People usually have fond memories of events they attend, especially if the cuisine served was noteworthy. Though it’s human nature to remember bad experiences and rarely think about good ones, people like to wax eloquent about different items on the menu at an event – “Oh! They served champagne with caviar at Jim’s party! Though, the dessert wasn’t so great – strawberries with vanilla ice cream…”
The food you serve at a special event can really make or break it – budgets can go skyrocketing just to ensure all the guests are satisfied with the snacks, main course, and dessert. Outdoor wedding reception catering is an art and cannot be taken lightly. Both sides look forward to hearing positive feedback from friends and relatives who attended the event. In this case, the décor also makes a considerable difference, especially in today’s connected world where everyone has a camera phone. Everything is shared on social media – what the bride and bridegroom were wearing, what snacks and drinks were served, the band, a favorite dish from the main course and a lot more. For an organization specializing in outdoor wedding reception catering, this is a golden opportunity to showcase their expertise at food and décor through photographs and comments shared on social media by guests at the event.
If you are worried you might overlook something when deciding on a wedding caterer for your special day, take a look at these pointers-
Quality of food
The main reason to hire a caterer is always the food, ensure that this is their area of expertise. Carefully read their website and social media posts to check if they live up to expectations and that people are full of praises for them on Twitter or Facebook.
Regardless of the presentation, it’s vital that the food is fresh and delicious when served to your guests. A lot can go wrong from the time the food is cooked to the time it is served – preparation, transportation and set up. Make it clear to the caterer that the food should be served piping hot.
Flexibility
Each wedding is unique and reflects the couple it is celebrating. To make sure your event is incredibly different from others, choose a caterer who is ready to customize his offerings to match the couple. Whether it’s a Southern Comfort Food Catering Company or specialists in Italian cuisine, ensure they can tweak the menu to match your requirements.
Service
A huge part of the caterer’s job is service. Make it clear from the beginning that you are expecting them to serve the food and not just drop it off on the assigned day. Inform them in advance that you are expecting full service for the catering at your special event. If you would like uniformed waiters and a self-serve buffet, check to see if these options are available and affordable.
Experience
Setting up and planning a wedding can be very stressful, plans can change, sending everything off track. The more experience your caterer has, the better it is suited to take up any challenge and provide you support if required. An experienced caterer should be very familiar with local venues to assist you in understanding the capacity, layout and flow of your special occasion.
Remember, before booking your caterer for a special event, scour through social media sites to read as much as you can about them. Check customer testimonials, photographs and budgets for different events they’ve covered. If they have a lot of experience like they say, there should be a lot of social media posts to support their claim, making it easier to clearly understand and plan your event.
