Where do I begin to find a caterer??

Question

I have my venue, but they only have one preferred caterer, which I do not want to use (heard bad reviews). I am however, allowed to use any caterer of my choice. But how do I begin to find the right one, at the right price, with the right quality??

Answer 1

What type of food do you want served at your wedding?  That's the first thing you need to decide.  Then decide if you want to do a sit down dinner or buffet.  If you decide to do a buffet, you need determine whether you want to order ala cart of per person (some places let you choose and it can be cheaper either way).  Then determine a budget.  Start researching catering places that serve that type of food in the style you want.  Make sure you go there for tastings before you set up any kind of contract!!  I wasn't able to so that with my vendor because I live 2 states away and I went with my in-laws opinion of the place (they absolutely LOVE that place).  Personally I found the food to be horribly bland and ended up not eating anything at my wedding because the food sucked.  Good luck!

Answer 2

Think about what type of wedding you are having.  Is it more casual?  simple sandwiches, fruit, and wedding cake would please me for a casual wedding.  Is it more formal?  Try checking into restaurants.  So many of them cater, but so few people know about it unless they get food catered three times a week at work.  

I've heard barbeque is some of the cheapest food and would work well for some weddings, but not others.  

Also, some places have buffets and some have hors d'ouvres (however you spell it) and some have sit-down, plated meals.  I'll share something that was recommended to me - if you do hors d'ouvres, plan on PLENTY.  People for some reason, just expect to be fed a meal at every wedding reception anymore, so they come hungry!  

Buffets (depending on where you go) can actually be more expensive than the plated meals, and when you count up the cost, enough hors d'ouvres is more than both of them!  This was the case with me.  

Answer 3

Decide what sort of reception you want and go from there. Get out the phone book and start calling. Tell them what you want, for how many hours, how many people you have to feed and they should be able to give you a rough over the phone quote. Make sure you get a few quotes to properly compare prices and get yourself the best deal and then take all the info back to your fiance or whoever is paying for the wedding and decide together. Good luck and I hope this helps.