Published by Programme B
Years later, when guests reflect on your wedding, they’re most likely to remember three things: the stunning couple (obviously), the venue, and the food.
You already have the first item checked off your list (hopefully). And finding the right venue is relatively straightforward, provided you choose somewhere elegant, centrally located, experienced and accommodating.
That just leaves the food. Finding the perfect wedding caterer takes research, planning, inquiring and tasting. But that ounce of extra effort will pay off on the day, as you lift your fork with a newly-ringed hand and taste the literal fruits of your labour.
Here’s a short guide to getting it right.
Start by Searching Esteemed Venues
Some people bypass in-venue caterers and start by researching third-party caterers. This is a missed opportunity. Often, quality, experienced venues come equipped with an excellent catering and kitchen team. Moreover, this in-venue catering service understands the space intimately, ensuring a smooth service. For a pertinent example, look at Le Treport wedding hall in Mississauga; well-known as an elegant wedding venue, the banquet hall also dishes up world-class catering.
Therefore, the best advice to offer you is: Start by searching for esteemed venues. Once you find a venue that you like, ask them about their catering services.
Look for Versatility and Flexibility
One of the hallmarks of an excellent caterer is flexibility. A caterer should be equally comfortable preparing a four-course Italian dinner as a communal Indian buffet table. They should put as much love and attention into cooking a large beef roast as they are dishing out vegan alternatives. And they should know their way around various dietary restrictions.
As you scan the internet (or word-of-mouth recommendations) for a caterer, keep flexibility in mind. Look for any mentions on the venue or catering website of adaptability and flexibility, world cuisines and dietary restrictions.
Find Photos Online for Reference
As the old saying goes, “you eat with your eyes first.” Visuals can tell you a lot about the quality of food a caterer serves. From photos, you can glean whether a caterer’s food is elegant or slapdash, appetizing or uninspired.
As you pare your shortlist, take a moment to view each in-venue caterer’s photos. Ask yourself one simple but critical question: would you be thrilled if someone placed this plate in front of you? If the answer’s yes, then you might have a winner.
“Taste and Adjust”
“Taste and adjust” is a mantra often used in professional kitchens, meant to teach young chefs and budding gourmands the value of tasting your food and tweaking it until it’s perfect. But the maxim is equally valuable as you finalize a wedding meal.
Schedule an introductory consultation with your in-venue wedding caterer where you can sample some food. Then talk to the caterers about your vision, dialoguing about how they might tweak the dishes to better align with what you’ve imagined. Taste and adjust. If you’ve followed the steps above to find a flexible, photogenic in-venue caterer, you should be pleased with the results.
With these straightforward tips, your first meal as a married couple will be a meal to remember. And you’ll look out from your dais at the assembled tables to see a sea of clean plates and happy faces.