Food and Catering: How Did You Choose?

We chose a venue that had fabulous on-site catering (and provided the wait and bar staff, tables, silverware and plate ware as well). I loved the idea because it was less vendors we needed to worry about, less items that had to be brought in, less chances of something going wrong, etc. They offered both plated and buffet options, but we chose plated. Having a plated meal was one of my non-negotiables for our wedding. I personally detest buffets (food is never as good or as high-quality, and I think it cheapens an event when you ask guests to stand in line with a plate while wearing suits, dresses, and heels). We booked the venue and caterer 18 months in advance. The cost per person was about $90, but also included the top shelf bar and a live table-side dessert flambé. We were really happy with the food. We had a destination wedding in New Orleans, so we really wanted to showcase the local cuisine. But a majority of the guests were from the Midwest (a lot of meat and potatoes lovers lol); so we also wanted to make sure we had plenty of options everyone was familiar with and loved. We were able to work directly with the chef to create a menu that included both local cuisine and familiar favorites. We had two different flavors of wedding cake to ensure everyone loved their dessert. But we also had the chef flambé rum bananas foster table side, and it was a big hit with our guests! We didn’t get to do any sort of menu tasting prior, since it was a destination wedding. So we relied heavily on reviews of the venue and catering.

Our venue provided in-house catering and bar along with all the staff. This made it so easy because I didn't have to worry about finding a separate caterer. When it came to selecting the style of catering we wanted we discussed the different options and the pricing for each option. The plated option was the most expensive and was outside of our budget. We ended up going with a combination of buffet and stations (pasta and craving stations). We had passed apps during cocktail hour, we also had a late night snack, and our decorator/florist provided a candy booth. Our bar was open bar. We paid $70 per person (5 years ago). We had a food and beverage minimum of $7,000. My parents paid a portion towards our bar, but I'm not sure what they paid.

I never would have considered making my own food. I've helped with smaller events (birthday parties) and those were stressful enough. Trying to make the food for my own wedding sounds beyond stressful.

Our initial plan was to book out a restaurant we liked that was right by our ceremony spot... and then they permanently closed. So we started looking at some catering companies (after we hustled to find a new reception spot). Most were more than we wanted to spend. FH learned a barbecue place we like also does catering and we also considered a wood fired pizza truck. We ended up going with the BBQ because there were more side options and it felt more like a full meal. We booked them about 4 months before our wedding.


I don't believe they offered plated, so we're doing a buffet. We're paying $24 per person to get 3 meats, 3 sides, buns, and cobbler for dessert. They had cheaper options but FH wanted to splurge - and I was happy to do so to get cobbler! I'm happy with the food choices. It fits the casual vibe we're doing and the manager had us come in to sample all their meat and side options and everything was delicious!
Initially we were just going to have them drop off the food. Our wedding is only going to be like 40 people and pretty casual so we figured we didn't really need servers. But our venue requires a licensed bartender if we want to serve alcohol, so the restaurant is providing a couple servers to keep an eye on the buffet and our bar.
I wish we wouldn't have wasted so much time on our initial restaurant. We'd talk to them in person and they'd tell us they could do it, would sent menus, etc but they wouldn't reply to emails or send us anything.

I strongly didn’t want a regular meal. I feel like I’m held hostage to food at most weddings, whether it’s waiting for your chance at the buffet or waiting for served meals. So we opted for an afternoon ceremony and a heavy appetizer meal. We had a mac & cheese bar (Hubby's request 😆), 4-5 appetizers, a cheese platter, cake, and 3 other desserts. Everything but the cake was available right when people arrived, so everyone had plenty of options to eat and could fill up if they wanted a meal.


We checked with a few caterers recommended by our venue and that I found through WW. Most didn’t seem to get what we wanted or didn’t have good appetizer options. But there was one who gave us five-star treatment and had delicious options, so it was an easy choice. We let them suggest most stuff and made a few modifications based on what we knew about our guests’ preferences.

Our wedding will be at a country club known for their great chef and high quality food, and they provide the catering.

We chose a buffet because as a guest I've never preferred plated (I don't like 'placing my order' a month before the wedding and getting whatever side comes with the protein I choose, and I dislike asking guests for a food order when they RSVP). Therefore we are going with buffet and everyone can try everything if they want to. They have lots of experience with efficient buffets and the staff will quietly release tables rather than a DJ or emcee announcing tables.

For the buffet we chose: Marinated+grilled flank steak; bruschetta chicken; buttered seasonal vegetables; lemon thyme risotto; a fall salad with dried cranberries and almonds; served with dinner rolls. There are also kids meals available since we'll have several young children.

This costs $85 per person but we also added cocktail hour appetizers for extra cost. We thought the dinner was a great price for two proteins, two sides, a salad, and rolls compared to other venues in the area, and considering the quality at the venue.

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Yay for buffet! I also prefer it as a guest. I feel like the food is better and you are actually full at the end of the meal compared to a plated dinner.

We booked our caterer about 14 months in advance. I actually had their food at a previous wedding that we went to and it was sooo good. When we went for the food tasting we were 100% sold. They brought out probably 30 different dishes for us to try and it was all amazing. We opted for a 3 entree, 3 side buffet with salad and dinner rolls for $25 per person. This is very reasonable for where we live. I personally hate plated dinners at wedding so buffet all the way! The catering service provides staff for the buffet line and for cleanup. We are also renting tablecloths, nice plates/silverware, and cloth napkins through them.

I'm having my daughter's reception meal catered but opted do do the appetizers myself. I'm doing cooked chilled shrimp, mini-meatballs, crudites and bacon wrapped dates. These are super easy and will cost about $4 per person (5 each) instead of a catered cost of $4 per appetizer.