Blue Ribbon Reviews
Reviews
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![Nicole]()
Nicole Sent on 10/21/2025Can’t Recommend Enough
We can’t recommend Blue Ribbon enough. They made our day absolutely perfect. When we first started planning our wedding we actually didn’t intend on having professional catering or having a planner/day of coordinator because we thought it wouldn’t be necessary, but I am so incredibly glad that we ended up going with blue ribbon. It was absolutely well worth the money and made our day feel so complete and special. We worked with David as our planner and coordinator and we can’t say enough kind things about him. He was such a joy to work with and made our day so above and beyond what we expected and had hoped for. Leading up to the wedding we had several meetings in person and online with David and he did such an amazing job of easing any anxiety we had about the day and guiding us in the direction we needed to go in. He understood the vibe and essence of the day that we were looking for and ran with it. Once we got to the actual day and we got to see everything set up and all of the amazing work that the entire blue ribbon team did (from florals to decor to the food and dessert) it was all so beautiful and perfect. The staff at the event were all so kind and helpful, David always made sure we had everything that we needed, and just made it the most magical day. They made everything so so easy for us and it was truly so worth the cost. highly highly highly recommend -
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![Chess]()
Chess Sent on 10/18/2025Fantastic and memorable!
Blue Ribbon was incredible from start to finish. They leaned on the more expensive side of our list of vendors, but the value was just incredible; we got so much more for what we paid for, and our first taste test was complimentary if we decided to go with them, and we got to take all the leftovers home. The champagne for the toast was also complimentary and they easily supplied substitutes for those who didn't want to drink.
The cocktail hour had a cheese board, which was really important to me, and they added extra dolmas when I mentioned my mother and I love them. The menu was delicious, so much so that we added an extra entree to the buffet because we were in love with too many things. Our guests had nothing but compliments about the meal.
We worked in particular with Amy and David, who were cordial and excited for our big day. Amy assisted our first taste test and David took over after that, creating the beautiful table settings that completely got our Gothic black and gold theme. Blue Ribbon constantly gave us options to save money rather than try to upsell us, so we supplied our own alcohol for the bar. The bartender understood our signature cocktail recipes immediately and presented them beautifully. All the staff seemed genuinely happy to be there, which contributed to the cheery atmosphere of the wedding overall.
Blue Ribbon made everything easy by providing not only the menu, but the bartender, entrees, drinks, champagne for toast, and even the wedding cake (which was delicious). They worked seamlessly with the other vendors (including the florist, who provided flowers for the cake) and made sure to provide us newlyweds with our own heaping plates of food. I had expressed early on that I'd been to many weddings where the couple didn't get to eat, and David and company made sure that didn't happen to us. Unfortunately we don't have many photos of the food because everyone was too excited to eat it, but I've loaded some pictures here of the tapas, the cake, the plate setting, and one of the signature cocktails.
Communication was great start to finish, everything was delicious, the staff was cordial and genuinely excited for our Gothic vision, and they provided tons of options for people with dietary restrictions. The non-alcoholic beverages felt special enough where no one felt left out. There were no messes I saw, everything was on time, 10/10 would work with Blue Ribbon again. Thank you for an unforgettable day! -
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![Morgan]()
Morgan Sent on 07/27/202510/10 Recommend!
David Short helped make our big day as wonderful and stress-free as I could have ever wished for. He was incredibly warm and accommodating, even when I needed to add tables and glasses/plates to our package practically last-minute. We had a lot of guests with allergies, and he made sure everyone was well looked after, including making up a plate for my MOH, who has multiple allergies I was worried about accommodating. 10/10 recommend BRC, especially David Short as your Coordinator! -
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![Alessandra]()
Alessandra Sent on 04/16/2025Spectacular Service
Absolutely some of the most delicious food I have ever had. The venue was classy, entertaining, and functional. Working with David was a joy and I would do it again any day! We had a few things happen to where we needed to change the date of our event and they were very flexible with us. Full stars and I would recommend Blue Ribbon to anyone. -
Reagan Sent on 03/06/2025
Phenomenal experience at Blue Ribbon
Wonderful experience working with Blue Ribbon Cooking. They catered my wedding and every step of the process was exceptional. Everyone we dealt with there was friendly and kind. They were very understanding of any of our concerns and requests. We originally went to an open house they were holding so between that and the tasting we had with our contract, we got to try a variety of their food and it was far better than the food we had at other caterers we were considering. They also took all our guests' food allergies and restrictions seriously (unlike another caterer we visited who offered us a "vegan caesar salad" that was made with anchovies...).
Also we chose the option to hire our day-of coordinator through Blue Ribbon and working with David Short was a dream. He got our unconventional wedding concept from the beginning and was excited about it and happy to collaborate with us on it or talk through ideas. He was very supportive at every turn and such a kind and calming presence on the actual wedding day. He tried wherever possible to take stress off of us. He let us drop off decor and things to him in the days before the wedding so we wouldn't have to worry about how to get it there. When I realized we hadn't put any thought into the decorations for the ceremony itself he came up with a lovely design repurposing lanterns and greenery we we had gotten for the tables later in the evening. And he brought us a variety of appetizers for me and my spouse so we'd have something to eat after the ceremony while we were signing the paperwork.
I would highly recommend Blue Ribbon Cooking for any event. We will definitely be reaching out if we're planning future big events. -
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![Autumn]()
Autumn Sent on 03/04/2025All inclusive wedding package
Blue Ribbon was our first choice for wedding planning, venue location, and catering. David Short went above and beyond the call of service. Even when he experienced family circumstances, he stayed in touch and ensured that we were taken care of through the professionalism of Lilly and his team. Venue was unique, food was superb (all allergies and preferences were taken care of), floral was exquisite. The whole event was more than expected and absolutely lovely. -
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![Kelly]()
Kelly Sent on 09/05/2024Blue Ribbon - An Amazing Experience!
I can't say enough positive things about my wife's, and I experience with Blue Ribbon Catering. We were introduced to Blue Ribbon at the Seattle Wedding Expo and was instantly blown away by the services they offer, the professionalism in which they run their company by and the standards and friendliness in which everyone in the company holds themselves to.
From the tasting (which was a very fun experience we were able to do with ourselves, parents and friends) to working with us on food selection, everything went smoothly. Our coordinator took detailed notes of everything we talked about during the tasting and months later after we had solidified our guest counts and food options, she was able to bring all the notes on appetizers, entrees and desserts to help us make a decision on what we wanted.
The food at our wedding was delicious and the portions were huge! Nearly everyone came up to us at one point during the night and told us their steak was some of the most tender meat they've eaten in a long time and the salmon was cooked to perfection. (I would highly suggest the Steak with Cab Sav sauce and the Salmon with Dijon Cream sauce) They also supplied a bartender who was masterful at her job and kept the line running quickly! No one waited for a drink longer than two minutes.
I know people always balk at prices, but Blue Ribbon's costs are reasonable to the value, quality of food, and experience they offer.
Overall, our experience with Blue Ribbon was exceptional! Special thank you to Charles, Dave and our catering coordinator Kelsey! Anyone who gets to work with these individuals won't be disappointed. I will gladly use this company and recommend this company for any future catering needs. (Not just weddings!) -
![Lisa]()
Lisa Sent on 12/29/2019Venue pulled off wedding 4 days before event!
I am so grateful to Blue Ribbon Cooking, because they helped save my wedding in July 2019! I was originally planning to be married elsewhere, but found out 7 days prior to my wedding that my venue had been shut down by the City of Seattle, which left me scrambling to find a new venue/caterer. Very fortunately, the team at Blue Ribbon reached out to my wedding planner and offered their services. They were very understanding of my situation and with 4 days to go until the wedding, we were able to finalize the new wedding logistics and menu.
Comments on different facets of the wedding experience:
Bridal Suite: They converted one of their rooms to a bridal suite area, which was spacious and had windows, work tables/chairs, a hook for my dress, and a full-length mirror. Having the natural light (in addition to the indoor lighting) was great so that we could see how my makeup looked in the daylight as I was getting my hair/makeup done.
Venue Space: We did formal photos outside prior to the ceremony. There is a willow tree nearby which has Lake Union in the background--we did my first look photos there and got some gorgeous photos! We held the ceremony indoors with the chairs facing the boats/water, and Blue Ribbon decorated the space with sheer draping to form an archway for our ceremony. I already had flowers/centerpieces from another vendor, but appreciated how Blue Ribbon arranged my decorations. After the ceremony, the guests moved to another room for the cocktail hour while the main room was converted to the dining area. My guests stated they thought the venue was cozy and charming. Since the building is older, the main room did get warm towards sunset because there were many windows and it was a sunny day, although opening the doors did help cool the room. Another photo tip--ask Blue Ribbon staff for access to the dock area--we got some great artistic photos by the water that are among my favorites.
Food: Given the last-minute nature of my wedding, my menu options were somewhat limited to the food that Blue Ribbon had already ordered for the week. Nevertheless, they were able to accommodate and include a substantial vegetarian entree option (pesto ravioli) and starch (polenta) for my vegetarian guests, and salmon and meat appetizers for the non-vegetarians. We got many compliments from our guests on the food. Although I already had an outside dessert vendor, I did like the artful way my dessert table was set up.
Overall, the Blue Ribbon Cooking team was communicative and willing to work with me to accommodate my requests. I’m very grateful to the Blue Ribbon Cooking team for pulling everything together for my wedding with such short notice, and I have many wonderful photos and memories from my wedding day!
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![Leah]()
Leah Sent on 06/16/2016I recently got married and worked with Blue Ribbon for catering, wedding planning service as well as their Blue Ribbon Cooking Culinary Center building for reception venue.
One of the reason we liked blue ribbon so much was how flexible they were and how easy to work with them. They were so into making our visions into real wedding. We wanted to have Korean and Southern BBQ theme for our food and they were only caterer who were willing to make those happen.
Overall food was great. Many guests complimented about foods and how our food was something special with our characters other than just mediocre wedding meals. My only small complaint to food was that they used slightly different noodle for one of the Korean noodle dish. They were supposed to use sweet potato noodle and they did use right one for tasting but they use rice vermicelli noodles for the wedding. Many ppl couldn't tell the difference but all Korean guests could tell the difference :) But they still pulled amazing meals off for everyone so I am happy.
Their flowers and decorations were great too. We also brought lots of extra stuffs such as table assignments chalkboards, menu chalkboards, our own table sign etc. They put together all those decorations nicely with their stuffs.
Of all these services, One of the best service blue ribbon offered was definitely their wedding planning service. Cassie was our planner. she helped with decorations, flowers, overall timeline as well as the day of wedding. She was always detail oriented, answer all my millions of small questions. While we were holding reception at blue ribbon, We had Outdoor wedding. I was so relieved that we had her to take care everything (out door decorations/set up/take down) on day of our wedding so we don't have to worry anything. While she was dealing with decorations/chair setup/DJ set up and guest arrivals, we had lots of fun with photographers and bridal party for fun photo portraits.
Cassie kept telling me on my weddi -
![Jessica]()
Jessica Sent on 04/03/2011I got married 10/16/10 and it was the most stress free venue to have my wedding reception in. When I walked in everything was what I visioned and everything was done for me. I didn't have to worry about a thing because I knew Lindsey, my wedding coordinator from the venue, would take care of everything. It was flawless. I would recommend everyone to check this place out. For the value you get here, the service is AMAZING!! -
![User1419907]()
User1419907 Sent on 10/11/2013We were married at the Weyerhaeuser Estate in Tacoma and had an incredibly positive experience. Jill was phenomenal to work with; she was so patient and understanding of everything. She walked us through each decision and worked tirelessly to make sure our day was exactly what we wanted. There is no way our wedding would have turned out how it did without her; she's the best. There was not a lot of flexibility with certain things, but Jill was still creative in finding compromises that would work for us. The venue itself is truly breathtaking and a great space for a wedding and Blue Ribbon provides a lot of support along the way. -
![Sterling]()
Sterling Sent on 07/11/2024Racist bartenders
It pains us to have to write a poor review, but it would do us, our guests, and future couples a disservice if we don't let everyone know what happened. This review is only about the myriad of problems the two bartenders they had on staff caused for our guests, and ultimately for us as the bride and groom who have to deal with the aftermath.
For weeks after our wedding, many of our guests brought up all the problems they faced at the bar. The initial complaints were: many people felt like one of the bartenders was high on drugs, they weren't pouring drinks, they took their time, they wasted time, they were very slow, they were extremely unprofessional, they didn't know how to make our signature drinks (Manhattan and Moscow Mule), the drinks were inconsistent, they didn't seem qualified to be bartenders, guests felt like they had to tip to get bigger pours (i.e. getting hustled), etc.
Other complaints we received:
One guest was told they couldn't be served anymore because they "have the Asian glow", even after being served only one drink. This was witnessed by several close family members. Our wedding comprised mostly of people from Asian descent. Many Asians turn red even after one sip of alcohol; it is no indication of how much we drank. This crossed the line of poor service and into racial discrimination.
Many guests waited in line for over 10 minutes just for the line to never move. People asked for double shots and multiple drinks because their previous experience of waiting in line forced them to want to be more efficient with their time.
[Bride] was at the bar and asked one of the bartenders to make 5 of the same drinks. The bartender took far too long to make those drinks with coke and just a splash of whiskey. Everyone was watching the bartender, thinking about why he was purposely taking his time. When [Bride] asked for more alcohol to be poured for each drink, the bartender said "I can't, it's against the rules to pour more and I don't want to get in trouble". That is ridiculous when we pre-purchased the alcohol and he barely poured any.
No one was drunk or being unruly - but a couple of guests were told that they were "cut off", even though we paid up front to extend bartending services for an extra hour. That was the moment [Bride] spoke up about something being off with the bartenders but by then, the party was nearly over.
One of our groomsmen recounted a moment when one bartender stacked glasses on top of each other to make it look "fancy" before he poured alcohol. He witnessed a conversation between the two bartenders where the other bartender asked him what he was doing, then he put his hand on his forehead and shook his head.
[Groom] also had to wait 5+ minutes to get his drink for table greetings when there was only one person in front of him. There was no sense of urgency to serve. He was also asked to "tip" him when we were packing up the drinks at the end of the night by giving him a handle of whiskey.
After hearing about the racial discrimination complaint, we asked for our full bartending services payment back, but we were denied and our feelings essentially dismissed. It is entirely possible this could have happened to more than just this one guest. BRC is responsible for their staff and need to be held accountable for how disgusting their bartenders behaved. -
![Aisha]()
Aisha Sent on 11/13/2023Very Unprofessional Wedding Venue/Caterer
I had my wedding with Blue Ribbon and my experience working with them, and the aftermath, was so terrible that I feel compelled to say something publicly to help save future couples the time, expense, and frustration.
We booked Blue Ribbon's Culinary Center for our wedding in October 2023 and hired one of their staff as our day-of coordinator (which is NOT included as part of the booking). We were assured that the coordinator would make sure the day ran smoothly and would help Blue Ribbon provide a full service wedding. However, our coordinator and primary contact was a source of constant miscommunication and planning issues throughout the process. And as we found out, the wedding package did not include basing arrangements like a seating chart or table numbers, which we had to DIY ourselves in the run-up.
Among a variety of issues, the most egregious was spacing the ceremony aisle so narrowly that my husband had to walk BEHIND me as we came down the aisle together. The aisle was also lined with candles and most of our guests were watching whether my train would catch fire rather than enjoying the ceremony. This all happened despite us asking our coordinator explicitly to widen the aisle when we saw the setup during rehearsal. She ignored our request entirely and left things as they were.
When we later raised this issue with the vendor, the owner blamed us for not proactively raising the issue on the day of (we had raised it BEFORE the day of, but Blue Ribbon's owner and director still blamed us). It is clear that the venue does not believe their coordinator or their staff are responsible for setting the venue up as required.
We also provided multiple cases of wine and a lot of glassware for the event, and a lot of bottles of wine were left over by the end. After more than a month, we have still not gotten them returned. We have called multiple times, sent multiple emails, and showed up at the venue in person, but Blue Ribbon has still not returned anything to us. At each attempt, they inform us that the employee who can help us is not around, or outright said they don't know but will call us back later. Either they lack the organization to have kept track of our belongings and are now lying to us, or they are giving us the run-around. Either way, it is clear that the venue is not reliable.
If you are looking for potential wedding venues, I highly recommend you find a venue with a more professional staff that will not take advantage of you. -
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