What would you do?

To me, I scrutinise any package or deal that cheap because generally for such a long list of inclusions for such a price, there tend to be exceptions that apply (or poor substitutions to get the price that low).

I would suggest you look at the fine print for both deals and evaluate if the cheaper deal actually contains everything you want and then make a decision. If it's a sweet deal, you don't need to feel bad for taking it!

Keep what you already have. Make sure you don't have a 5 figure food/beverage minimum on top of this that you must meet.

To be honest, it sounds like you will have fees they are not telling you about.

Have you researched their work?

If it’s not the same caterer, I probably wouldn’t change. I suppose it all depends on what went into your catering selection, but the caterers we chose were our favorite by a lot for an array of different reasons....not to mention, their cost was what we settled on after a lot of menu planning (choosing items/upgrades/downgrades etc). A caterer from a package, I presume would come as a BASE price (ex: something like just salad, entree, dessert included), and might require additional money if you want add ons or even to get your selection to equal what you’ve already contracted with your current vendor. Another example is if appetizers or included or if selection is limited. To us, food was a priority, so to change caterers, I would have to really understand the nuances, and as pp mentioned, consider the hidden costs and add on fees. Would you be able to get exactly the same thing with the cheaper catering deal? Is it a base price that has add ons for services you’d get included with your other caterer ? Do you know this caterer and their food ? We met with a caterer who would have been cheaper, but they would have provided us with less. Point is, just make sure you know exactly what you’re getting and all the ins and outs before you switch.

View Quoted Comment We’ve already booked everything else through this same wedding planner and I’ve already gotten a quote with all fees and gratitudes included in that price.

View Quoted Comment Yes, it’s the preferred caterer for our venue

Make sure to do your research and see if you can do some sort of free testing of some sort. Some venues host open houses where couples can come in to look and try their food selections in the hopes that future couples will book their venue with them. Again, some venues, not all. If your venue does this then look into it! The food portion of the wedding is one of the important things for guests. And make sure you know what is within that catering package.

This price is unreal to me. If it were me, I would eat your losses and go with the new package, assuming that the services are credible. I had an entire wedding planned and decided to go with a different venue, caterer, florist etc. - the deposits weren't refundable but I went with something that fit my vision and budget better, so the losses from the deposits weren't a concern.

I would do some research on the new vendors and make sure they will be able to provide the services you're looking for, but this sounds like a killer deal to me!

Is there anyway you can do a tasting with the other catere before you commit to changing?

I wouldn't change it. You might regret it if you do. You picked these vendors for a reason. Yes they are a little more pricey than the package price, but the thing to remember is good work ain't cheap and cheap work ain't always good. Plus cheap packages for anything always have some kind of strings attached or some kind of stipulations, you got to read the fine print.

View Quoted Comment We picked out dirt caterer because they were the first ones to respond back with a bid lol. This new caterer is the preferred vendor for our venue and is offering the same meal options

View Quoted Comment If they really are offering the exact same meal options and are the preferred caterer for the venue then you have a much more compelling reason to switch. I would still scrutinize the contract and ask some questions to make sure things line up with what you want but it sounds like the better option to me.



Also, a year is definitely enough time for the caterer to book another event so don't feel too bad about backing out. If it was one month before or something like that, then it would be a nasty thing to do.