Choosing a Caterer For Your Wedding
Your wedding is one of the most important and events of your life and the food you serve at your celebration is destined to be a highlight for both the bridal party and your honored guests.
At La Fête, Utah County’s newest wedding venue, we genuinely enjoy all aspects of weddings—from the initial planning stages to the heartfelt post-celebration thank you notes. However, we are particularly excited about the food choices you select on your special day. Whether it’s an array of flavorful appetizers or an elegant sit-down dinner, mealtime at a wedding is truly a significant moment when you and your guests can connect and revel in the time-honored tradition of breaking bread together in joyful celebration.
It goes without saying that it’s important to get the food right on your big day and selecting the catering vendor is one of the biggest steps in setting the tone for your party. Outside of venue (ahem!) and photography, catering can also be one of the largest expenses, so you’ll need consider several factors as you explore the options in the Utah County area (and even beyond).
The first two big decisions you’ll make are the type of cuisine and the type of service you’ll want to offer.
Consider the food type you want to serve - this is your day and should reflect something that you enjoy and want to share. Do you want to provide a multi-course meal, ethnic dishes that reflect your heritage, or perhaps fusion foods that cater to diverse palates?
Then think of the type of service you envision. Options include a formal sit-down dinner, a buffet, or perhaps a grazing table with charcuterie and h’ors d'oeuvres, each offering different levels of interaction and formality.
At La Fête, we’ve tried to take some of the guess/legwork out of what can be a lengthy and confusing process. We’ve partnered with Utah Valley’s largest restaurateur, who offers a dizzyingly wide variety of options but in a digestible package (see what we did there?). To that end, we’ve created simplified menus with per-plate pricing to make this step as easy and stress-free as possible. While we don’t require you to use our catering options (we happily let you choose your own caterer) we offer it as a way to streamline the process of wedding planning for our overwhelmed brides.
Once you’ve defined these basics, we’re happy to present our brides (or potential brides!) a simple step-by-step guide to choosing a wedding catering vendor based on your vision and vibe.
1. Set Your Budget
Action: Determine how much you can afford to spend on catering. Remember this should include food, service, staff, and clean up, as well as tip for good service.
Vendor Interaction: Clearly communicate this budget to potential caterers and ask if they can work within these limits. Ask for a detailed breakdown of costs - per plate costs are a good way to get a picture of costs.
2. Seek Referrals
Action: Leverage personal networks for recommendations. As noted above, to keep this simple, consider that we have an in-house catering option and a few preferred vendors that offer a wide variety of options for your catering options.
Vendor Interaction: Look for caterers with good reviews online. Platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp, or wedding-specific sites can provide insights into others' experiences.
3. Arrange Tastings
Action: Narrow down to your top choices.
Vendor Interaction: Schedule tastings. This is crucial to assess the quality of food, presentation, and whether the flavors match what you envision for your day. Discuss service styles during these sessions. This can be done at La Fête
4. Verify Compliance
Action: Ensure compliance with health and safety standards.
Vendor Interaction: Request to see health department certifications, liability insurance, and any other relevant documents or licenses.
5. Evaluate Experience
Vendor Interaction: Inquire about:
The largest wedding they've catered.
If they specialize in a service style that matches your wedding (e.g., buffet, sit-down dinner, food stations).
6. Handle Dietary Restrictions
Vendor Interaction: Discuss how they manage special diets like vegan, gluten-free, or allergies. A good caterer will have experience with these and can provide alternatives without compromising on quality.
7. Menu Ideas and Guest Preferences
Action: You maty want to send out save-the-dates or early invitations with a small survey or note asking about dietary preferences or restrictions.
Vendor Interaction: Use this feedback to work with your caterer on finalizing a menu that will please most of your guests. Discuss options for children, if applicable.
8. Check Availability
Action: Once you have your wedding date and venue, start contacting caterers. Caterers are frequently booked months or even years ahead, so securing one for your date should be a top priority.
Vendor Interaction: Confirm if they are available on your wedding date. If popular, book them early or keep a waiting list of alternatives.
Additional Tips:
Contract: Once you decide, it goes without saying that you should get everything in writing. This should include the menu, service details, staff numbers, contingency plans for bad weather (if applicable), cancellation policies, etc.
Final Walkthrough: A week or two before the wedding, do a final walkthrough with your caterer at the venue to confirm logistics and make sure things are setup properly. A wedding coordinator or planner can make this much easier.
As you can see, selecting the perfect wedding caterer is crucial to ensure your special day is both memorable and delicious. And it does not have to be hard. By following these steps, you'll be well on your way to finding a catering vendor that not only fits your budget and style but also enhances your wedding day experience.
Good luck!
