August 25, 2026

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How to Choose Your Wedding Caterer

Of every decision at your wedding, this is the one guests notice most and the one that weighs heaviest on the bill: venue and catering together take close to half the budget. Choosing well isn’t about finding the cheapest or the most gourmet option — it’s about knowing what you’re comparing. These quotes look very similar from the outside and very different on the inside.

Start with the venue, not the caterer

Plenty of estates and hotels have in-house catering or a closed list of approved suppliers. Before you fall in love with a proposal, ask your venue whether there’s exclusivity, whether there’s a fee for bringing in an outside caterer, and whether the kitchen is equipped or the supplier will have to build a temporary one. That answer can cut your shortlist to two in under a minute.

What the price per head really covers

The headline figure means different things at different companies. Always ask for the breakdown and check these points:

• The drinks reception: how many canapés per person, and how many live cooking stations.
• The meal: number of courses, whether guests choose a main, and what an alternative main costs.
• The open bar: how many hours are included, which brands, and the price of each extra hour.
• Staff: how many waiters per guest, whether the maître d’ is included, and how late they stay.
• Special menus: children, suppliers (photographer, DJ, planner) and adapted menus. Companies charge for these in wildly different ways.
• Crockery, furniture and linen: included, or hired separately.
• VAT: check whether the figure you were quoted includes it. It’s the most common surprise.

With that table in front of you, two quotes that looked twenty euros a head apart can end up level — or the other way round.

Choose the format before the dishes

The style of service sets the mood of the party as much as the food does:

• A seated dinner. The classic: most predictable on timings, and the best fit when many guests are older.
• A long standing reception. More atmosphere and conversation, but more floor space per guest — and enough chairs for anyone who needs one.
• Buffet or food stations. Variety and a rhythm of its own; watch the queues and ask how many service points there will be.
• Food trucks or an informal dinner. Excellent at night and outdoors; check the plan if it rains or gets too hot.

The menu tasting: go prepared

The tasting usually happens four to six months out, with the contract already signed. To make it count:

1. Ask whether what you’re tasting is exactly what will be served, and whether the same kitchen team will be there on the day.
2. Bring the list of allergies and dietary requirements you already have, and see how they handle it: a good caterer proposes specific alternatives, not a breezy “no problem”.
3. Judge temperature and timing, not just flavour: an excellent dish that reaches table twenty cold is a bad dish.
4. Take someone else along — your mother, a friend who loves food — for a second opinion that isn’t already in love with the place.

The clauses worth reading twice

Before you sign, look at the guaranteed minimum headcount, the deadline for the final number, what happens if that number drops afterwards, the cancellation and postponement policy, and whether they carry public liability insurance. Ask, too, who is in charge on the day: the name and phone number of the maître d’ who’ll be there, not the salesperson who showed you round.

And keep some slack. Catering is where last-minute extras multiply — the extra hour of bar, the late-night snack, the ten guests who appear in the final week. Once the number is locked with your confirmations in hand, the rest is enjoying the tasting.

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