A Few Things You Should Double Check With Your Wedding Caterer
When you are making all the arrangements for your wedding, things can get pretty confused. You talk with many different people and companies about the same things and might not keep everything straight. When it comes to the wedding caterer, you will be dealing with color schemes, the reception meal, any snack or hors-d'oeuvres, table arrangements, and the bar. Before you make your final decision and sign a contract with anyone, there are a few things you should double check:
Leftovers
It is common practice for off-site caterers to take any left-over food back with them. They usually bring more food than what was ordered in case there are extra guests or people ask for more food. You will be charged for what is eaten. You need to check the contract to see what happens if your guests do not eat what you ordered. Will you still pay the amount that was ordered or will the bill be reduced to only the amount that was eaten? If you are going to have to pay for 200 meals but your guests only ate 190 portions, you should make sure the contract states you can take the remaining ten portions home. Do not expect to take any extra they brought though.
Bar
If you will be paying for the bar, make sure you know exactly what times your package will include. While the bar will be there and available before and after the times you contract for, your guests will be responsible for paying for what they imbibe, or it could be added to your tab. Since your package will have a much lower per drink cost, you do not want to have to pay the full price for anything ordered out of your package time. If your guests will be paying for their drinks, make sure you have that information on the reception invitation.
Extra Staff
If you are having a buffet-style meal to save on paying for wait staff, make sure you find out about any extra staff that is required. If you have a carving station or plan on having servers behind the buffet table, it is going to cost you extra. Remember, there will also be a charge for any staff that will be clearing the tables or refilling beverages. You may find that having a served meal will cost roughly the same amount.
The wedding catering bill can be quite costly. Make sure you and the company are on the same page about everything. You do not want to be surprised with a larger bill than expected as you are heading out for your honeymoon.
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