Four Tips for Working with Wedding Caterers
How to Work with Wedding Caterers on the Day-Of Your Weddings
Want to know one of the key ingredients to a successful wedding day? That one area that truly has the power to make or break a wedding reception? It’s the catering team.
Do you know what essential tasks the caterer takes on for a wedding day? SPOILER ALERT: it isn’t just preparing and providing the food.
Many assume the wedding caterer’s only role is preparing and serving the food. In reality, their roles are far more complex. In many cases, they are the sole event staff at the wedding venue for the
evening. Often, they handle the setting of tables, bartending, cleaning up spills, taking out the trash, bussing tables, refilling beverage stations, serving food, flipping ceremony spaces to reception if needed, washing dishes, cutting the wedding cake… the list goes on.
Trust us, your role as a wedding coordinator would be next to impossible without these services covered. As wedding coordinators and planners, it is up to us to set them up for success.
Here are our four tips to help set the wedding catering team up for success on the wedding day (and ensure they’ll refer your wedding coordination services time and time again):
Cover the floor plan and confirm their table needs
Ensure the catering team has reviewed the wedding floor plan to understand how the evening will flow. Be certain that all necessary tables are accounted for (and in suitable locations). Confirm that the buffet tables are sufficient. Ask if they need any appetizer tables, bar or bar-back tables, and non-alcoholic drink tables. Never assume what tables the caterer needs--these needs will vary based on the client’s menu and foodservice preferences.
2. If there is a space flip post-wedding ceremony, create a pre-flip and post-flip floor plan that is clearly labeled
If the catering team is executing a space flip at any point in the evening, ensure they have reviewed and approved the pre-flip floor plan and post-flip floor plan. All tables on the post-flip floor plan should be accounted for on the pre-flip floor plan. Make sure these layouts are clearly marked and detailed with any specific instructions.
3. Send and confirm your comprehensive wedding timeline
Caterers depend on a clear and detailed timeline for weddings. To make sure food is prepared to go out at just the right time, they need to know precisely when food service begins—for both appetizers and dinner. So no one is caught off guard, the team needs to know when they are cutting the cake, pouring champagne for toasts, etc. Rather than assume, collaborate with them to ensure you leave plenty of time for setup, dinner service, cake cutting, teardown, etc. Other timeline details we include for caterers are:
Noting whether or not the couple will keep the top of their wedding cake.
The couple’s food preferences (so they can have their plates prepared for them when they arrive to the wedding ceremony).
Who will be responsible for taking leftover food/drink at the end of the wedding.
4. Confirm the rental order
Some wedding caterers include everything needed to service a wedding, from chafing stands to bread baskets to dishware and glassware. Others may only include some of the items, and a few may not include anything. Make sure that you fully understand what your client needs to provide for the caterers. It is best to allow the caterers to review the rental order themselves to let you know if anything is missing or if any quantities need modifying.
In sum, be polite, helpful, and detail-oriented, and you’re certain to have a smooth wedding day on the catering side of things.
Find this helpful? We just launched a day-of wedding coordination course. With tons of tips for coordinating weddings like the ones found across our blog, we know you’re going to love it!
Zero to WeddingCoordinator in One Day
The only day-of wedding coordination course you’ll ever need.
Trending in Wedding Coordination and Wedding Planning:
Today, I am rounding up the 12 best productivity apps, business apps, and resources I use in running my wedding business. Efficiency and the right tools are KEY to running a successful wedding business, and today, I’m sharing them with you!