Your wedding is a momentous occasion, and you want every detail to be perfect. From the venue to the decor, each element is thoughtfully selected. You may already know your wedding style, but how do you choose the right caterer to fit your vision and tastes?

When chosen carefully, your caterer can make the food an unforgettable highlight of your wedding day. From the first bite to the final course, every flavor and details can add to the style and experience of your day.

In this article, we’ll cover the importance of the caterer you choose for your wedding and how to select the right one for you. We’ll provide questions for you to ask potential caterers so you can more confidently make the right choice for your wedding.

Twenty Mile House is a gorgeous historic venue that offers all-inclusive packages. Our goal is to create a day to remember through our experienced and talented vendors. Our caterer provides a wide range of locally grown, grass-fed, and organic options, all designed to deliver a truly memorable dining experience. Our vendors work seamlessly together to bring your vision and style to life, cohesively blending every detail.

What Does Catering Really Include?

Catering is a service that includes much more than the food. To ensure your timeline runs smoothly, your guests enjoy the menu, and your setup meets your needs and personal style, a caterer should provide services that help with all the necessary details.

Full catering services may include the following:

Staffing
Service style options
Rentals
Set up and break down
Beverage Service
Coordination

5 Most Common Service Styles

#1: Plated Dinner

For a more formal style wedding, a sit-down dinner with full service will add to the elegant and high-end feel. With this style of catering, it’s important to hire an experienced company that can ensure your timeline is followed and the style aligns with your vision.

While this option may add to the style of your wedding, it often offers a limited selection of food for your guests and may limit social interaction.

#2: Buffet

Typically a more budget-friendly option, the buffet service offers a more relaxed and casual style of dining that provides your guests with various options to choose from. It encourages more social interaction and connection throughout the dinner experience.

A buffet may present drawbacks such as lines and wait times, crowding, and offering a less appealing display of food.

#3: Family-Style

The family-style approach to catering can offer your guests a variety of foods to share at their specified table. Sharing food at the table provides a relaxed setting that encourages your guests to strike up conversations.

Serving one platter per table can present challenges, such as a slower dining experience as guests wait for one another, difficulty in predicting portion sizes, and ensuring there is enough space on each table for all the food.

#4: Cocktail-Style Reception

This style of catering offers a more casual experience, where guests can walk around, mingle, and taste a variety of appetizers and refreshments rather than sitting down for a full meal.

The cocktail-style reception is a great way to encourage your guests to talk and enjoy the venue, but it may leave your guests still hungry due to the lack of a full dinner.

#5: Stations & Action Cooking

You may want a catering style that provides entertainment along with delicious food. Choosing a caterer who cooks in front of your guests or offers build-your-own stations allows your guests to get involved, customize their meals, and interact with one another throughout the dining experience.

10 Questions To Ask To Find the Right Caterer for Your Wedding

#1: How Do You Balance Crowd-Pleasing Options With Personal Wedding Styles?

Couples should select options that complement their wedding style and tie in with their decor, venue, and theme. Experienced catering companies should have the skill to blend crowd favorites that feel intentional to your wedding style.

#2: How Do You Handle Dietary Restrictions?

Choosing a caterer that has experience and options for your guests who require dietary restrictions is important. When searching for a potential caterer, ask how they handle these situations, prevent cross-contamination, and provide thoughtful options so no guest feels singled out or limited in their choices.

#3: How Do You Coordinate With Vendors?

Your wedding day requires talented vendors who work together seamlessly to ensure your day runs smoothly. Choosing vendors that have previously collaborated is a great way to know the events of your wedding day will flow together without issues.

If a potential caterer is inexperienced or doesn’t communicate well with others, you may want to continue your search to find one you feel confident can work well with the rest of your wedding team.

Twenty Mile House offers a breathtaking venue with a team that truly loves to bring each couple's wedding vision to life. Our all-inclusive packages include incredible vendors who have experience collaborating together, creating weddings that flow seamlessly from beginning to end.

With Twenty Mile House, you can relax knowing you won’t have to learn how to decide on a caterer or how they’ll work together with the rest of your vendors. We’ve got you covered.

Reach out to learn more about our vendors and how we will create a wedding day to remember.

#4: Does the Catering Business Offer Late-Night Snacks?

Providing late-night snacks for your guests is important for comfort and convenience for your guests. After all the fun and dancing, your guests will probably be ready for a snack later in the evening. You’ll want to make sure your caterer offers this option, especially if you plan on having a late curfew wedding celebration.

#5: What Are the Catering Company’s Cancellation Terms?

Choosing a caterer that has a flexible cancellation or change policy is essential. When gathering a head count for your wedding, plans evolve, and guest counts can shift. It’ll be beneficial to find a wedding caterer that understands these possibilities and accounts for them within their terms.

Important questions to ask about a caterer’s terms include:

Do you have deposit refund options?
What is your cancellation or postponement policy?
How do you handle changes to guest count or menu selections?
How do you handle date changes?
If a force majeure event occurs, what are our options for rescheduling?
What are your timeline thresholds for penalties?

#6: What Packages Are Available?

Inquiring about a caterer’s packages will give you an idea about your options and how they can fit into your wedding day. When discussing package details, be sure to look beyond the headline price and evaluate how each package aligns with your wedding size, style, and desired involvement.

Catering packages typically offered include:

Full-service:

Customizable menu
Full staffing and service
Beverage services
Rentals
Set up and cleanup
Cake cutting
Hands-on coordination
Late-night snacks

Partial-service:

Food delivery or buffet style
Minimal service
Select menu only
Limited involvement in coordination

Å la carte:

Control over the menu and the budget
Flexibility in preferences
Can add on additional items or services for extra cost

Choosing an all-inclusive wedding venue in California, like Twenty Mile House, takes the in-depth decision-making and evaluation of which package your wedding needs out of the picture. With an all-inclusive package, everything is taken care of so you can focus on what matters most, not the logistics or pricing details.

Fill out our online contact form to learn more about what is included in our services or to schedule a virtual or in-person tour.

#7: How Much Should a Wedding Caterer Cost?

Catering involves many elements that are necessary to create a successful service. Depending on your food selection and catering style, the average wedding caterer can cost anywhere between $30-$200 per person.

Factors that influence the cost of a wedding caterer may include:

Food selection
Catering style
Chosen package
Service charges
Gratuity
Overtime
Travel fees
Admin fees
Rental add-ons
Cake cutting

#8: What Rentals Do You Offer?

Knowing what rentals your caterer has to offer is important. This will give you an idea of whether you need to find another vendor that offers rentals to supplement what your caterer does not offer.

Choosing an all-inclusive venue, like Twenty Mile House, takes the stress out of planning, as we provide your caterer along with all the rentals needed for your celebration.

Contact us for more information about what we offer or to schedule a tour of our stunning venue.

#9: Do You Offer Tastings?

Finding a caterer who offers tasting is essential in knowing their dishes are to your liking. Sampling dishes allows you to assess quality and confidently finalize your menu by understanding how each dish aligns with your style and personal taste.

When asking whether a potential caterer offers tastings, be sure to ask if there is a fee. Tastings often come at an additional cost, but they are essential to ensuring the food meets your expectations.

#10: What Are Your Logistics Limitations?

Before confirming a caterer, you need to verify that they will work with your chosen venue.

Caterers may run into the following issues when it comes to venues:

Not under the approved vendor list
Does not have the required licensing, insurance, or certifications
Inadequate kitchen availability
Limited utilities
Strict timeline for loading and loading food and equipment

When you have your wedding at Twenty Mile House, you won’t have to worry about your caterer running into issues providing services at your venue. Our caterer regularly works at our venue and is familiar with every detail of the space and how our team operates.

Schedule a tour of our venue and learn more about how our vendors work together to bring your wedding to life.

All-Inclusive Wedding Experience at Twenty Mile House: The Easy Way To Think About Wedding Catering

Twenty Mile House is a stunning all-inclusive venue that is designed to create the wedding experience of a lifetime. From beginning to end, our experienced team is here to help. Your wedding package includes carefully chosen vendors who are talented, trusted, and reliable, so your wedding comes together effortlessly.

Our caterer is tastefully skilled and provides grass-fed, organic, and locally grown food.

Schedule a tour and let our team fill you in on all that Twenty Mile House has to offer.

How To Pick a Wedding Caterer: Service Styles and Key Questions You Should Ask

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Why Catering Matters More Than You Think