Since we've been living in Miami, we sort of did everything a bit backwards - most of my vendors, including our caterer, were booked over the phone.
So now we're all moved up north, have two months and a bit until the wedding, and have everything booked - of course NOW is when we go to taste our caterer's food! It would obviously have been too late to change our minds, but I knew already as my parents had sampled their appetizers at an event that Emily's Catering does AMAZING food!
Anyone still considering a caterer, please do yourself a favor and at least contact Emily's. Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot tell you how excited I am! I have eaten at Michelin-rated restaurants around the world (google it if you don't know what that means - basically the best-of-the-best food), been to Paris and Vienna and London and Madrid and Barcelona and Mexico City and Beijing and Shanghai and Lima... I enjoy traveling by eating, so I have eaten at a LOT of great restaurants, and so please believe me when I say: this food at the tasting was EXQUISITE! It ranked right up there with French Laundry, I honestly kid you not.
My Mom is a total food snob, while my Dad has a very bland palatte, and my FI and I are adventurous foodies who love new textures and tastes (and when we have the extra money, will easily spend it on a fancy restaurant or gourmet food). So it takes a really good meal to please us all. And we spent the whole drive back (2.5 hours) talking about how much we loved that meal, and which items we wanted to eat again, and comparing it to amazing meals we've had over the last two decades or so.
They have been so accomodating and helpful throughout the process - we're trying to do something a bit non-traditional, as we have a very dynamic and international menu. Rick, the owner of Emily's, and his wonderful employee Cheryl have been so imaginative and creative. They came up with a menu that includes 8 different passed appetizers, a stationary vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free friendly 'grazing table' for those guests who don't want to stalk the servers for their favorite appetizer. Then for dinner, we have 6 different stations with such a diverse and delicious variety of food. So creative and imaginative - the experience of the food is without a doubt the highlight of our wedding! Top it off with a creative dessert spread, since we do not want cake. (I think my Dad would have gone swimming in the chocolate torte with raspberry sauce and cream that we were served yesterday - he said, "Who the heII wants boring old cake when you can have this?!"). We'll have a shortcake station, where people can select their own berries and have it topped with warm chocolate sauce and/or whipped cream, as well as a selection of finger desserts (including that chocolate torte).
Their presentation is incredible, the food is absolutely exquisite, and the service cannot be beat. We just say we like something, they find a way to add it in. Rick helped us plot out the whole venue (which is rather unusually shaped) and where to put everything and how to improve the flow. He even suggested some scheduling changes (do the first dance after cocktail hour rather than after dinner) to improve the flow of the event. He is so knowledgable and helpful, without being even remotely pushy. You just know that he will do whatever the bride and her family wants in the end, though he'll advise you on what in his vast experience will work best.
I cannot say enough about this wonderful caterer and his staff. I cannot imagine having another caterer do our wedding.
