15 Questions to ask your wedding caterer

Food is one of the most important elements of your wedding day! If your lucky enough to choose a venue that lets you bring in your own caterer or hiring a dry hire venue then you need to know that the caterers you are choosing are perfect for you and your guests. Below are 15 questions that you need to ask your caterer to make sure they are a good fit.

1. What does your price include? VAT, gratuity, silverware etc

Make sure you know what you are paying for so that when you get your final bill there wont be any nasty surprises! Service charge is definitely something to check and also cutlery and crockery hire - be sure to make sure you know what is included in your price.

2. Who will be on site on the day? Will they take on the role of coordinator and manage serving times and cutting the cake etc?

You will want to know who will be in charge on the catering side of things and if they will have an event manager to make sure food is served on time. It also helps to have a name of the person so that if you hire a wedding planner they will be able to deal with that person directly and deal with them on the day so that you can enjoy your day.

3. How many waiters will be on site and what uniform will they be wearing?

This is good to know so that you know if you will need more staff, you want to make sure that guests are getting food on time and still hot and that there is no queue at the bar! Also uniform is good to make sure you know who the waiters are and you want them to be easily noticeable to your guests!

4. Is your food fresh or frozen?

Good to find out so that you know if you will be getting the best quality. Don't be worried if somethings are frozen this may be just to preserve the freshness of the fresh food.

5. Can you provide meals for the children and suppliers? If so what is the additional cost or are these included?

All caterers should be able to do this but it is best to ask in advance to make sure there are no hidden costs or nasty surprises on your bill.

6. How well do you deal with last minute requests?

There is always a guest who will confirm at the last minute or even arrive on the day without a RSVP! Ask how they would deal with last minute requests as its important that they can manage this.

7. Will we be able to book a menu tasting? Are these included in the cost or additional?

This depends on the caterer some may charge some may include it in your price. It is always best to book a menu tasting to make sure your menu is perfect.

8. Will you be taking all rubbish from the venue with you?

This will be a must for dry hire venues but it is best to check your venue contract with what it says about this. Some caterers actually charge to take all rubbish away with them so again check to see if this is included or additional!

9. Are you able to run the bar if needed? If so are you licensed?

Check your caterers are licensed to serve alcohol and if they are able to run the bar check if they have enough professional and experienced staff to work it.

10. How many other weddings will you be catering on my day?

Good question to check as if they are working 5 weddings on the same day there could be a slim chance that your food get delivered to the wrong venue, dietary requirements get mixed up etc. If you have a well experienced and professional company more than one wedding on one day shouldn't be a problem

11. Do you have all the required insurance and permits needed for my wedding? Would you require an special permits for my wedding.

All caterers should have public liability insurance as well as a food hygiene rating of 4 or 5! Check with your venue if they would require anything else but these are the standard documents needed.

12. Do you specialise in a certain cuisine? If so do we have to stick to a pre set menu or can we ask for specific dishes? Can you cater for dietary requirements?

Good to know what the caterers specialise in and see if it could work for your wedding. Speak to them about what you would really like and see if they can make a menu around it. All caterers should be able to deal with dietary requirements but it is worth double checking to be on the safe side!