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A. INTRODUCTION: if you don’t want ot take notes, a
checklist will be available on our website, jjskitchen.com. Many people have never used a caterer until they decided to get
married. I hope to give you some insight on planning a catered event, whether it be a bridal shower or your reception meal.
1. Julie Louthan, owner and operator of JJs Catering along with husband, Jimmie.
2. Business established in
2004.
3. Started business out of love of entertaining and cooking.
4. Pride ourselves on being a small business
with a personal touch when dealing with potential clients since most clients will only talk to one employee when contacting
JJ’s.
B. IMPORTANCE OF THE MEAL: Everone loves a good meal, so
1. Whether a bridal shower, rehearsal
dinner , reception or brunch, the meal is what brings everyone together.
2. So, it is important to give your guests a
nice meal with great service.
3. Need to know how you are going to spend your money when it comes to catering an event.
Options are available for any budget.
C. CHOOSING YOUR VENUE: Choosing the venue for your reception is usually
one of the first steps in the wedding planning process. What you need to know about your venue regarding your catering.
1. are
outside caterers allowed and who can cater at that facility.
2. are there any additional charges for caterers to use the
facility
a. per person (plate) charge – kitchen usage, extra cleanup required by venue, potential damage caused
by spillage, etc.
b. whether table linens are available, what the charges are. If not, can your caterer provide those
for you and any charges that apply.
c. Communicate clearly with venue and caterer where the food is going to be set
up so there is no confusion the day of your event.
D. CHOOSING YOUR CATERER: Things to look for when choosing
your Caterer
1. Cost Involved – comparing prices
a. make sure you are comparing apples to apples. For
example, if you are ordering a meal with 2 entrees (chicken and beef) for 100 people, do you get 100 serving of each entrée
or do you get less servings of each with the possibility of running out of one entrée.
b. How much of a deposit is
required? Is is refundable? Will it be applied to my catering?
c. what level of service comes with the catering
and are there any additional charges that may go along with those services. Some questions to ask may be:
a. how long
will you serve the food?
b. how many servers will be there?
c. What level of cleanup is included?
d. Can
we take our leftovers and will you package them?
d. Many brides spend time picking out the perfect cake, but forget about
how there guests are going to eat it! Plates, forks, napkins, serving pieces and someone to cut and serve your cake are sometimes
overlooked until the minute everyone is ready eat the cake. Ask your caterer if those services are available and what costs
are involved.
2. Money saving ideas
a. When wedding specials are offered – check the caterer’s
menu to see if you are getting a discounted price or if those are just featured items
b. Ask whether discounts are
available if your wedding is not on a Saturday?
3. Most caterers are proud of their product and are eager for you
to choose them for your event.
1. If you are unsure about which caterer you will choose, ask if they will do a private
tasting for you and your fiancé. Some questions to ask when scheduling a tasting:
a. is there cost involved for
a private tasting?
b. how many people can I bring?
c. how many items can I try?
2. At a private tasting,
you have your caterers full attention, so be prepared to ask questions about your event.
3. Your tasting is important
because it could be indicative of how your event will be handled. Things to notice are:
a. professionalism of the
employees
b. presentation of the food
c. flavor of the food
E. CHOOSING YOUR MEAL: The next
step in planning is choosing your menu. This is very important because typically the groom has as much to say about this
decision as the bride.
1. When choosing your menu, make sure that what you have is appropriate for the time of day
in which it will be served. You would not want your guests, most of whom are bearing gifts, to not get enough to eat.
1. ex:
if your wedding is at 6 with reception immediately following, just serving appetizers won’t cut it. Everyone will
be hungry for dinner and you will run out very quickly.
2. appetizers or desserts only are appropriate if your event
is mid-morning, midafternoon or later in evening.
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3. Having some sort of meal is best if your event is at
lunch or dinnertime especially if there is no time between the wedding and reception for your guests to have eaten somewhere
else.
2. What food to order
1. obviously needs to be something the bride and groom like as well as your
guests, even children if you are including them in your special day.
2. If your caterer will be travelling any distance,
make sure you order things that will hold up during travel time. For instance, you would not want to have any fried foods
that could become soggy. For example, choose baked or roasted chicken instead of fried chicken.
3. To ensure the freshness
of your food and to avoid additional charges for serving the food longer, try to eat as close to the time indicated as possible.
a. One way to make sure you eat on time: If the wedding party is running considerably late due to pictures, etc.
have someone that can tell your guests to eat while they are waiting.
b. reahearsals can take longer than people anticipate,
so some brides and grooms are choosing to have the dinner before the rehearsal so the food is fresh and everyone is already
gathered together for the rehearsal after the dinner.
F. FIGURING A HEAD COUNT: After choosing your menu, you
will need to know how many people you should order food for and when your caterer will need that number.
1. Generally,
you should know 2 weeks before your wedding day how many people will be eating at your event.
1. If you are not sure
about RSVPs, a general rule is to order for 75 80% of the number of people you have invited to your wedding. This rule
doesn’t always apply if there are a lot of out of town invitations.
2. Include musicians, photographers and any
other professionals in your head count if you would like them to be able to eat.
3. We tell people to count every 2
children 10 and under as 1 adult. Some caterers may have special prices for children.
2. After all of the menu selections
have been made, make sure you are clear about when your menu needs to be finalized and if any changes can be made after that.
Sometimes, if too close to the wedding day, head counts can be increased but not decreased. Also, be sure you know when
the balance is due in full and what forms of payment are accepted.
G. Closing – Planning a catered event
can take a lot of effort, but being prepared and following some simple guidelines can relieve the stress in planning and make
all the difference as to whether your event is a huge success. I wish you the best for your wedding and hope that some of
these suggestions will make your planning easier. If you have any questions about any of the subjects I talked about today
or any of the pictures you have seen behind me during this presentation, please visit our booth or give us a call
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