How to Find the Best Wedding Caterer

At any wedding (and, we’d argue, any life event in general), food is one of the most important elements. Not only does fantastic fare make an experience that much more special—and memorable!—but it also has the potential to bust through that dated cliché of tasteless, underwhelming wedding meals. Wedding catering has come a long way over the years, and “food, alcohol, and service at a wedding are of the utmost importance,” says wedding planner Keely Thorne of Keely Thorne Events. “It sets a tone throughout the night for a guest experience and also can be a driving factor in the timeline of your event.” 

Shortly after your wedding venue, planner and photographer, your wedding caterer is one of the most important vendors to get right. But how do you even start looking for a caterer who will deliver on deliciousness and totally get your vision? It’s all about doing your research and finding your fit. So while the first step on your wedding planning checklist should, most likely, be securing your venue (or planner if you need help picking a venue), shortly thereafter your focus should shift to beginning to think about wedding catering ideas and finding the best wedding caterers. “If your wedding has an overall brand or style you are trying to meet, you should ensure the food and beverage is consistent with that,” suggests Thorne. There are few things people will remember more than what they ate and drank, so choose wisely!

And since there are so… many… options... when it comes to wedding catering ideas and wedding caterer packages, we’ve created a go-to guide on how to find your perfect match. (You found your love, after all, so we know you can do this!)

Step 1: Come up with Your Wedding Catering Vision

First thing’s first: Think about what you envision for your big day. How many people will be there? Will you be surrounded by pretty springtime florals, or will it be a winter white wedding? “A first step would be to theme your menu/catering around the location of your wedding,” recommends planner Leslie Mastin of Leslie Mastin Events. “A wedding in the Caribbean can be an opportunity to source local fish and feature it on the menu; or contrastingly, having a freshly made mozzarella and antipasto station during cocktail hour at a wedding in Italy.” That sounds divine!

Once you have the basic theme nailed down, take a moment to envision the format of the meal. Do you want formal, white-glove plated service, or do you prefer family style? Does the casual, approachable nature of a buffet or stations appeal to you, or does all the walking around give you anxiety? Or, do you want to jump on one of the latest wedding food trends, like using food trucks for outdoor events, or do you prefer to keep it timeless and elevated?

Whichever way you’re leaning, be sure to include food that has been special to you in your life, in your future spouse’s life, and in your life together. Whether you went to Japan on a romantic vacay and want to feature a sushi station or you two love making complex cheese boards and going on picnics, the food at your wedding should reflect you just as much as any other detail. Or perhaps there’s an old family recipe that you would like to see served. These are ideas to think about before speaking to wedding caterers, and to have compiled in a list at any potential caterer meetings.

Step 2: Whittle Down Your Wedding Guest Count

Like any other major wedding-related decision, your wedding budget is the first thing you should come to terms with before booking any vendors. According to The Wedding Report, the average cost of a wedding in 2021 was about $22,473, and feeding a reception of 100 people will run you around $7,000. That means that, on average, nearly 1/3 of our collective wedding budgets are going towards the food. Of course these numbers can be extraordinarily higher, as well as somewhat lower—and they’re directly related to where you are in the country (or the world), and how many guests you’re having (more mouths means more money). So while our estimate of ⅓ your overall budget is not meant to bind you to any sort of formula, it’s a good barometer to keep in mind when you’re figuring it all out. 

Much of your wedding catering prices will depend on the wedding menu format that you want, with the price per plate ranging from $20 to $200 based on the decisions you make (for example, food trucks come in on the lower end of that range, while a multi-course plated meal climbs towards the pricier side.) In general, the factors that will affect the price of your wedding dinner include:

• The number of hors d’ouevres you’d like to offer
• The types of bar service you’ll have, from top-shelf offerings to a cash-bar
• The number and style of wait staff you’ll require
• Any rentals or upgrades, like high-top tables, decorative china, or custom bar displays
• Ant specialty equipment—if you’re having a tented wedding in the middle of nowhere, your wedding caterer will need to build a restaurant-grade kitchen from scratch, and bring in every fork, every spoon, and every stovetop
• Any late-night bites or takeaway gifts you’d like to give your guests.

And, of course, always remember to take any and all staff into account when figuring out the numbers—you’ll be expected to feed them, too, while they work so hard to make your event perfection.

Step 3: Research Wedding Caterers in Your Area

Now it’s time to look at the actual wedding caterers out there who are available in your area. Start your search by perusing other local weddings in our wedding library, noting any food pictures that look particularly delicious or are plated beautifully,  and get in touch with the wedding caterers who created your favorites. It’s also a great idea to reach out to friends whose wedding catering you remember being particularly excellent, or you can get recommendations from your wedding planner or venue.

When narrowing down your choices, consider the various types of wedding caterers out there: Your venue may have in-house catering (this is most common at hotel wedding venues and restaurant spaces), but if not, there are lots of independent catering companies that can handle food and drinks for the whole event from soup to nuts (pun intended!). If you and your beloved have a restaurant that holds a special place in your relationship, you may also want to give them a call—some chefs cater events outside of their brick-and-mortar location, and it can’t hurt to ask.

If your venue doesn’t have in-house catering services, you’ll want to come up with a collection of basic (but important!) questions to ask potential caterers as you begin your inquiries. These can range from what type of service they offer (do they do desserts? will they provide the plates, cups, and spoons, or will you need to source those elsewhere?) to their liquor license. “It is key to review the alcohol requirements and laws for your specific location and ensure the caterer has licensed staff to work within those parameters,” agrees Thorne. One generally universal rule is that you will be required by law to work with a caterer who has a liquor license in order to serve alcohol—so if you were planning on having a backyard wedding and just picking up a few cases of wine, you should reconsider. 

But in addition to the welcome cocktails you serve and the hors d'oeuvres you choose, just as important as the taste and presentation of the food is the service. “Food and Beverage is one of the most important aspects of the wedding day,” says planner Lindsay Merhege of Fox Events. “You want to make sure the food and alcohol are top notch, but service even better. Make sure they train their staff well ahead of time and don't just rely on temp staff hired that day.”

As you interview wedding caterers, also be sure to note not just what they’re saying, but how. “It is important to note responsiveness—how quickly are they returning your call?” notes Mastin. “How quickly can they turn around proposals? These are all details that reflect the caterer's promptness and work ethic.” Even further, she adds, make sure they’re focused on your event now and will keep you as a priority right through the big night by asking how many events they’ll be doing that day, and if the chef himself will be there at your event.

Once you’ve settled on a caterer whose style you like and vibe you’re feeling, be sure to schedule a wedding menu tasting—one of the best parts of wedding planning by far!—and mention what food you and your partner like to eat, as well as any dietary restrictions. (It’s wise to discuss how potential wedding caterers will accommodate any dietary restrictions for guests, even if you don’t have any to note at the time.)

Step 4: Pick a Wedding Menu Format

Once you’ve narrowed down what type of wedding caterer you’re looking for—and the criteria that are important to you—you can further hone in by thinking through the meal and bar options and beginning to think about your wedding dinner menu itself (or luncheon if you’re having a daytime wedding).

First, there are beverage packages: Depending on how much you’re willing to spend, you can offer a full, top-shelf open bar (the priciest option), a more limited open-bar selection, beer and wine only, or, a cash bar for your guests (the most economical option of course, but not the most popular one—especially for your guests.) 

Similarly, there are tons of ways to structure the food for the event, and most wedding caterers will tier their services into different wedding catering packages. You can offer lots of passed hors d’ouevres in place of any type of seated dinner, or passed apps combined with “grazing tables” filled with things like cheese and meats spreads. This can be nice for an afternoon wedding, but if you’re having a primetime wedding and planning on serving lots of cocktails, it’s safer to go for a more substantial meal so things don’t get too sloppy. For a heartier, but still less structured, option, consider stations, which are open for most of the cocktailing but traditionally include heavier options like pastas. Food trucks are another great way to make sure your guests are full to their hearts’ content without coordinating place cards and formal tables.

If you prefer a formal seated dinner hour, you can choose between a buffet-style meal or a seated dinner, which can either be family-style or, the most formal of all, plated and served person-by-person.

Any of these options can make for a special and memorable meal; it’s all about the atmosphere you’re looking to create and how you want to allocate your budget. And, of course, the same goes for the dessert: Do you want to go for a traditional wedding cake (more on that below), or would you rather offer more unique wedding cake alternatives (like donuts! Or churros!) for a sweet finale? Do you want dessert to be plated and offered to guests at their seats, or passed around the dance floor during the late-night revelry? Some wedding caterers are able to provide dessert options, and others are strictly savory so, keep that in mind as you brainstorm and research.  

Whatever you have in mind, be sure to ask your wedding caterer candidates their take on each concept to be sure your vision aligns with their expertise!

Step 5: Consider the Wedding Cake

Don’t worry, we’re not skimming over the cake conundrum! The cake, of course, deserves its own spotlight. Not only are wedding cakes a tradition that’s important to many brides (though not all!), but there are also so many options out there. So, the first thing to ask yourself: Is the wedding cake a big deal to you? If yes, are your top wedding catering candidates able to make it, or do you find a separate wedding cake bakery? Do you want to go with the latest in wedding cake trends, or are you for more of a classic style? Do you care about feeding everyone a piece, or would you prefer to offer cupcakes to the masses? No answer is right or wrong, but determining your preferences before you choose a wedding cake is the key to getting *exactly* what you want and minimizing surprises.

Yes, there are lots of things to consider when picking a wedding caterer, but it doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. Starting with our directory of the top wedding caterers makes it easy to contact the best options in your area and, once you’ve conducted interviews and asked all your questions, even book your perfect match. You have enough to stress about—the food should be a fun part.  Now, go forth, eat, drink, and be married!