The food that will be served at your wedding to your guests is an important part of any wedding day. You want your special day to be beautifully presented, high quality and delicious. But when you select a caterer as part of your wedding planning, it’s not like picking a restaurant. Especially since at a wedding, you have different meals and foods - food at the reception, at the cocktail hour, the wedding cake, the main meal, etc. Also, you most likely will never have eaten their food before. Choosing a caterer is an important step in planning a wedding reception menu.

You want to ensure that you get value for your money and what you expect. A wedding tasting allows you to experience what each caterer offers and how they serve their food. This is the time to understand the specifics that will make a difference on your big day. It’s time to have a tasting scheduled.

Know that you know that you want to have a tasting, what is the etiquette in this situation? Any sort of tasting is not something that people generally do, so knowing how to behave and what is expected of you is important.

Let’s get into the wedding tasting etiquette.

Wedding Food Tasting Etiquette

BOOKING

Different caterers will have different rules around booking and paying for a food tasting. Some will want you to have signed a contract beforehand, others will charge you a fee or some may invite you along to an event they are catering so you are able to see the food and service. Once you have narrowed your choice of caterer down to one or two, discuss with them how they run their tastings. Some caterers offer complimentary tastings only after a contract is signed, as the cost of running tastings can eat into their profit margins. Others charge you a fee, which makes sense as they still need to purchase the food and pay their team.

MANNERS

As with any function, it is important to behave respectfully towards your hosts. Just because they are a potential vendor, doesn’t mean that you have any reason to not be polite. Also, ensure you, and your guests, don’t drink too much. Remember, the catering team is watching you just as much as you’re watching them. So, don’t forget to behave the way you’d want them to behave.

Another thing to keep in mind is to be polite if you don’t like something. You can definitely let them know if a certain wedding menu item isn’t your favorite, but make sure you do it nicely.

WHO ATTENDS WEDDING FOOD TASTINGS?

Speaking of guests, it’s common wedding tasting etiquette that you don’t want to bring too many people along with you. If you are using a wedding planner, it’s a great idea to bring them as they will know specific signs to look out for. This is not a social gathering, so you don’t want to be distracted by catching up on the news with your guests. Invite along people that will give honest opinions that you can trust.

If you don’t have a wedding planner, you and your partner can bring your maid of honor or best man, or the closes family member whose opinion matters.

KNOW YOUR BUDGET

There is no point in tasting meal options that are in likelihood out of your budget. Knowing the caterer’s menu including the price points of various meals, your budget and how much flexibility you have will help you not waste anyone’s time.

So, before you schedule a tasting, find out what the prices are, and look into your budget to see if you're able to afford it.

Don’t go to a tasting only to realize you love the food and can’t afford it.

It will make the situation awkward, and you will be sad and disappointed. There are many different caterers that have many different prices, so just find the ones that fit your budget and style - it will make your planning process easier!

SERVICE

Make sure you’re not just reviewing the food, but also the service. Look at the team members, how they’re dressed and the level of service they’re providing. This will be a great indication of what you can expect on your wedding day.

You want them to be professional, and look the part. Especially if you’re having a big and fancy wedding. Look at the way they treat people, how kind and polite they are, and also if they’re effective.

QUESTIONS

As part of your tasting, you want to ensure you have all bases covered. This is where having the right people in your entourage is important. They will help you think of relevant questions to ask, especially your wedding planner. Make sure you ask how they will cater to any dietary restrictions or allergies as you may not have all of your RSVPs from guests at this stage, so you might not know the exact guest dietary restrictions you need to pay attention to.

DO YOU PAY FOR WEDDING FOOD TASTINGS?

Wedding food tasting costs can depend on the wedding menu items you’re getting, your location, and specific caterers. Lots of wedding food tastings do cost, but some can be complementary, depending on the caterer.

It’s important to check the cost beforehand, so you can include it in your budget planning process and not be surprised.