Wedding Reception Catering

Once the wedding ceremony is over, it’s time to eat, drink and be merry! To make your wedding reception dinner an occasion you and your guests will remember forever, follow our step-by-step guide to choosing the ideal wedding catering and menu options to suit the style and budget of your wedding.

The time has come to book your wedding reception venue, but before you make a final decision, have you thought through your specific needs and preferences? All it takes is a little research to make the best choice of reception venue and wedding catering services, plus avoid any unpleasant surprises along the way. To help you out, here’s the low-down on catering and menu options.

Catering to your style

First things first, your choice of venue will determine whether or not you need to hire an off-site catering firm. Most hotels, function and reception venues provide in-house wedding caterers. But, if you’re keen to use a marquee, hall, garden or private home, you will usually have to arrange a wedding caterer yourself.

Staying in-house

The main advantage of choosing a wedding venue with in-house caterers is that it is often the easiest and least time consuming option. Most venues provide standard wedding packages that include the wedding catering menus and beverages, although some may offer a more comprehensive package that also covers venue hire, a wedding cake, table flowers, decorations and accommodation for the bride and groom.

Often, the package will include an wedding coordinator who can help you with your wedding planning decisions and coordinate the reception, but be aware that they will only work on your reception and not get involved in any of the other aspects of your wedding, such as the wedding outfits.
Wedding Reception & Wedding Caterers
Consider in-house wedding catering if you:

Have limited time available to research and plan.
Are unsure about what you want and would prefer not to make too many decisions, leaving most in the hands of the venue’s wedding coordinator
Have asked a friend or family member to plan and coordinate your wedding for you.
Are organizing your wedding long distance.

Think twice if you:

Are very particular about food and wine preferences, plus settings, linen, glassware, cutlery and other specific details you want.
Wish to have a very strong theme for your wedding, eg. A medieval banquet.
Have family or friends wanting to provide specific foods for your wedding, eg. Meat from a family farm or seafood caught by a friend.
Have a number of guests with particular religious or dietary requirements.

Going off-site

Bringing in the wedding caterers can seem a little daunting, but a reputable company will provide the same service as on-site caterers. Plus, as you can choose the individual elements, this option will also give you the opportunity to have a completely unique wedding.

Most caterers have wedding menu packages to work from, however these tend to be flexible. In addition to food and beverages, many caterers provide a full range of services, including floral arranging, linen hire, furniture hire, crockery, cutlery and glassware.

Some venues may even supply you with a list of preferred wedding caterers. Choosing one of these could simplify the process further, as they will have experience of the venue, know the facilities and will often work directly with the venue to make arrangements.

Consider off-site catering if you:

Have up to a year before your wedding, or plenty of spare time for planning.
Love the idea of being involved in every decision, right down to the style of cutlery.
Want to supply any of the food yourself.
Plan to have a particularly unique wedding.

Think twice if you:

Are on a tight budget and need to keep costs down.
Have limited time to plan and research.
Are using a venue with no kitchen facilities or running water available.
Don’t have lots of friends and family who are keen to help you set up and pack down.

Do-it-yourself

For some couples, family and friends may be able to do the catering for the wedding. Although this is by far the cheapest option, costs for hiring cutlery and crockery can add up very quickly. Great planning is, therefore, the key to self-catered functions. In this instance, it may be worth investing in a meeting with a wedding planner to discuss the quantity of food and beverages you will require and the easiest way to coordinate the food on the day.

Consider DIY if you: