Interview Questions for Wedding Caterers
January 9, 2009 by Padma Hiremath
Filed under Features
Questions to ask potential Caterers
Interview Several Potential Caterers
Where do you start when choosing a caterer? Do you remember going to another wedding or event where you savored the food and your mouth is watering right now thinking of it? Getting the name of caterers that your friends have used will take some of the researching out of this decision..
Caterers will give you a quote based on your number of guests so make sure you have performed your “Creating Your Guest List” task before finalizing on a caterer. Get a price sheet of the entrees they serve along with their prices. Make sure to set a tasting appointment before any contract is signed. If you were not satisfied with the first tasting and you wanted to change the spicyness, or some other aspect of the food, make sure to ask for a second tasting. You want to feel confident that the food will taste great at your wedding.
Meet with 2-3 local caterers, sampling their food, and making sure the outside caterer you hire is right for you. During the interview process, here are some questions to ask each catering company:
What is your specialty? Do you have a signature dish?
Where is the food cooked? Is your kitchen near the venue?
How is the food transported? When do you bring the food to the venue?
Are additional cooking facilities needed at the reception site?
Is the food prepared from fresh ingredients, or frozen?
Who keeps the leftovers?
Will your provide servers? If so, how many servers per guest?
Are you licensed by the state? By the health department?
Do you provide table decorations? chair decorations?
How much deposit must be paid? When is the balance due?
How are the charges calculated? Per person? Per plate? Are tips included in the fees?
Will there an on-site supervisor on the day of the wedding?
What is the price difference between serving a buffet or plate dinners?
Are you able to provide special order or child-friendly meals (if needed)?
Ask if there are ways to reduce the per person cost. Caterers can be creative in reducing costs, you just need to ask.
Choosing your Color Palette
January 7, 2009 by Padma Hiremath
Filed under Features, Planning
Which color for your wedding?
Chocolate is the new black which adds class to any color combination
Hot Pink combined another shade of pink to create festive wedding or you can pair the pink with brown for another alternative.
Lime green and ruby red make for a dramatic color combination
A bold color combination of fushcia or turquoise paired with tangerine will add life to any summertime wedding.
There isn’t a right or wrong answer when choosing your colors. Select colors that are you, that make you happy and set the mood for your big day!
To hire or not to hire a Wedding Planner?
January 4, 2009 by Padma Hiremath
Filed under Features
Considerations for Hiring a Planner
You’re probably thinking that if I hire a wedding planner, I could have used their fee to pay for something else in the wedding. Wedding planners have a network of wedding professionals they work with and can get services at better prices than a bride can. They know the wedding professionals they recommend to you are quality and dependable professional that fit within your budget. The last thing you would want is hiring a photographer and receiving pictures that you are not happy with.
If you and your fiancé work crazy hours or go to school which doesn’t leave much time to plan a wedding, a wedding planner is for you. If you are planning a destination or out-of-town wedding, a wedding planner can be invaluable. The wedding planner can manage the decisions, contracts, and details of your wedding so that it doesn’t become overwhelming. A wedding planner typically costs 10-20% of the total cost of your wedding.
Wedding planners come in all shapes and sizes. If you choose not to hire a wedding planner from the beginning planning phase, you can hire a wedding planner 1 -2 months before your wedding to finalize details and manage the actual events. You can also hire a “day-of” planner for the day of the wedding for a just a few hundred dollars to make sure the logistics of everyone and everything is taken care of on your special day.
You may want to meet with a wedding planner to see if this is something for you. The cheaper alternative is to depend on a family member or close friend to work closely with you and rely on them to make phone calls and keep track of details for you.
To get matched to local wedding planners, click here to fill out a wedding planning questionnaire
