Preparing to Hire a Caterer for Your Wedding

Hiring a caterer is a huge decision.  Indeed, most young couples find that the catering is the single biggest cost in the entire wedding planning process. It does not have to be, of course, but often it is. The trick for each couple is to make the catered part of their wedding celebration exactly what they need it to be both in quality and budget. To do this, however, a couple needs to spend a little time in preparation before they ever begin preparing to hire a caterer for their wedding celebration.

Create a Guest List

Since the most common fee structure among caterers is based on the number of guests, the only way to ensure that a couple can control their wedding budget is to know exactly how many people at most they want to entertain. Since most guest lists only expand as the couple realizes they over looked Uncle George etc. the only way to make sure this does not happen is to prepare an exhaustive guest list before they begin looking for venues and wedding professionals.

Accomplishing the assembling of a guest list, however, is easier said than done. One of the most efficient ways to make certain that everyone is covered after both sides have finished scouring the family photo albums for family and friends they might have forgotten about, is to use the discipline of putting together a couple different seating charts. This forces the couple to think about who is sitting with who and will often remind a couple of individual they might have forgotten as they think of who to seat Aunt Sarah next to. Putting together some sample seating charts can also help to inform the decision a couple has to make regarding the kind of reception venue they want as some offer round tables, others long tables, and still others offer no table options.

Establish a Budget for the Wedding

A good next step in preparing to hire a caterer is to figure out how much money does the couple have to spend on the wedding total and establish a budget? It is not enough, however, to simply divide that total based on the recommended percentages. That is the surest way to run out of money before the wedding planning is finished. Instead, take some time to email, telephone, or visit wedding vendors and find out roughly how much each element is likely to cost. This will give the couple an opportunity to figure out what elements are important to them, where they want to splurge, and where they want to cut back.

Choose Preferable Wedding Dates

As a couple prepares to meet with the representatives of the venues as well as perspective caterers it is wise to pay close attention to the calendar and yet, if possible, to keep somewhat flexible about the exact date. Many elements in a local community can impact both the price of catering and even the caterer's availability. Some elements are obvious. Christmas, for example is a busy time for caterers in many areas, yet it is a time that they too would prefer to be home with their families. As a result, anyone looking to hire a caterer around Christmas should expect to pay more than they would have during a month that is less crazy.

Choose the Wedding Venue

The wedding venue goes a long way toward dictating the type of caterer a couple hires. Some venues provide the catering. Some have kitchens the caterer can use either for preparation or simply to keep the food warm or chilled, others do not.

Consider the Type of Catering

Each couple must consider carefully, the type of catered wedding event they want. Do they really desire a wedding that has white coated waiters tending to the guests every whim, or would they prefer a buffet. Recently, grazing stations have become quite fashionable as they provide the flexibility to provide more extravagant culinary selections by cutting back on the ratio of wait staff to guests.

A wise couple planning a wedding celebration will take the time to consider each of these issues carefully along with their general hopes and dreams about the tenor and style of the wedding reception. By taking the time to plan before they begin the process of hiring a caterer they can do much to control their budget and to ensure that the reception is everything they hoped for.

Preparing to Hire a Caterer