Which Type of Catering Should You Order for a Wedding?

When planning a wedding, there are countless things to plan and consider. From organising the guest list to booking entertainment, your big day will be painstakingly crafted right down to the last detail. You will spend a monumental amount of time on the phone to service providers and scouting out potential venues. But no decision is more difficult than the food.

No wedding is complete without dinner. Whether it’s an elegant banquet or an informal stand-up affair, your guests will arrive expecting to be fed. For some of them, the food will be the thing they are most excited about. Expectations will be high, and rightly so. Your wedding will be a long day, and the amount of time in between your guests turning up and the taxis arriving will be far too long for just one single meal: especially if people don’t like it. The last thing you want is your loved ones to feel hungry the whole time or sneak out before the end to grab a midnight snack. It’s essential you provide good quantities of delicious food throughout the day, and take into account everyone’s dietary requirements. There should be something for everyone, and no one should feel hungry at any point.

Although this may seem like an impossible task, it all comes down to the type of wedding catering you provide. There are so many options from which to choose, and your selection will entirely depend on the nature and atmosphere of your wedding.

To help you make your decision, here are four of the most popular wedding catering choices available.

There are plenty of styles of catering to best suit your wedding. The first option is to have canapes to accompany the arrival drinks. Following this you have the wedding breakfast of which we categorise into 3 options:

A selection of hot & cold main dishes is laid out on a separate buffet station along with a vast variety of sides, salads and condiments. This option can also feature things like Hog Roasts / Lamb Spit Roasts. This option is perfect for more relaxed atmospheres and is also the most cost-effective option, as it requires the least number of serving staff/chefs and Equipment. It also creates great photo opportunities of all the seasonal and colourful food.

The menu items and variety of options are similar to that of a buffet but the food is brought to the table and placed in the middle on sharing style platters. Guests then help themselves to the feast! This is a great way to get everyone talking and gives your guests choice and variety. The only downside is you need to keep in mind that you will not have as much space for centre pieces with all the delicious food filling up the centre of the tables!

Lastly, the most formal form of catering would be a 3-course plated meal, most would argue the most traditional as well. Due to the increased need of serving staff and chefs this is the most expensive form of catering. However, there are plenty of upsides – you are providing your guests with a high-end restaurant style food and they don’t need to serve themselves or leave their seats to collect their meal.  Pairing wine to each course is a lovely way to enhance the experience as well.

Even if you go for this option, make sure you provide some seating for those who are unable to stand up for long periods.

Catering weddings from street food trucks is an option that has been gaining a lot of popularity in recent years. Simply hire one or more food trucks to park up outside your venue, and guests will queue up to enjoy some delicious street food. This could be anything you like, for example, pulled pork, fried chicken, mac and cheese, tacos, or paella. It creates a real sense of fun and can make your big day feel more like a festival than a stuffy traditional wedding. Since your guests will be getting food on demand, you will usually only be charged for the food that is eaten, thereby reducing waste and saving you a lot of money.

Much like a buffet, there will be lines, but you can manage these by hiring multiple trucks or asking guests to line up one table at a time. You will need to check with your venue in advance if they will allow food trucks to park on their property, and keep an eye on the weather forecast. No one will want to be queuing up for food outdoors in torrential rain.

If you are tempted by any of these catering options or are simply unsure about which one to choose for your own wedding, why not get in touch? At Country City Catering, we provide a wide range of different options to cater for any event of any size.