Wedding Food - Working Through the Different Styles of Food Service.

Ester Knowlen Photography

As wedding planners who love food, our goal is to guide you through the process of catering, so that when it comes time, you don’t have to go in as a newbie, you can go in with confidence! In today’s blog, we want to break down the different types of meal service options that are out there, plus give you pros and cons to each of them. Now-A-Days, there are a TON of options when it comes to how and what you can serve for wedding food. You have appetizers, plated meals, and buffets, but have you thought about others like food trucks or interactive stations?

 There are some factors that play a roll into the type of meal service you can have at your wedding, when you book with your venue, you will be told what the catering options are. Once you know what those are, you can start thinking about what kind of meal service you want to have. One of our earlier blogs talks all about the different types of catering venues offer, you can read more about catering options by clicking (Here).

We want to mention that not every caterer will offer all these options, most of the time (not all the time) you will have a food and beverage minimum to meet. (you can read all about food and beverage minimums in our last catering blog by clicking (Here)). So, work with the caterer that you have and let them guide you in the direction that works best for you.

Plated Meals

Photo | Narratore Photography

The most popular of the bunch, having a plated meal is classic, timeless and elegant. You and your guests get to feel fancy while people serve your food to you.

 Most of the time, wedding meals come in three courses. Salad, entree, & dessert. Sometimes a couple might decide to not have cake served and opted for a dessert station in which guests would then help themselves. That is something that you can discuss with the caterer or your planner (Hi)

If you want to give your guests choices, plated meals are a great option. I would say most of the time, a caterer will let you have a Chicken, Beef, Fish or Vegetarian option as well as accommodate any food allergies.

Plated meals require extra effort in that you must have the meal options on the RSVP cards so that guests choose ahead of time what meals they will have.

You also will have to provide place cards with the guest’s name on it and meal option. When making the place cards, make sure you have the food choice be clear as day on the card. This will help catering staff see it while they are serving food. Something to remember, the lights usually dim for dinner so it can be hard for the staff to always see the options.

You can get creative with this or keep it simple by just writing “Chicken or C” “Beef or B” (You get it). Just don’t be silly and do gemstones that are similar colors... (Like black and navy) or something so silly that it slows down food service. I once had a wedding that did origami animals that indicated what they were eating and, when my staff went to serve dinner, no one had their origami still intact nor could they even tell what was what.

Pro Tip: Print out a list of each table with the guests’ name and their meal choice that matches the place cards. Your catering staff will love you for being so organized and dinner service will be more efficient.

Things to consider. Do the caterers keep the food in a hot box until its ready to be plated? Or will they plate the food as they serve?

Think about the layout of your venue. Do they offer a full kitchen or is only a small prep space that they must work with? Your planner and caterer can help you determine if plated is the best option for you considering your venue space.

Pro Tip: If the kitchen space is not convenient to where the meals are being served, skip the plated meal!

Food Stations:

I love food stations! My most successful event to date was for BMW and we had a mix of interactive food stations as well as butler passed and stationed food stations. This event was very focused around food and it was a huge success. Guests LOVE Food stations, they love watching chefs out there toasting things with blow torches! They love the idea of having a huge variety of foods and its usually super fresh and made to order give you some flexibility to get super creative and give your guests more of an experience with their food! When I worked in catering, food stations were my favorite and it also was a way to save money as well. (This was just in my case, might not be the same for every caterer)

Maybe you want to combine your heritages and have a mix of both cultures’ foods?

Pro Tip: Have the catering staff set the tables, and have salads served to them, this way, everyone has a minute to gather. You will be able to do the welcome speech or blessing and explain the different stations that are around the area. That way, guests don’t all flock to the same station at once and leave others.  

Pro Tip #2: Don’t overwhelm your guests with too many options, we suggest 3-4 stations depending on if you have a plated salad or a salad station.

Buffet Style

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Eileen K Photography

A lovely buffet dinner

Some people have a real hard time with buffet dinners. We personally don’t get it… We understand that buffets are a more casual style of dining, but sometimes it just makes more sense and depending on the caterer, it could be more cost effective.

Your guests get to serve themselves portions so if they don’t really want a ton of meat but love mashed potatoes, they can take what they are going to eat.

A con to buffets is that you might have to provide your own china, glassware & flatware. Always check these costs because some caterers might charge $6.50 per place setting, whereas a rental company might charge $3.50. That is a huge cost difference.

Also note, if you rent place settings, ask your caterer if their staff will set the tables or if you will need someone else to do it.

Pro Tip: Confirm with your caterer that flatware and goblets will not just be rolled at the buffet. Ask your caterer to still set the table with silverware and add chargers to glam it up! That way the tables are still set nicely and will look great in photos!

Family Style:

Family style meal service is not my favorite if I am being completely honest. We will never discourage you from doing something that you are set on doing, but we will explain why we don’t like it.

Family style takes up WAY TOO MUCH space on your table. If you want extravagant centerpieces, you add 4 platters of food to each of those tables, it’s going to get tight.

Yes you can get two meat options so that if someone wants a little chicken and a little beef, they can do that, but also some people can take more than a healthy serving and leaves some of the rest of the table with not a lot of a serving.

Make sure that your caterer will have extra food, this might increase the food costs, but that is better than running out of food.

 The guests must serve themselves, so they have to grab the platters and pass them around. I have seen spoons being flung through the air and whole platters fall into laps. It stresses me out just typing it!

Heavy Apps

Depending on the caterer, they might have different options when it comes to how appetizers are served. Butler Passed and stationed apps are what we are familiar with. When apps are butler passed, a server will walk around with a tray and asks guests if they would like to try xyz… This is awesome because they are well versed in what they are serving and so the guests can ask questions. Stationed apps are where they are set up on tables (just like stations) and you can pick and choose what you want. You can do a mix of butler and stationed apps as well, which can help you save money and its fun for the guests.

If you are having a smaller wedding, you have a unique venue that doesn’t allow all guests to be seated in the same room, or you are having a later in the evening reception, heavy apps are a great option.

If your wedding day starts at 2 and ends at midnight, we suggest giving them more meals throughout the day.

Pro Tip: Do a mix of interactive food stations and apps. Like salad shooters, build your own pasta station, mini gourmet burger display & French fry bar, along with some butler passed apps. 

Food Trucks

Last but certainly not least, let’s talk about food trucks! Food trucks are all the rage and for good reason! You want to show your style, investigate food trucks! There are so many of them out there, it might be hard to choose which one you want, our option is ask a professional for their thoughts (raising our hands) get a list of them and start asking questions! You might want to do a couple so that you can give your guests options, or you might want to keep it simple. Just make sure it is one that will be able to handle your guest count and they have a reputation for working weddings.

If your venue doesn’t allow food trucks, ask them if having one as a late-night snack could be an option? You could do late night tacos, mini donuts, or so much more!

A pro to food trucks is that it can cut down on food waste because it is usually made to order.

Another positive to food trucks is the options are endless

The downside to some food trucks is they might not have a serving staff. You will need people there to make sure trash and food is thrown away.

Catering is going to be one of the biggest expenses of your wedding. Don’t skimp, don’t just go with the basic, cheapest option. Let your dinner service mirror your personality, don’t be afraid to get creative and never hesitate to reach out to us if you need some ideas! We love food and we love discussing food!

Cheers!

Christina + Adam

The Ultimate Guide - Questions to Ask Before you Hire your Caterer!

If you have met Adam & I, you know… We love food! If you are looking for a specific type of food, we can usually tell you about a place and if you are open to anything, well… We can give those too!

With both of us having a decent background in catering, its always a priority for us to make sure our couples are asking all the key questions when scouting a caterer as to make sure things don’t get left out. We thought we would make a list, so the next time you are on the search, we got your back!

In the last blog, we talked about the different types of catering options most venues offer. Did you read that one? If not, you can read that (here). Today, its all about those hard hitting questions that you may not have thought about. So if you are interested in questions to ask your caterer, just keep reading!

1.      What is your food & Beverage minimums?

Most (not all) caterers will have an F&B minimum. This is usually the lowest dollar amount that you will have to spend in order to use their catering services. Depending on the venue and caterer, this can range from $1000-$15000.

Some things to note about food and beverage minimums…

Some places may offer a lower f&b minimum on a Weekday, Friday or Sunday. Be aware that yes, the minimum might be lowered, but if you are having 300 guests and the food menu prices are the same as always, that minimum is not going to matter. Most places are not changing the menu price, so the only time a lower f&b minimum actually benefits people is when they have a smaller guest count and might want a certain venue.

For example…

A Golf Course might have a discounted f&b minimum on a Friday. Originally $10,000 but they lowered it to $7000 for appeal. Their base meal starts at $42 per plate and you have 250 guests. It doesn’t matter what the f&b minimum is, you are still paying over $10,000.

If you want a killer space like the Machine Shop and you have a smaller guest count, this is when a lower f&b minimum can actually help you. If they give a discount for Thursday weddings and you have 150 guests, this can save you from having to be stuck with a $10,000 minimum.

It is also a good thing to ask what is all included in the minimums. Sometimes it is everything that you are quoted on. Sometimes it is strictly food & beverage. Any additional fees like servers, bartenders, chefs, linens.. Those are not included in the minimum. Again, this differs between caterers so its always a good idea to ask.

2.      Do you provide linens, and napkins?

If they do provide linens, make sure the size will match the size of the tables at the venue. Typically if the caterer provides and sets up the linens, this will happen two hours prior to the reception start time, or during the social hour if the space needs to be flipped. If possible, ask the caterer if you can pick up the linens the week of the wedding. This is where we come in, we will pick them up and set them up for you so that we can get the center pieces set up as well. (always have to plug our services in somewhere)

3. Do you provide glassware, plates and utensils?

Every caterer is different, some only provide plastics, some provide compostable, and other provide glass china. It is important to know which is going to be provided, because you can never assume they are bringing china.

Also, we personally love plastic and compostable for weddings! There are tons of options to make it fun and easy!

4. What is your server fee and how many servers would we have?

I used to have people that wanted to save money anywhere they could, and they would ask if we could take a few servers away. My advice, listen to your catering contact and do what they advise. Without the correct number of servers, this slows down the entire process and makes it stressful on the other catering staff and vendors. Servers are a vital part of any well functioning wedding!

5.      What is the service charge and does any of that go to the server gratuity?

Often the service charge (generally 18%-25%) goes to administrative fees. Sometimes a portion of that goes to the servers as a gratuity.

6.    What is the average cost per person?

There is going to be the per plate charge. But that doesn’t include appetizers and then when you divvy up all the additional fees, you should be left with an over all “per person” price.

7.      What are some of your favorite dishes?

I was very honest when I was in catering. If there was something I didn’t like on the menu, I would explain what I didn’t like about a certain dish, but I would also encourage them to try it for themselves so that they could determine if they liked it. Everyone has different tastes and visions when it comes to their wedding dinner.

photo Sea Circus Weddings | Desserts Thirsty Whale Bakery

Rachel Elle Photography

When it comes to appetizers, this is where you want to get real answers from your caterer. There are some options that seem innovated and delicious, but they might not hold up well for your venue.

8.     Do you have cake cutting fees?

I would say, 99% of caterers are going to have a fee to cut and serve your cake.

“But I am not doing cake, I am doing xyz…”

Does “xyz” need plates, napkins, silverware? Does it need to be set up and maintained? Then there will be a fee. I don’t blame them; it is an overhead cost that they need to cover. But when they spit out a number like $2 per person, it can be a little shocking.

9.      What do you do with left over food?

 I personally don’t like to ask this question because, Per health codes, the caterers are required to dispose of all food. You can ask if they use pig buckets. Honestly, I have never worked at a place where it was ok to package up food at the end of the night. So, while it never hurts to ask if you can take home any left overs or if it can be donated. Don’t be surprised when they say no. I wouldn’t even ask, but there are some smaller mom & pop shops that might allow it.

10.      Never ask if you can take the tapped keg home at the end of the night either.

If you are providing your own booze, then sure, take it home. But if you are getting married at a venue that is providing the alcohol, you will not be able to take any of that home.

Story time…. I once had a drunk bride at the end of the night get very upset with me because she couldn’t bring her have tapped keg home.

Rachel Elle Photo

11.  Will you set up a water station?

While its classy to have water glasses on the tables, it never hurts to have water stations set up as well. Esp. during the social hour. You don’t want to have your guests wait in line at the bar just to grab a water. Nor should they have to pay for a water when the bar or catering can easily set up a station.

12.   Does bar service go through you?

Sometimes they require bar service go through them, and other times, you can look into other options. There are tons of bar options now, so it is nice to have options!

The pros to having catering handle bar service – That will go towards your food and beverage minimum.

The cons – You are stuck with their prices.

Photo by Heather Hanson | Bar Service | With a Twist

13.  What are the bar options?

Do they take care of the bar? Or will you have to find outside bar service?

Do you have to host the bar? Can you have a cash bar? Do cash bar sales go towards the f&b minimum? Can you do a split – Hosting the bar for the first few hours and switch to cash bar?

14.   How many bartenders will there be?

 I would always suggest 1 per 75 adults.

15.   Do we have to get desserts from you?

Its nice when your caterer is a Rock star at desserts as well. But its also nice to have options. Most caterers will allow an outside licensed vendor to provide desserts.

16.   Do you offer coffee & Tea? Table side or Station?

-        I always prefer stations for coffee and tea. That way, people can get up and mingle, it is less clutter on the tables and it eliminates the waste when there are carafes of coffee on all the tables, some guest might not want any. Some guests might want more than one cup. If you have a station, you get to please everyone.

17. How many events do you do in a night?

Some catering companies are huge and they work events all over the state. The last company I worked for was the biggest catering company in the area and they serviced some of the the most amazing venues out there. They would service as many events in one day as possible, because they could. Smaller caterers might only service 1 - 2 weddings a day. This is why you shouldn’t wait until 3 months out (I have seen it) to choose your caterer.

Another question to ask is what their backup plan is when they are short staffed, we have noticed that with all of the weddings moving from last year to this year, catering companies are seeing it with being short staffed. You want to make sure that doesn’t effect your event.

18. Do you cook the food on-site or off-site?

Also, its always good to know where the food will be prepared. Some venues don’t have kitchen spaces, so they set up makeshift kitchens and work from hot boxes and warmers. I know from experience that this is a totally normal way of serving food and it has always worked for me in the past.

19. How many servers stay till the end of the event? Will they clear dishes and bar glasses?

Some catering staff leave right after the dinner service, leaving you and your guests the responsibility to clean everything up! This happens more often then not, so it never hurts to pay extra for the staff to stay till the end. Usually you only need 2 people. We never recommend just assuming your guests will throw pick up their mess, because we have seen it week after week, and we can tell you it rarely happens!

I think we will leave it at that. This is a pretty decent list for you to start out with, and if at any time you are looking into catering and have random questions, we are always around to give you advice and help you along the way! Stay tuned for the final series to the catering blog, where we talk about the different types of dinners you can have at your reception!

Cheers!

What Catering Does Your Venue Offer? A Blog about Catering...

Photo Eileen K

Eat! Drink! & Be Married! Food is the foundation to any good event, a wedding is no different!

Let’s be real, it is usually what guests are most excited about, besides the bar and watching their cool humans tie the knot. Catering can be confusing, but we are here to break it down for you! We have decided to do a series that dives into catering. Today, we are breaking the venue catering options.

We often have clients that are a little shell shocked by catering prices. They might have unrealistic expectations, or they might just be unaware of all the extra costs that come with catering, but I know from experience, catering tends to be quite a big chuck of your budget, think 30-50% of your budget can go towards the catering. When you are going through the process of choosing vendors, it’s important to choose a venue first. Wedding Venues will usually have one of four options for their clients when it comes to catering. In-House, Catering List, Exclusive caterer, or Open Catering. We wanted to go over those options more in-depth, give you some pros and cons to all of them, so that you can better understand what they are talking about when you start your venue/catering search! If you need help, or just a general idea where to start, just keep reading!

Photographer: Shane Long | Minneapolis Wedding Venue : The Beach Club

In-House – This is where venues provide the catering with rental of the space.

When we think of in-house catering we think of establishments that are not just venues to hold events, my idea of in-house consists of hotels, golf clubs, country clubs, restaurants (just to name a few) they will most likely have an in-house kitchen that does the catering.

Pros:

•   You don’t have to go through the process of emailing a million caterers.

• They have kitchens on-site with a chef on-site. If you need to store flowers or cake in the coolers, there is usually not a problem with that, and having a full kitchen is HUGE!

• Having an in-house kitchen, and chef means that they are dedicated to you and your event. Your food will be made on-site and most of the time, not sitting in a hot box for an hour. (While I say most of the time, I always suggest ask how they prep the food because you never know if they pre-cook and have food sit in a hot box till dinner service, its always better to ask.)

• Most provide tables, linens, china & glassware and service staff included in the pricing.

Cons

• You are limited to that specific caterer. The menu is going to be basic and and food is going to be your typical wedding food. While these in-house caterers might be willing to do custom options, if you have a certain taste in mind, it might not be what you are hoping for.

Photo Ester Knowlen | The Machine Shop

Clewell photography

Exclusive Caterer – Some venues may use an exclusive caterer, think of Bavaria Downs, Nicollet Island Pavilion, or Mississippi Gardens, just to name a few. These venues have a catering company that they work exclusively with and they either have a kitchen on-site that they work out of, or they may prepare the food off-site at the catering company and deliver it to the venue.

Pros-

• Having an exclusive caterer means it is their space and they are familiar with the space. This is huge because they are the only caterer that works at this space and they take pride in the weddings there.

• They may be more open to creating custom menu options for you.

• They are well versed in the space, they know the best layout options and they usually have a specific person working that space.

Cons-

• Just like having in-house catering, an exclusive caterer means you do not get to choose that caterer. They might be out of your price range, so you will have to look at adjusting your budget.

• They may be the exclusive caterer for that venue, but that does not mean they have a full kitchen at the venue. It’s always nice to know how & where the food is going to be prepared.

Catering List – Some venues will offer a catering list, this is a list of vendors that are approved by the venue to cater there. Some venues have a wide variety of caterers, like Three Rivers Park District, There catering list has almost 20 caterers on it, ensuring you will be able to find someone you love. Some only have maybe 3-8, and that could be because they don’t want to overwhelm people with caterers, or they want to set a certain tone for their venue.

Pros-

• Having a preferred catering list means that these caterers are familiar with the venue and have worked there at least once. They will know their way around the property and will be seasoned in catering the space.

• This gives you options when choosing a caterer, you can be more creative and you can find one that fits your budget.

Cons-

•   While I just stated that with a catering list, you will be able to find someone that you’re your budget, that is not always the case, sometimes, there are not any caterers on the list that fit into your budget, so if you don’t check around with the catering companies prior to signing contract with the venue, you might be stuck picking a caterer off a list that is far out of your price range.

• You are most likely going to have to pay extra for staffing, linens, glassware and silverware. In our next topic we talk all about the hidden costs that you have to look at when hiring a caterer.

• When there is a preferred catering list, there might not be a lot of ethnic options to choose from. Sometimes the catering company will work with you to create a custom option, but this is something you always have to make sure of when hiring them.  I will be real here, if you are having a catering company work with another catering company to co-create an ethnic menu, it is always going to cost way more than you think it is.

Open Catering – This is when the venue does not have a required catering list, They just have to be licensed. This leaves the option open to any catering company out there.

Pros-

•   Your options are endless, you can do food truck, catering, pizza, tacos, BBQ, whatever you choose! An open catering list, ensures that you will find a caterer that fits your budget.

•    Most catering companies will be willing to work with custom options.

• This gives smaller catering companies the opportunity to work weddings. We are all about supporting other small businesses!

Clewell Photography

Cons-

• Your options are endless! While this sounds appealing, if you are one of those people who can not make up their damn mind… There might be too many options for you to make a choice.

• The catering company might not be familiar with the space. This shouldn’t be an issue because any good caterer is going to familiarize themselves before the event. It is just always something you want to communicate with them prior.

•   These spaces don’t tend to have kitchens for the caterer to work out of, most companies are equipped with everything they need to work with no kitchen, it just takes proper planning.

•   Again, we will mention, linens, glassware, china and silverware, just make sure to see what the costs are.

Our intention is for every couple to have a stress free time planning their wedding. Catering can be a topic that seems overwhelming, but our goal of breaking theses out into a series is to educate you so that you go into the planning process like a rock star! Want additional help, Contact us! We work with some of the best catering companies around, and we would love to help you in your planning venture, food is our jam and we enjoy chatting with couples (usually centered around pancakes!)

Somethings to keep in mind when starting It is always important to figure out what is most important to the both of you and start from there. If you are dreaming of getting married at your family’s country club, then you probably are not even thinking about what the catering options are going to be, because you know that this is your venue and the rest will work its self out. That is awesome! It alleviates so much stress and we are all for it!

Photo Brian Bossany

On the other hand, if you have a smaller budget and you want to get married at a fancy historical venue that is currently all the rage, but their catering only offers high end catering options, you might not be able to realistically make that work for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a unique and creative wedding, it just means you have to look at alternative options (This is where we come handy).

We are always here to offer advice and give you lists of some of our favorites to work at! So, if you read this and still have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Stay tuned for part 2 where we talk about all the questions you should be asking your caterer and hidden fees to watch out for!

 Namaste friends!