Venue without a prep kitchen...

NO! Do not do it!

My daughters DH wanted to do a wedding venue where we would have to bring in the food. Even with a caterer, NO!

If your venue does not have an adequate kitchen, for a caterer, NO!

Your caterers will know what to do. They will either rent equipment (ovens/stove/grill/hot boxes/etcc) or they might own their own. They may need a tent and will most likely need prep tables. Some caterers have all the equipment necessary, but they will let you know in their quote. Just be upfront about the venue from the beginning so you get a realistic price quote.

Hey Ally!

Our venue is the same way as far as having no kitchen. We had several caterers referred to us by our venue and one of them (close to the venue) just transports their food hot in special vehicle, whether plated or buffet style and they are rated very highly. The other caterer we tasted with is an hour away and has special food trucks where they cook on site in their trucks, again, whether plated or buffet style.

I would definitely talk to your venue to see what they recommend!

Kathy, with the right caterer it's no big deal. It costs $$ to get a prep kitchen out there, but it's do-able. I've worked with many high end caterers who put out fabulous 4 course meals with no kitchen.

This is a good question for your caterer. You could also ask the venue staff -- if they do a lot of weddings they'll be able to tell you how it works.

We went to a wedding last night in the middle of a field on a farm. The caterers had on of those huge semi trucks and did the food on there. It was pretty good too!

Thanks for the thoughts/opinions/advice everyone! I ended up talking to a friend who works for a catering company (the company we might be using) and she said more often than not they cater a wedding without a kitchen. The only down-side being that they'll setup under a pop-up tent that may be visible to guests. NBD to me...add some drapes to the sides to spruce that sucker up!

In fact, after talking to her and several event rental places, I'm saying screw the commercial venues and am investigating the natural options around us - like our own backyard! Although, the venue I referred to when I started this discussion is still a top contender as it was only $800 for 2 1/2 days. And on top of mountain. And completely secluded. A has panoramic views of the Blue Ridge mountains. And beds of wildflowers. *Sigh* I'm already leaning back towards the mountaintop venue over my backyard! It's a never-ending internal battle.

Wedding venue hunting is difficult for those as indecisive as myself.