In-house caterer or no???

MrsSmith=518

Hello fellow brides! I need your input on venues and their in-house caterers. Are they worth the extra money or a ripoff? We were thinking of just renting a venue and bringing in our own caterer, but I'm not sure if they provide their own plates, silverware, glassware, etc? If I have to rent those things separately, then I might as well go in-house. Do they seem to be more expensive if they are a "preferred vendor" than one you would choose and bring in yourself? Do catering companies usually provide plates, silverware, glassware, etc? Please help, this is a huge chunk of our budget and I want to make sure we spend it the best way we can!!  :-/

jessicabessica

We got married at an inn, and we had to use their restaurant's chef.  Food was really important to us, and we really liked the food at the inn (and we obviously tried it before booking--I wouldn't want to pick a venue with no choice of caterer if I had not tried the caterer).  We also were willing to pay a bit more for the all-inclusiveness of the venue, because we lived about 2 hours away and did not want to spend the time ourselves getting linens and other rentals.  

Sue-n-Kevin

I think a lot depends on the area where your wedding is and what vendors are available.

Yes, you can have a caterer bring the linens, plates, glassware and utensils. I researched everywhere locally to get prices for these from various rental companies, and to be honest, it cost maybe 50 cents more per person to have our caterer supply them. This was the easiest option because they then were in charge of arranging for pickup and delivery and cleaning them off. Our venue was an old historic home that had a "caterer's kitchen" in it, meaning you could use the refrigerator and stove for proper temperatures, use the sinks, but not COOK there. If your venue doesn't have something like this, it might be difficult to figure out a way to do the cleaning before the dishes and other items are picked up.

As far as "preferred vendor", our venue had them, but I found my own. I doubt there was any difference in price.

Check in your local area for gourmet grocery stores that also cater, many do. We found two wonderful options locally and I found them to be more competitive than companies that simply cater. Gourmet stores that have chefs don't make all their profits on catering and will work with you to meet your price point a bit more than catering-only companies IMO.

Good luck.