Did you use a caterer for your wedding? Come in! HELP!

elliemonster2012

Hello veterern brides

We are using a caterer for our Sept 2013 wedding and just seeing if anybody had any advice for me.  I've done my homework and gotten quotes and made appointments with the 3 caterers off of my venue's preferred list that seemed to be our best fit and they are all within 5k of eachother, but I lose it then.

This is the one part of planning I really don't know a thing about!  Every wedding I've been a part of / helped plan has been catered by the venue so this is new to me!

Any advice or basic lists of what I should be looking for?  I like to "lay things out" to compare so I just want to make sure I don't miss anything!

TIA!

Queen Jane

Make sure to check if they include tax and gratuity in their pricing, if not, make sure to budget for both. 

Find out if they take care of any setup and clean up. We paid our caterer extra to clear the tables, bag our linens and put up the tables and chairs at the end of the night, which was well worth it. Do the provide linens or will you need to get your own? Toasting glasses/cake knife, etc?

If you know of any guests with special diet requirements, make sure they can accommodate them.

Find out if they offer vendor meals at a special price.

elliemonster2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_wedding-recap-withdrawal_did-you-use-a-caterer-for-your-wedding-come-in-help?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:12Discussion:dea30459-795a-4317-87fa-362040186ad2Post:d5e42266-57cd-49d9-a7cc-ebad10933441">Re: Did you use a caterer for your wedding? Come in! HELP!</a>:
[QUOTE]Make sure to check if they include tax and gratuity in their pricing, if not, make sure to budget for both.  Find out if they take care of any setup and clean up. We paid our caterer extra to clear the tables, bag our linens and put up the tables and chairs at the end of the night, which was well worth it. Do the provide linens or will you need to get your own? Toasting glasses/cake knife, etc? If you know of any guests with special diet requirements, make sure they can accommodate them. Find out if they offer vendor meals at a special price.
Posted by Queen Jane[/QUOTE]

This was perfect and exactly what I needed. Thank you!

librababy

Well, that was helpful. I have more to ask the caterer in 2 weeks at the tasting. I guess I should take notes. So much to learn about this wedding planning business.

KatoNorway

-If your venue doesn't provide them- ask about dishes & glassware pricing.

-Check to see if the caterer provides alcohol/drinks. If so, do they allow you to hire a different company to provide the drinks? (Some caterers require that you go with them. This can also be the same for the cake!

-If your venue is in a park, see if they need any special permits.

-Some venues require that you have approved caterers. Check this as well.

Good luck!

Cinderella30

Also check to see if they charge corking, cake, setting/clearing fees, etc.  Caterers as well as catering halls are notorious for their fees.  Ask if they include servers and how many.  In addition, some require a minimum amount of guests.

gabriel0915

Check on cake cutting fees as well. Definitely how they price your drinks. Vendor meals as well, they usually have an option for your photographer/videographer etc. It's the little things that add up.