the most delicious part.
There is no substitute for sharing a meal with those you love. Selecting a wedding caterer is one of the most significant (and delicious) parts of planning your big day – and budget. Not only is catering a big piece of your wedding budget (if not the biggest), it’s also one of the most enjoyed parts of the reception for your guests. Certain meals are meant to be elevated and elaborate. But complex recipes and fancy ingredients are not the only way to celebrate with your guests. Organize and plan your celebratory dinner in a way that is close to how you entertain at home, perhaps that’s with a family-style preparation that encourages your guests to mingle. However you decide to serve the meal, nourish your loved ones with dishes that work to connect your families. Even in the most informal setting, it’s a chance to slow down, engage with your guests, rest your feet and most importantly – eat something. Convention tells us to offer entrée choices of chicken, fish and streak, with a vegetarian option upon request. Consider instead serving simply what you love. Consider basing the meal around what’s local and in season. The only stipulation when planning your dream celebratory meal is that it’s authentic to you!
Our advice is to book a meeting with two or three caterers. During the meeting try to get a sense of the type of wedding food they specialize, schedule a tasting, and understand their price ranges. Typically, a caterer will make up their budgets on a “per head” basis. Therefore the biggest factor affecting the budget for your catering is – your guest list. Wedding catering prices are affected by location. If you’re having your wedding in a major city, be prepared to spend a little more. The more popular the location, the higher the price. This means you’ll likely pay more for catering services in cities like Toronto and Hamilton than you will locally. Hiring an outside vendor provides a lot of flexibility – consider reaching out to your favorite restaurant to see if they can cater an off-site event, making your dinner celebration that much more personal. Consider a food truck or all different food stations – this allows you to differentiate yourself, get creative! The food service options that you choose, be it — plated meals, family-style catering, buffet-style meals, food stations, hors d’oeuvres, and cocktail hour, can have a big effect on the overall cost of your wedding catering. Don’t forget to include alcohol, paying for dessert, glassware, flatware & linens, in your budget.
The most common question is how much does it cost to cater a wedding? The answer really depends on what you want for your wedding. The average catering cost for a wedding based on 100 guests’ falls somewhere around $7,000, or roughly $70 per person. Of course, you can spend more or less than average. If you include an open bar, a full sit-down meal, pre-service cocktails and hors d’oeuvres you will be looking at a much higher price, as that is all additional. Keep in mind that this is to give you a general idea, the price for catering your event will be completely dependent on what exactly you’re looking for on your special day.
Another small piece of advice -- don’t forget to reach out to your caterer after the wedding to gather the recipes from your wedding day so you can make these dishes in the many years to come!