If you have started planning your wedding, you might have realized by now that the biggest amount will be consumed by your wedding catering. And, why not? After all, you want your guests to be perfectly happy with a culinary extravaganza that will look and taste nice. Of course, the wedding decoration, entertainment and other components of your big day are also important; but the final truth is that the way to a man’s (& woman’s too, in this case) heart is through his and her stomach, with a little change to the popular saying! All in all, your wedding would be remembered mainly by awesome food.
Wedding meals are also not only about good taste or food in particular. It’s about the company of your loved ones, the great ambience, fun and frolic. The atmosphere makes all the difference and makes the wedding meal memorable for you and your guests. In that case, if perfect presentation, variety and flavors and fragrances are added, it would be a great experience for everyone.
Will all these things in mind, it’s obvious that you should give prime importance to your wedding catering. You can do this by hiring a wedding caterer who will be committed to providing you an unmatched service and perfect presentation with seasonal, fresh and scrumptious food. How can you ensure to make the most of your wedding catering? Here are a few important tips.
1.Look for Seasonal
If you want to make your wedding feast perfect, there is no better way than to opt for seasonal ingredients. Seasonal food translates itself to fresh and therefore full of optimum taste. Seasonal food means local ingredients and so, they have not lost their freshness and flavor to weather elements, harshness of the sun, smells of packaging, refrigeration and of course, days lost in the transport. Other benefit, which too is important enough, seasonal and local foods are cost-effective.
2. Set a Budget with the Caterer
Obviously you have to set a budget for your wedding feast. But if you discuss it with your caterer, s/he can suggest you some points which you are not aware of and with which you can make the most of your money. Being in the profession for so many years, caterers know exactly how a wowing menu can be created within a particular budget. They can suggest you brilliant options and you can decide the final menu which you are confident about that it will please your guests and won’t be hard on your purse.
3. Let the Feast Go with Your Wedding Theme
This makes sense because having a beach theme and not having seafood anywhere in the menu is just weird. Let your wedding feast match your wedding theme and that will make it special. You can discuss this too with your caterer who will suggest dishes that can match excellently with your wedding theme.
4. Consider the Number of Guests
This is actually a no-brainer, but should be mentioned as an important point, because you may get carried away with the variety of dishes, themes and the overall pomp. Actually the number of guests should be considered while considering the budget, because the more the number, the smaller would be your budget per guest. And you have to fit in the most awesome fare within that budget. So, taking into consideration the number is very important.
5. Think about Your Vendors too
While considering the number of guests (for food) don’t forget that you have to provide food to your vendors too. They are making continuous efforts to make your big day the biggest and the most beautiful. It’s your duty to look if they are fed well or not. Feeding your vendors is called ‘outmess’ and the term refers to feeding your wedding workforce.
6. Other Things Included in the Hiring Costs
Many people forget that they are not hiring the caterers only for preparing and serving food. Caterers also provide cutlery, plates and glasses, i.e. everything associated to food that you don’t eat! So, when you hire them, the costs of these things are also included in it; count it and you will find if it’s too much or just reasonable.
7. Special Dietary Requirements
You want to please all your guests and don’t want that some of them remain starved just because the food of their special requirements, like gluten-free, vegan or vegetarian, is not available in your wedding meal. Check such special requirements just with RSVP so that you can keep that type of food ready for these guests. If these guests are sure to come, you need not worry about whether the special food would be wasted. If your caterer is smart, s/he can produce even a brilliant range of options that will spoil your guests for choice.
8. Fun Extras
Do you believe that small yet fun extras add to the beauty of anything? Just like small one-line jokes or easy puzzles here and there in the corners of pages add value to the entire magazine, small additions like a fresh, hot soup shot between the starters and main or a fun granita prior to the dessert round can make your wedding feast look exciting and will create a lasting impression of your big day!
9. Midnight Bite
Celebration of your big day need not have any limitations and it can go on till midnight or even later. In that condition what can be better than a fresh smell of a hot dish, like a slow roasted pork bun or brioche and bacon bun? It has now become quite common for weddings to offer midnight bites! It can be something simple like a cheese toastie, mini burger or salty chips or a hearty warm vanilla donut!
You will be surprised to see how your guests will be excited about these snacks; so, make sure you keep a part of your budget aside for such a fun midnight nibble!
WeddingBBQ.com is a leading Dallas wedding catering service with an award-winning BBQ. They have been creating wonderful menus for weddings, bridal showers, parties, rehearsal dinners and many such events for more than 10 years. Some of their awesome menus are given in this article too. Visit their site to know more.