Read these pointers in today’s blog from easyEventhire about what to look for in a wedding caterer, and watch out for hidden costs on crockery hire, tableware and more!
Let’s face it, hiring a caterer for a wedding is not something you do every day (unless you are a professional wedding planner, of course!) And whilst catering may well be high on your list of things to organise for your wedding, it’s probably not the case that you’ve thought about crockery hire, wedding furniture hire and other equipment that you might need to organise, with or without your caterer’s help.
The team here at easyEventhire, therefore, sat down and thought about things you should look for when hiring a wedding caterer, as this is such unfamiliar territory for most of us. There’s a whole world of choice out there online, and so how on earth do you decide which caterer to use?
Local
First and foremost, it’s always a good idea – where possible – to work with a local caterer. The likelihood is that by doing this, you’ll be able to forge a good working relationship with your caterer – you will get to know them, and they will get to know you, and this can only be a good thing!
Many wedding caterers will also invite you to attend a menu tasting / sampling session during the early days of your planning, and so it’s better to be local rather than heading off to a venue miles away, especially with the price of fuel as it is! And whilst we’re on the subject of travel, there’s also a cost saving to be made here by dealing locally, as any supplier will be costing in the price of travel to and from your wedding venue as part of their quote, and your wedding caterer will be no different. So, the more local they are to your venue, the better!
Affordable
We all have a budget to work to, and this is certainly the case in your wedding planning. There are so many elements to organise and spend on, to the point where every penny counts! You will need your caterer of choice to be able to operate within the confines of your budget, whatever that is. And remember, not every wedding needs to cost a fortune – you can still create a wonderful wedding event by not going into huge debt.
The right style
It’s also worth remembering that not all weddings are the same, nor should they be. OK, so the classic country house white wedding still tops the charts when it comes to wedding styling, but that’s not to say that ALL weddings have to be like that. Indeed, there is a growing trend away from this traditional style, as couples look for more unique and innovative wedding venues.
There are benefits of doing so, of course, as the more unusual the wedding venue, the more available it might be, and perhaps the cost might be lower compared to a country wedding venue. It’s very much a case of what suits you as a couple. And, therefore, the same applies to your wedding catering. Do you want a formal sit-down 3-course wedding breakfast? Or are you looking for something less formal like a buffet, BBQ, hog roast or pizza van? There are no hard and fast rules here – what we would say is that a lot of the time, the more unusual the wedding, the more memorable it is!
Flexibility
One of the things to look for when choosing a wedding caterer is how flexible they are when it comes to the food and drink choices. Are they dead-set on a fixed menu at a fixed price, or are they happy to include some special touches from you as a couple, and tinker with the price? This may well come down to the relationship you build with your caterer in the lead up to your wedding – as we said earlier, it goes a long way!
All-inclusive & transparent price for crockery hire and more
And finally, in regard to pricing for your wedding catering, try to work with a caterer who will organise everything for you – this relieves you of a lot of extra work. We’re talking about table and chair hire, wedding sofa hire, wedding chair hire and also tableware such as crockery hire, cutlery hire and glassware hire. Hopefully your caterer will be able to work with you and supply all of this. If not, then you’ll be having to hire it yourself.
OK, so there are plenty of companies such as easyEventhire out there who can help, but it’s one less job for you! If you do find yourself needing to hire wedding equipment, don’t forget to browse and hire securely online 24/7 with the experts at easyEventhire, who will provide you with a seamless hire experience from start to finish.
When the time comes to hire a wedding caterer, hopefully these pointers above will help, and will save you time, money and effort. In the meantime, we wish you lots of luck for your big day.
