Choosing your Dorset wedding caterer is an important decision for your special day. So let’s talk about how to choose a Dorset wedding caterer. Everyone will be looking forward to the food, alcohol, and dancing. Everyone knows your guests will remember the quality of the food and service.
With so many options available, it can be difficult to decide which one to go with. Fortunately, there are a few key factors to consider when selecting your caterer. They will help make the process easier.
These include reviews and recommendations, menu adaptability, staff and service, quality of food, and cost. Taking the time to do your research and compare different caterers in Dorset will ensure that you make the best choice for your wedding.
Do Your Research
Ask friends about their experiences. Have you or any of your friends been married or attended a wedding recently? How did they choose a Dorset wedding caterer? Were they impressed with the catering and specifically what was it that impressed them? Would this impress you?
Once you’ve got a few referrals, take a look online and see what the various wedding catering services in Dorset have to offer. Read through their menus and reviews. Pay special attention to the recommendations their clients have left behind. Ask yourself if their food will be up to your standards. Are the menus adaptable? Do they have any experience with weddings in particular? If a catering service has been around for a while, it’s likely that they have a good handle on how to make your special day a success.
Impartial Yet Experienced Advice On How To Choose A Dorset Wedding Caterer
Consider The Wedding Menus
When looking at how to choose a Dorset wedding caterer examine your menu requirements. Let potential caterers know your needs. If you are unsure, do you think the caterer will be able to guide you through some suitable choices without bias?
Do the caterers have example menus and are they happy to discuss them with you? It’s important to discuss your menu options with your wedding caterer in Dorset beforehand. You can ensure that everything is taken care of and that all dietary requirements are met.
Choose A Dorset Wedding Caterer – Menu Adaptability
When looking for wedding food in Dorset, consider any dietary restrictions your guests may have. Make sure to ask your catering company if they are able to accommodate vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free meals.
How adaptable are the caterer’s wedding menus? Great wedding caterers should be able to change menus to suit your requirements
When planning a wedding in Dorset, you are able to choose from a huge variety of wedding catering options.
Service Format
For more formal occasions, such as a sit-down dinner, you may want to consider a menu that includes a selection of starters, main courses, sides, desserts, and drinks. If you’re looking for something a little more relaxed, consider buffet catering. This way, your guests can choose their own dishes and help themselves at their leisure.
Portion sizes
Also, ask about portion sizes. It’s great to have amazing tasting food but a wedding is a long day and guests need to be well fed. This way, you can be sure that all your guests will have a great time at your wedding and leave feeling satisfied.
Ask About The Catering Staff
When researching wedding catering in Dorset, it is important to ask about the staff. There are some important distinctions. The Chefs cooking the food. The management staff running the show. And the service staff delivering food.
Choose A Dorset Wedding Caterer – Chefs
Ask how experienced the chefs are with wedding catering and what type of food they can prepare. How many years have they been catering for weddings? What are their passions and ethos around wedding food?
Catering Management
Find out who the logistical management staff are. How do they like to organise wedding catering and are you in contact with one of these people? Quite often they are also the chefs, this gives them a major communication advantage.
Wedding Service Staff
Additionally, find out about the staff that will be serving at your wedding. Are they helpful, well-informed, and friendly? It is important to know that you can trust your caterer to provide quality staff for your big day.
Dorset wedding catering should come with top-notch service staff who are knowledgeable about food and courteous to guests.
Finally, inquire if you will have a single point of contact with the caterer. Will this be throughout the planning and delivery process? A friendly yet professional team member will make all the difference when it comes to consistency of communication. This means working well together, be it with yourselves or your wedding planner.
Quality Of Wedding Food And Drinks
Wedding caterers in Dorset should offer freshly cooked meals made from fresh ingredients and locally sourced produce whenever possible. This ensures you get the best quality of food with minimal food miles and give your guests an enjoyable experience.
Look for a wedding caterer that can provide portion sizes to meet your needs and offers a good variety of dishes to please all tastes.
Ask for samples of their work and read through client reviews and recommendations to make sure the quality of their wedding food is up to your standards. If their food is not up to scratch at the tasting it certainly won’t be on your wedding day.
Remember that the quality of food and cost are proportionally related. In layman’s terms, you will get what you pay for. Quality does cost but cheap food and small portions tend to be a false economy.
Consider The Cost Of A Dorset Wedding Caterer
A major portion of your wedding budget will go to your venue and catering. This should be foremost in your mind when looking at how to choose a Dorset wedding caterer.
When planning a wedding, budgets and costs need to be taken into consideration. When it comes to wedding catering in Dorset, the number of guests, menu items and services should all factor into your total cost. With the right Dorset wedding catering provider, you can provide delicious and varied food that will fit comfortably within your budget.
The first step is to determine how many guests will be attending your event. This will help you decide how much food to order from the Dorset wedding catering company.
How Much Should You Budget For Wedding Catering?
Here are what some of the top wedding websites estimate that typical wedding catering budgets look like:
Brides – Venue & Catering – 40%
Hitched – Venue, Ceremony & Catering – 50%
Rock my Wedding – Venue & Catering – 48%
Wedding Wire – Venue, Catering, Cake & Rentals – 50%
Bridebook – Catering – 20%
The Knot – Catering – 23%
It is important to research and develop an idea of your catering budget early on in your wedding planning. Find out what deposits are required and how the caterers structure their payments.
You’ll also want to consider the type of meal service that you want for your event. Whether it’s a buffet style or table service. Once you’ve established those details, you can start to compare the different menus and prices offered by different Dorset wedding catering companies.
It’s also important to inquire about any additional services such as alcohol, cake cutting, and clean-up. By taking all of these factors into account when choosing a wedding catering service in Dorset, you can make sure that you get the best quality food at a price that works for your budget.
Tips For Making Appointments With Dorset Wedding Caterers
So you should be able to put together a short list for your wedding catering. The next step is to contact and meet with them.
When meeting with a wedding caterer in Dorset, it is important to define your needs. Let them know what type of food you want for your special day, as well as the number of guests you expect and any dietary requirements.
Make sure your communication is clear. If you haven’t defined all your needs let the caterers know and ask for guidance. You can tell a lot about a catering company by how they advise you.
Be sure to ask about tastings so that you can sample the food before committing to a particular caterer. Also, find out if tastings are available before signing a contract. Some wedding caterers will only allow tastings after you have booked!
You should also inquire about any extra services such as cutlery, crockery, and glassware hire. If extra services are not included then they can become ‘hidden costs’ in the future. Or god forbid be overlooked entirely.
Ask what utilities and equipment the caterers need to be able to work effectively at your chosen venue. Are they able to supply their own equipment, does the venue supply it or will it be an extra cost?
How Will You Compare Wedding Caterers In Dorset?
Once you have a shortlist the first thing you should check is availability for your wedding day. This will save you so much time and help whittle the list down. You can then look at meeting Dorset wedding caterers to compare their services.
Don’t worry we have you covered. As wedding planning seems to orientate around checklists we thought we’d help you with a helpful template:
Wedding Caterers Meeting
Great Recommendations
Easy to contact/ clear communication
Friendly, helpful and experienced staff
Adaptability and variety of menus
Able to cater for dietary requirements
Quality, and quantity of food
Tasting before contract
Breakdown of their pricing
Additional services (i.e cutlery, bar hire, evening food)
And also, important – will they clear up?
How To Choose A Dorset Wedding Caterer – Conclusions
Choosing your perfect wedding caterer in Dorset is not easy. There are a variety of things to consider including your budget, the quality of food, and service.
With this helpful guide, you should now be pointed in the right direction. Work out your specific requirements and ask the right questions to find your perfect wedding caterer.
If you have any further questions or would like to book a tasting please do contact Crab Apple Catering.
