| When we got married, our venue was a romantic 17th | | | | packets of crisps, raisins etc. |
| century castle - the date was April 22nd, the day | | | | - What time of year is it - Full on carvery may not be |
| before St. Georges Day. It was also a Sunday. So the | | | | suitable for a hot summers day but a buffet would suit |
| theme was English, and what to serve at our wedding | | | | perfectly. Why not consider having a hog roast if you |
| breakfast was an easy choice of English Sunday | | | | have some outside space or holding your reception in |
| Roast. | | | | a marquee. |
| But how do you organise catering for a wedding, | | | | - What type of location is the reception - marquee, |
| choosing from serving a buffet, finger buffet or full sit | | | | indoor, outdoor, garden available |
| down meal? | | | | - Choose a theme for colours and presentation on |
| Consider these points before making your choice. | | | | tables |
| - Time of day - (we got married late, and therefore it | | | | How will you choose your caterer? |
| became dinner, and no evening buffet required). | | | | - Set a budget - and try to stick to it. Most caterers will |
| - Do you have any evening guests - you may need to | | | | quote you on a per head basis. They will likely have |
| consider an evening buffet. | | | | some set menus for you to look at for ideas. Wine |
| - If you have an evening buffet as well as wedding | | | | may be included in the set menu. ie. sparking wine for |
| breakfast, you may not need to cater for all your | | | | the toast. |
| guests. 75% of your total guests is the usual figure to | | | | - Add 10% for a service tip |
| cater for. | | | | - Ask around - your friends may recommend |
| - Do you want an informal buffet or formal silver | | | | someone they rate highly |
| service meal | | | | - Check out the web for caterers. There are many |
| - How long will your guests have to wait to eat. If the | | | | specialist wedding directories |
| wedding is at 2pm, your guests may not have had | | | | - Get a few quotations - they can vary enormously |
| time to get lunch beforehand. So consider serving a | | | | - Get everything in writing with agreed timescales for |
| few canapes to keep them going. | | | | payment - usually a deposit, followed by payment in full |
| - Consider special dietary requests, vegetarian, | | | | one month before. |
| allergies, etc | | | | Remember a good caterer will let you sample the |
| - Are there any children - perhaps some savoury | | | | menus you are interested in before making a decision. |
| snacks on hand will keep them from getting fractious - | | | | |