How to Enhance Your Reception Party Experience

If you are planning a wedding, then you are probably starting to realize that wedding reception catering can be the most complex and confusing aspect of this process. You may be unsure of the best food to serve your guests, how much they will eat, whether any of them have food allergies and so on. These are all valid things to consider when planning your wedding reception catering. Many couples soon realize that there is way more to preparing for their special day than they had initially realized, and this is why it is wise to enlist the help of a professional catering service to help you answer all of these questions.

A wedding caterer will be able to help you plan the perfect menu. They will be able to suggest their most popular menu items and will be equipped to work around any of your guest’s food allergies so that everyone can enjoy your wedding reception. Most caterers will also provide staffing for serving the food at your wedding reception.

A good catering service will be able to provide you with professional and efficient servers and in turn give you one less thing to worry about. Companies that have been in the wedding reception catering business for many years will even be able to go a step further and help you completely visualize your wedding reception.

From the room layout to table arrangements and decorations, your caterer will have the experience and expertise to help you plan a wedding reception your guests will never forget! If you are searching for wedding reception catering in your city, fill out our wedding catering request form to get quotes for catering services in your area.

Interviewing Potential Caterers

Planning your wedding reception catering can be a frustrating task. You want to make sure that everyone at your wedding reception gets the perfect meal and has a wonderful time, all while staying within your budget.

Start out by contacting a handful of different caterers. Have pre-planned questions to ask each of them and pay attention to how they respond to your inquiries. Take notes on what each caterer offers and their catering methods, this will help you to not get the different catering services mixed up later when you go back to review and make you final decision.

Have a checklist handy of all the things you know you will require at your wedding reception and inquire about all charges and fees. When selecting additional fees and services, it is important to be aware of rates and how your caterer will be charging you so that there are no surprises later on. Find out who is going to be responsible for cleanup after your reception is over and find out if the catering service will be providing their own tableware and wait staff.

After you have gone over all the details and fine points and have narrowed your choices down, it is time to set up a taste test. After all, exquisite food will be the determining factor that ensures your guests have an amazing time and enjoy your reception. If you are looking for wedding reception catering services in your area, fill out our wedding catering request form to get quotes for catering services in your area.

If you’ve ever attended a gallery opening, bridal shower, book signing, rehearsal dinner or even a bar mitzvah, you’ve probably had a catering experience. When you attend an elegantly appointed wedding reception or a plated fund-raiser with food as tasty, if not tastier than the local dining hot-spots, you almost definitely have a catering team to thank.

Catering seems pretty straightforward and simple: You cook some food and serve it, right? That is the basic idea, but there’s more to it. A whole lot more.

In this article, we’ll take you behind the scenes to see what catering is all about. From the initial client-caterer meeting to the big event, catering involves a lot of planning and preparation, teamwork, creativity and some pretty cool equipment.

First, let’s consider what defines catering today.

Food is definitely the star in the catering world, but it’s only one part of the equation. Chef Richard Brown, a full service catering and event-planning company located in Jackson, MS, agrees. Like many catering companies today, VIP includes full event planning. As catering companies have moved toward the full-service, event-planning model, the focus has morphed. It’s not that food is no longer a focal point, but rather that it is part of a broader mission. VIP GRAND EVENTS suggests that catering is about satisfying all the senses:

• Sight
• Hearing
• Touch
• Smell
• Taste

With the right atmosphere, you can appeal to all of these senses in a way that makes an event special and memorable. Of course, beautifully prepared food can appeal to your sense of taste, smell and sight – perhaps even touch, but it shouldn’t outshine the rest of the event. Caterers today generally want every piece of the puzzle, from the decor to the glassware, to have that same kind of impact.

From flatware to flowers, lighting to linens and tables to tunes, everything should complement the food to create a unified overall experience. According to VIP Grand Events, continuity is key. You want every aspect to be in sync with each other. For example:

• Does the venue fit the occasion, climate and group size? No matter how lovely the surrounding gardens, you probably wouldn’t want to have formally attired guests dining outside in 98-degree weather.
• Does the menu fit the occasion and tastes of the group? For a retirement celebration, where the retiree is getting ready to embark on a 6-month sabbatical in Spain with her spouse, tappas stations would be an inspired idea.
• Does the decor suit the venue and event? White linen, china and crystal stemware might not be the most appropriate table setting for a casual, pool-side barbecue reception. Festive prints, such as blue and white checked tablecloths and matching napkins with plain glass plates and mason jars might be a better fit.

Whether it’s a cocktail party for 50 friends or a corporate event for 500, the goal is the same: deeply satisfying the guests. So, how does a caterer accomplish this grand task? It all starts with a few simple questions.

When it comes to sustainable seafood, says Andrew Spurgin, caterers hold a unique position of being able to have a say of what goes on the plate. “Caterers are gatekeepers,” Spurgin, Executive Chef of Waters Fine Catering in San Diego says. “We have been given a unique opportunity to make a real difference in promoting sustainable seafood.”

Photo: Boyd Harris Photography

“For seafood,” he says, “Time is running out.” Environmental and man-made disasters have placed ocean life in dire straits yet more consumers than ever are aware of the problem. “I’ve noticed a change,” Spurgin says. “Our clients ask about what seafood to serve more regularly than in the past. And now a large percentage of clientele come to us precisely because this is what Waters does; it’s our ethos.”

Approaching the Subject with Clients from Catersource.com

When clients are busy planning weddings and other happy occasions, naturally they don’t want a doom-and-gloom lecture. So Spurgin and his team do several things to get their point across. “The most important thing we do is simply not anything but sustainable seafood,” Spurgin says unapologetically. “There are certain types of seafood we simply won’t serve, period. At this point a dialogue usually opens up as to why. Preaching to people is the last thing you want to do so we gently educate them by opening with: ‘Perhaps you would be interested to know Ms. Jackson…’”

Change what’s on the plate and make a difference, Spurgin likes to say. “Our oceans are crying out for help. We as caterers have the ability to be part of what needs to be done so we can preserve what little that is left for future generations.”