, chips or if you're anything like me... Crisps! Which is an amazingly cheap option to serve late into the night. Creates minimal mess, doesn't require any staff to serve and a great way to soak up some of those cocktails!
Image Credit: Crisp Station - Chips/Fries Station - Mini Burgers
Drinks
As we have said above. What you provide for your guests is entirely dependable on your budget. But if you want to provide drinks for the guests at any point in the day there are a lot of options available to you. A cocktail bar, a gin bar, beer buckets, pimp your pimms station, a completely free bar, a token system.
One thing to note. If your venue has a fully stocked bar, the cheaper option will of course be guests pay for their own, but if you are in a venue without one, it's time to do some maths. If you're having to provide the alcohol/drinks and then your catering supplier is serving them you have to think about the cost of the alcohol, the cost of the staff, the corkage fee (which we will mention below), the stress of figuring out quantities. Sometimes it can work out more cost effective to bring in a specific supplier to take the stress away, whether you go 'free bar' or not.
Image Credit: Near & Far Mobile Bar Limited
Will I have anything else to consider?
The short answer is yes! Even once you have made the bulk of your decisions, there are still some elements to consider.
Providing Suppliers with Food & Drink
Your suppliers are the ones behind the scenes making your day memorable. It is only right you offer to serve them some form of food and drink at some point in the day, so don't forget to add this into your numbers. Make sure you have this conversation with each supplier prior to confirmation of catering numbers. Some will refuse your gesture, but for many it is welcomed and for some, expected.
Level of Service needed
Catering companies generally include what they need to pay their staff within their quote, so it is something you don't have to worry about. They know exactly how many staff they need to provide the service you require. But if you're choosing to do some things yourself, these things aren't going to serve themselves. You will need staff to deliver what you want. The last thing you want is mum and dad disappearing as the evening party is getting started to put out a pre-made buffet.
Linen, Crockery & Glassware
As above, many catering companies will provide all these details as part of their service. But you need to know if they do. If they don't you will need to find a company that will. There are amazing companies out there that look after all this but finding one company that provides it all just reduces the stress levels and give you one less thing to worry about.
Venue Corkage
A corkage fee is a service charge made by venues for opening and serving your own bottles of wine, champagne and spirits. It is generally worked out per bottle and can range anywhere from around £12 for a standard bottle of wine, to up to £35 for champagne and even more for spirits. It is worth checking this with your venue prior to you deciding what to do when it comes to your drink options.
On the most part, DIY all the way to help keep the budget in check. But there are some things best left to the professionals, and we believe this is one those things.
We would love to hear your stories on whether you managed to DIY this whole area and the outcome you had? Was it a huge money saving success? Or a stressful disaster?
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