Catering tips for your wedding

Work to a budget; know beforehand how much you can afford to spend and stick to it.
Be careful of getting caught in the “must have” trap, if it’s out of your budget, you don’t need it! It is not necessary to have a 5 course plated meal, if a 3 course will suffice, don’t put unnecessary strain on your budget.
Have a cut off point at the bar, and stick to it.
Consider the time of year, the catering needs to be appropriate – If having a wedding in winter in the Natal Midlands, a cold soup to start and an ice cream cake for dessert is not appropriate. By the same token a beautiful ice cream cake wedding cake in Cape Town in December will be milkshake if not stored correctly, check with the hotel, restaurant or venue that they can accommodate special requests BEFORE you commit to a particular idea, such as an ice cream wedding cake.
Ask the caterer or venue to put aside a couple of plates of food, for the bride and groom to enjoy after the wedding, if staying over at the hotel or venue.
Often the bride and groom are too excited to enjoy the meal when it is served.
Outdoor weddings can be very stressful, consider pitfalls such as weather, a thunderstorm could cause a problem if a marquee or alternative cover is not available for the food, bar & guests, also consider the possibility of pests such as flies or mosquitoes on the food or guests.
Another consideration for outdoor catering is the logistic’s, if the kitchen is a distance from the tables a plated menu with a hot meal is not appropriate, rather consider a cold buffet.
Brides – let go, you might be a super efficient, organised individual who manages a large company, staff etc, but you are not superwoman, do not even consider catering for your own wedding unless you have plenty of help. Delegate.
The more fun you have the better the event and the better the memories – trust me!