Meticulously choosing your wedding suppliers is such a crucial part of wedding planning.

Every detail is important when it comes to weddings, wedding venue, wedding decorating, wedding guests (aka the guest list), and wedding food.

The wedding reception is a big part of your big day, so when it comes to planning your big day, wedding reception food and wedding reception drinks should be at the top of your list.

Food and drinks are one of the big things wedding guests look forward to, so you don’t want to disappoint them there.

So, choosing a wedding caterer is super important.

A good and experienced caterer can make sure everyone is happy, everyone is having a good time, and they can help ensure you’re having the wedding you always dreamed of.

But, choosing a caterer that will be perfect for you can be tricky.

So, I’m writing this post to help you learn how to choose a wedding caterer, and negotiate the best deal for your wedding reception, and overall your wedding day. Your perfect wedding is waiting for you!

How To Choose A Wedding Caterer

Know Your Budget

Deciding on a budget for every part of your wedding is probably one of the first things you should do when you start planning your wedding. As soon as you set a wedding date, set a wedding budget as well (if not sooner).

That will help you know what to look for, and you’ll know upfront which caterers fit your budget, so you don’t end up finding one you like to only later see you can’t afford them. You can see their cost per person, and once you have your wedding guest list and know the number of guests you’ll have, you’ll know if they fit your budget.

Decide On A Style

There are tons of styles for the wedding food you can have on your big day - fancy food, sit-down dinners, family style, food station, etc. There are also tons of different hors d'oeuvres, appetizers, and mini foods.

So, you should decide on which type of food you want, and which style you want, before you start looking for a caterer.

That will help you know what you’re looking for! Knowing what kind of food you’re looking for will make the process much quicker.

You can also maybe think about what food you’d want or like to see for cocktail hour, which food you want for the sit-down dinner, and so on - that can make the choosing process even easier because you can see if those caterers you’re testing out do that kind of food.

Search On Social Media

These days, everyone has social media accounts, even caterers!

So, search on social media for a little bit - you’ll be able to see photos of the food, probably prices as well, and possibly reviews and comments from their customers.

The photos can help you see if the style of their food is the style you’re looking for.

Always Check The References

While someone’s photos can look great, it doesn’t mean that the food tastes great as well. And it doesn’t mean they behave professionally, do everything on time, and do everything right.

So, while you should definitely check social media accounts to see photos, you also need references and online reviews - that will help you know for sure if their catering services are actually good.

Schedule A Tasting

Tastings aren’t only for wedding cakes!

To make sure the food tastes as good as you want it to taste, you can schedule a tasting. That will hselp you see the quality, but also help you see which foods you like the most from them - so if you decide to hire them, you know what you want them to bring!

Ask Your Wedding Venue For Recommendations

If you don’t know where to start looking for a wedding caterer, you can always ask your wedding venue for recommendations. Venues often host special events, and not just weddings, so they work with caterers all the time, not just during wedding season.

They probably know so many wedding caterers, and they have seen the way they work - so they’ll be able to give you a good recommendation, based on who is professional, whose food tastes the best, and whose catering services are the best.

Your wedding venue might even have a deal with some caterers, so if you choose them, you might get a better deal.

Ask Your Friends For Referrals

If your friends or family members got married recently, or even had a special event they hired caterers for, ask them how happy they were with their caterers.

Best of all, assuming you were invited to the wedding, you’ve already tasted the food!

So, you know which foods you liked from all of the weddings you’ve been to, and whose services were professional.

Then you can ask those friends whose catering you liked for their thoughts on the caterer (because while something can look good to you as a guest, the bride and the groom might have had a different experience behind the scenes, so always check), and ask them if they recommend their caterer or not.

Sign A Contract

You always want to sign a contract. While no one wants anything bad to happen, you need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. And also, a contract will make them do a better job because they’ll know they’ll have consequences if they don’t deliver what they promised. It will help you have the perfect wedding because you’ll have a sort of an insurance.