Wedding Catering Hire Advice.

The question was popped and the answer was a “YES!” Now the fun really begins.

There’s a lot to sort out when you’er getting married and it can cause some sleepless nights, so I have decided to write down some hints and tips when it comes to finding the outside caterer.

Getting the right caterer will take a lot of stress off you if you get it right. There are a few simple things that you can do to be sure that your not going to get let down the week before the wedding or that the food is in fact safe to eat. The last thing you want is to poison the guests!

So you’ve decided on the type of food that you want and have started to look across the internet to find the perfect fit. You have got it down to three company’s you like the look of so how do you know who will be best for your big day. Well one way is to ask if you can try the food before you make any commitment to book. If this isn’t possible like with my company then ask if they have any past client’s reviews. Preferably on another website like www.yell.com that anyone can access and leave a review. Google will also show any reviews that have been left on a Google registered business. I didn’t even know people could leave reviews on my Google listing until I happened to notice people had in fact left reviews about us.

So now you are armed with a lot of reviews you need to check a couple of other things. Is the company you want to cater for your wedding registered with their local councils food and hygiene inspector? This should be very easy to find out, just ask the catering company what council they are listed with and what star rating they have. You should then be able to look at that councils website and find the company listed with their star rating. 5 Stars is best. If you can’t find them on the council website just give the council a ring and they should be able to help. We are registered with our local council but I’ve never found us on their website. Some are better than others I guess.

Food Hygiene

The food hygiene star rating will not tell you how good the food is, it will just let you know that the caterers know how to prepare and serve the food they make safely. If the company you want to use isn’t registered find out why as it is a legal requirement. I would advise NOT using any catering company that is not registered with their local council food hygiene inspectors.

Public Liability Insurance

You will need to check the caterers Insurance and be sure that you and the venue are happy with it because if there is a problem you don’t want it on your head.

Transport

We all know things can go wrong with even a brand new vehicle so it may be a good idea to ask the caterer what would be the plan if a breakdown was to happen before or on the way to set up for the wedding. We have AA cover that will recover us and take us anywhere we want to go. We also use as new a vehicle as possible so to limit the chance of a breakdown. We also set off in good time to be sure we arrive in good time even if there’s a hold up on the roads.

Costs

If you’re on a budget and you find the caterer you want and you have chosen the menu you like but the quote has come back over your budget, always tell the caterer and in many cases they will try and get you what you want within your budget. I’m not saying every catering company will do that but I know we do and it never hurts  to ask.

We often get clients asking us to add a little extra or they tell us they really want to use our services but company “XYZ” can do it a bit cheaper so when ever possible we try and match a like for like quote.

Don’t Over Cater

So many times we have spoken to future Bride and Grooms and many have told us story’s of a friends wedding where they never had enough food and the last thing they want for their wedding is to not book enough food. Stay calm, just have a good chat with the caterer about numbers and about exactly what you want. This may sound obvious but you will be looking at a great many things for your wedding and over catering because “You Think” that may be enough when in fact it’s far too much and you’re just throwing money away.

Feel Confident

It’s really important to get a confident feeling when talking with any prospective catering company. While talking if you feel confident with all the answers to your questions this will be a very good sign that your catering will be in good hands. Part of the service we provide to to help our clients feel very confident that the catering at least is all sorted and no longer a worry. Now you can go on to the next item on your wedding list.

I hope that helped you a little and we hope that your special day is everything and more than you hoped for. The best of luck to you both in your future together.