Wedding Caterer: 20 Questions to Ask
Tanner |
Thoughtfully composed by Tanner Filed under: Wedding Catering |
Uh oh, need food for your wedding? Need to feed 857 people either Chicken or Fish at the wedding reception. Open bar or not? There are so many choices to be made when selecting a wedding caterer and you need to be prepared. If you are not sure that the caterer is qualified, you might be better off bringing in Boston Market at $8 per person…yum yum Mac & Cheese.
Here are the 20 Important Questions to Ask Your Wedding Caterer Interviewees:
- Given the style, time, and date of my wedding, what are some menu items that you suggest? What would the cost-per-person be?
- Do you have any particular style of food or special menu items that you specialize in?
- Could we provide a sentimental family favorite recipe to include in the menu?
- How many other weddings will your company handle that same weekend/day/hour?
- Are you licensed? (this means that they have met health department standards and have liability insurance)Do you have a liquor license?
- How does the cost-per-person of a buffet compare to that of a sit-down dinner?
- Does that cost-per-person just cover the food, or are charges such as staff, rentals, and linens included?
- What service costs are included and what costs are additional? Are set-up and clean-up included? How much is overtime if the reception runs long? Are gratuities included?
- Do you provide linens, glasses, plates, silverware, tables, chairs, serving pieces, and decorative flowers for trays? Would it cost less if I handled any or all of that myself?
- What color and style of linens, glasses, plates, and accessories are available?
- Will you be the person personally handling my wedding on my wedding day? If not, what is the name of the person who will, and when can I meet them?
- How much time will you need for set-up and clean-up?
- Can you provide a wedding cake, and possibly a grooms cake? If we provide them, do you charge a cake cutting and serving fee?
- Do you charge for beverage service?
- If we want to provide our own wine, champagne, and liquor, do you charge a corkage fee?
- Will you provide food for the photographer, videographer, musicians, and other “day-of” vendors? If so, is there an extra charge?
- Will you provide special meals for any children who attend, and is there a discounted charge for them?
- Can we see a copy of your standard contract?
- What deposit do you require to hold the date, and when will the rest of the money be due?
- Can we see pictures of previous events, and speak to former clients for referrals?
courtesy of about.com
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May 21st, 2007 at 10:19 am
Ah Tanner,
This is just my opinion, so please don’t take it to heart, but weddings are a terrible waste of money. Almost half of everyone who gets married winds up in divorce court.
Please save your money and use it for a down payment on real estate (better value). Just get married by the Justice Of The Peace for around $14 and stop the madness. Have a party afterwards if you must, at your new home.
May 23rd, 2007 at 3:09 pm
That is how we feel Boomie. We could easily use the money we have now and have a wedding that costs more then $5,000. However, because we feel that the wedding industry is a waste, we have decided to come up with $5,000 with as little as we can coming from our typical income. (If you notice, we have already saved $250 from a-typical income). Absolutely none of that $5,000 will be on our credit cards (as is typical for weddings). As for real estate investing, we already own our first home and though we will be buying rental homes in the future, we aren’t ready for that yet.
Anyways, I want to have a nice ceremony and I think this is an excellent way to do it - by not using any of our own money, our own credit cards, or by begging parents!