Wedding Caterers

Wedding Catering Styles

Before getting too far into the search for your caterer, check with your venue about their policies. Some venues do not allow outside catering companies.

Here are some things to think about when starting your search.

First, consider the wedding catering style. There are four major catering styles and they include:

Plated Dinner: This is a more formal and traditional style. Each guest selects their meal (either at the event or in advance) and they are served individually. It is important to note this tends to be the priciest of the options because of extra staffing.

Buffet: This is a much more casual style. Guests can serve themselves while servers provide the food. This tends to be the least expensive of the styles and allows guests to choose their own portion sizes.

Family: In this style, servers provide trays of food to each table & guests pass them around the table, like a family dinner. This style is preferred for its inclusive and casual feel. Fair warning, it can be a bit messy.

Cocktail: This is a much more modern style of catering where food stations allow for guests to mix and mingle. The cocktail style allows for a wide variety of foods to be served and, if planned wisely, can save some money.

A few final words of advice, your food and venue theme don't necessarily need to match (i.e. beach wedding doesn't need to be all sea food), but that doesn't mean it can't if that is something you want. If possible, try to check ahead of time for guests' food allergies. You don't want to have someone with a peanut allergy eating food cooked in peanut oil.

Start the Search for the Perfect Wedding Caterer

When you're ready to start your search, select 'catering' on the drop down menu on the home page or under the 'vendors' tab at the top of the screen. Enter your wedding destination city and state, OR zip code, and see local caterers. It's an absolute necessity to read reviews on WeddingWire from real couples before making the final booking. Even talk to family and friends about catering services that they have used. Choosing your wedding caterer should be a fun experience where you let your creativity shine!