Top 10 Tips To Find The Best Catering Options For Weddings In 2023

One of the most important things for a couple to get right as part of their wedding planning is the catering.  After all, the wedding ‘breakfast’ forms an important part of the wedding celebrations.  Get the catering right, and it will be remembered.  Get it wrong, and it will certainly be remembered for all the wrong reasons!

There are plenty of options out there when it comes to professional wedding caterers, so how do you choose the best one for your wedding in 2023?  Hopefully the tips below will assist you when the time comes, saving you some time, money and effort!

Do your research

With all this choice out there in the market, like most other things, the best place to start is the internet.  Do a Google search for ‘wedding caterers near me’ – this will present you with a number of options to narrow your search, and locality is an important one.  Assuming you are having your wedding close to where you live, in an ideal world, your preferred caterer will also be in the same vicinity.  Ultimately, from a cost point of view, the closer they are to you the better, as any distances to be travelled will inevitably be built into your final price quote.

Read online reviews

The great thing about the internet, of course, is that pretty much everything has a review!  Further helping you to refine your search for a wedding caterer, their reviews are very important in your decision-making.  Check out their website, Trustpilot and, more importantly, reviews on social media platforms.  These reviews will be from people who have recently used their services, and are most likely to be genuine.

Make a list of non-negotiables

There will be certain factors that are important to you when choosing a wedding caterer, and these are called ‘non-negotiables’. It might be that you want the menu to be meat-free, or only using organic ingredients.  It might be that you want it to be a buffet style, not a formal 3-course sit down meal.  If the caterer cannot cater for these requirements, then they are not the caterer for you.

Check they are ‘flexible’

This ‘flexibility’ is all important.  You want the choice of catering to reflect you as a couple, not what you are being told is on offer.  If a caterer comes to you and says you can choose between A, B or C, and there is no deviation from this, then this is not being flexible.

Check their knowledge of your venue

Many wedding venues are old buildings which bring limitations on kitchen space and other restrictions, including access, for instance.  If your caterer has prior experience of working at your wedding venue, then it’s happy days.  This is seriously going to help.  If not, then all is not lost – a site visit to your wedding venue together with your preferred caterer will help to iron out any potential issues before they even arise.

How do they approach dietary requirements?

Does your caterer see a vegetarian option as a ‘bit of a hassle’ and, therefore, put little effort into it.  With more and more of us going vegetarian or vegan, it’s more important than ever to ensure that tasty plates of foods are offered.  The best caterers really can produce stunning vegetarian dishes when they put their mind to it!

Check that they offer a tasting session!

This is perhaps THE most important consideration for some when choosing a wedding caterer, and what better way to check the quality of their food than by enjoying your own tasting session.  The best caterers will always invite you o one of these sessions – it shouldn’t be you have to push to attend one.

Is their pricing transparent?

No one likes surprises, especially when you are organising a wedding to a budget.  Make sure that your caterer’s pricing has everything on there that you need to be aware about! Depending on the size of your wedding, your caterer might need you to sort some additional catering equipment hire out – again, make sure this is in their costings. Event equipment hire is readily available from companies such as easyEventhire, for instance, who operate nationwide for weddings, corporate events and many other occasions.  So, as an example, and in advance, why not visit easyeventhireuk.com catering and event equipment to get a general idea about prices.

Check they provide a single point of contact

A single, dedicated point of contact is always going to be the best way forward, and this applies to almost anything in the events world.  Build up a relationship with your contact, and you’re half way there to a great service!

Will they go the extra mile?

And last, but by no means least, is your preferred catering company interested, engaged and willing to go the extra mile when it comes to your wedding?  What this ‘extra mile’ involves doesn’t really matter – it’s the fact that they are set on making your big day the best ever.  Ultimately, the best professional caterers out there understand this, as they know that if they do this, then happy couples and their guests will be shouting their praises from the rooftops.  After all, they always say that ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising is the best form of advertising out there.

So, hopefully these tips will help you when the time comes.  Rest assured that 2023 looks like being a fantastic year for weddings, so let’s all keep our fingers crossed for some good weather in the summer, and remember – choose your wedding caterer wisely!