40 questions you need to ask your wedding caterers

Food, glorious food! This is the reaction you want your guests to have when they taste your wedding breakfast

And now, as more of us become full-on foodies and invest time in sourcing sustainable, local and downright delicious food, we expect our wedding caterers to live up to these mouth-watering expectations too.

So how do you make sure you choose the right wedding caterers for your style, your wedding and your budget? Armed with these 40 questions, it’s never been easier to nail it – so let’s dig in!

1. 1. How far in advance do we need to book our wedding caterers?
   2. At what point do the menu tastings take place and how long will we have to finalise our menu choices? Don’t forget to check out these three top tips for choosing your menu.
   3. Do we need to choose one set menu or can we offer our guests options to RSVP with?
   4. When do you need to know final numbers or menu choices?
   5. What style of dishes and dining would suit my venue?
   6. Am I choosing the right kind of dishes for the time of year?
   7. Is there a dish that you think we should definitely avoid? Why?
   8. Do you have any particular specialities that we should try?
   9. Can I sample the menu beforehand? How many tastings can we have? Are they included in the price?
   10. Can we choose the menu from scratch or do you provide set packages?
   11. We love laidback barbecues and hog roasts – can you cater for these?
   12. We have a serious sweet tooth, can we have afternoon tea for our wedding breakfast instead? For more foodie inspiration with a twist, check out our complete A-Z of wedding food and drink ideas!
   13. Do you need us to hire in any equipment?
   14. How much space do you need (if cooking in a marquee, for example)?
   15. Will you provide tableware, cutlery or table runners? Can we see them set up in advance?
   16. How do you present your dishes? Can we see examples?
   17. I’ve got this many people to feed and this much to spend, can you work with my budget?
   18. Have you catered for this many people at one time before?
   19. What options are there for reducing the bill?
   20. When do we pay for the catering? Are there deposits and payment plans? Is VAT included in the quote?
   21. What happens if we cancel or change our wedding date? What’s your policy on refunds?
   22. Are canapés included in the price? How about wine and fizz?
   23. Will you provide your own serving staff? Is this included?
   24. Have you catered at my venue before?
   25. How many weddings have you catered for in the past? Can I see reviews or testimonials from couples?
   26. Can you also make my wedding cake?
   27. We want a cheese wedding cake – can you supply it? Can you also provide chutneys, crackers and grapes to go with it? How much will it cost?
   28. Do you supply alcohol too? How much choice do we have for this?
   29. I’ve got guests with many different dietary requirements – how will you work with that?
   30. What menus do you offer for children?
   31. We need to feed our photographer too – how much will you charge for their meal?
   32. We’d love to have an ice-cream van/popcorn machine/candyfloss cart – can you provide this or put us in touch with a reputable supplier?
   33. Our wedding breakfast is early in the afternoon so we’ll need food again later – what options do you offer? What are the alternatives to the traditional buffet?
   34. Where do you source ingredients? If you would prefer them to be locally sourced, free range or organic, make sure you check.
   35. Will you include tea and coffee after the main meal? Can we add petit fours or truffles to accompany this? How much is included?
   36. How many other weddings do you plan to cater for that week? Will you be catering any other weddings on the same day as ours?
   37. Will it be you doing the catering or other members of your team?
   38. What happens if you are unwell on our wedding day?
   39. Will you print our wedding menus for us? Is this included in the price? Choose one of these 10 tasty menu designs and your guests will definitely work up an appetite!
   40. What is your policy on tipping – should we reserve money for tipping the waiting staff?

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