FOOD THAT'S AS FRESH AS YOU

Wedding Catering In Orlando, FL

Your wedding is your big day. Everything should be flawless.

Because this day is, well, kind of a big deal, there are many important considerations to make. One of the main considerations you must make for your wedding reception is your food and drink choices.

Regardless of if you choose to do a small cocktail hour with trayed appetizers or a full, sit-down dinner spread, finding the right wedding caterer is key.

We understand that the process of hiring a wedding caterer can be fairly overwhelming and complicated, especially if you are trying to work with a strict budget, menu, and guest count. However, the good news is that a great catering company will help you in your journey to figure these things out.

Come dive in with us as we explore all you need to know about hiring a top-notch wedding catering company for your special day.

Top Tips for Hiring a Wedding Caterer in Orlando, FL

Let’s first start by looking at our top tips for hiring a wedding caterer.

Book Early

We can’t stress enough how important it is to book your caterer early. If you have already booked a wedding venue and that venue does not have a list of preferred venues or in-house caterers, you can begin your search by narrowing down a list of popular catering companies in the area.

After you have settled on a few catering options, get in touch with them as soon as possible. Appointments book up fast, and people plan weddings far in advance. The last thing you would want is to be stuck with a second-rate caterer for your big day.

Consider Logistics

Think about your vision and work backward from there. Consider the logistics of pairing your catering company of choice with your chosen venue, and consider how that space can accommodate catering at all.

We always recommend working on both the venue and the catering requirements simultaneously to help you from having to make compromises later down the line.

Establish a Budget

As you begin searching through the many available catering options, start by coming up with a budget you’d be comfortable with from the get-go. Have a rough idea of your budget and know what kind of food you want.

Here at JJ’s Fresh, we make fresh meals from scratch and work closely with the needs of our clients to make sure our service matches their vision. If our clients have a good idea of their budget, we can recommend certain menu items and setups.

Prepare for Your First Catering Appointment

After you’ve determined your budget and found a caterer that you are interested in, see if you can set up an appointment for an interview. During this time, you may choose to do some sampling to get a better idea of the quality of their food.

You should have a very clear idea of the vision for your wedding when going into the first catering meeting.

Will your wedding be more formal or laid-back?

What do you expect from the catering company?

When our clients walk us through what they want to see, we can determine what we need to do on our end to help get there.

Wedding Catering In Orlando

Questions to Ask a Wedding Catering Company

To help you prepare for your first appointment at the catering company, we’ve come up with a list of important questions to ask:

Venue Questions

  • Are you available for our chosen wedding date, and are there any other obligations on that day?
  • Has your company ever catered at this venue before?
  • Is our vision something you can accomplish at this venue?
  • How much space and time will you need to set up and break down at this venue?

Food and Beverage Questions

  • Do you have a pre-fixed menu, or can you create custom menus?
  • What are some of your most popular dishes?
  • Do you charge per person or a bulk fee?
  • What are the different styles of meals you provide (family-style, buffet, etc.)?
  • Can you adhere to dietary or allergy requests?
  • When do you need our final headcount?
  • What are the portion sizes?
  • Can you make wedding cakes or provide a cake-cutting service?
  • What will you do with all the leftovers?
  • Do you offer dessert?
  • Do you offer alcohol?
  • Can your staff provide bartending services?

Logistics Questions

  • Can you provide us with photos and references from past events and clients?
  • Does your company provide tableware, linens, and other accessories?
  • If you don’t provide the above, can you coordinate rentals?
  • What is your average guest-to-server ratio?
  • Do you have the proper requirements for a catering license and liability insurance?
  • Do you offer any kind of payment plan?
  • Do you have a cancellation policy, and if so, what is it?
  • Can you provide us with a copy of your standard contract?

Should I Hire a Wedding Caterer?

85% of couples hire wedding caterers, according to a wedding study done by The Knot. However, before you begin your catering search, it is important to book your wedding venue. Note that some venues that run special events are all-inclusive venues, meaning they handle all of the catering in-house, as well as other services, such as event design, rentals, and more.

If you have the ability to hire an outside or third-party caterer, you’re in luck.

Hiring third-party caterers gives you far more flexibility in terms of your vision, your food, and the overall design of the catering setup. You can be more in charge of your destiny.

How Much Does Wedding Catering in Orlando, FL, Cost?

A large portion of your wedding budget will go to your catering and your venue.

The amount you pay will depend on several factors, including the venue location, the head count, the type of food, the number of staff required on-site, and much more.

If you want to learn more about accurate costs for wedding catering in Orlando, FL, get in contact with us here at JJ’s Fresh to learn more.

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