Your wedding catering will be one of the most defining elements of your wedding celebration. Every food event from the cocktail hour to the dining table must be perfectly planned to match your vision. And your vision will define it all. There is no doubt that the artful display of cuisine at a precise temperature and calculated measure of flavor will make it spectacular, but there is so much more to your catering. Let’s explore wedding catering to discover your style.
Wedding Catering Experience
Before you start planning the little details, you must discover your wedding catering style. This requires a vision for the theme and the style of your event. It is important to explore catering options and all the possibilities to deliver exactly what you want on your special day. Wedding catering offers different styles of service to consider.
Service à la Russe
Service à la Russe brings waiters to the tables to serve each dish sequentially, and each guest individually from platters. One waiter might deliver the entrée or a choice of entrees, while a second waiter serves vegetables. This service creates an elegant and Old World feeling.
Service à la Française
Service à la Française brings waiters to the table to serve the entire meal. Banquet French service serves plated meals from platters. Waiters place each dish in front of each guest. French table side service involves portable table side food prep, such as tossing salads or flaming a steak. Food is prepared on a réchaud atop a gueridon and served to each individual guest to the right. This is the only service where guests are served to the right. Table side dining creates an impressive show and an upscale vibe. Desserts are rolled on a cart and served individually.
Family Style Service
Family style service brings food to the center of the table on platters for guests to serve themselves. This creates interaction and allows guests to customize their plate from their chair.
Interactive Wedding Catering
Interactive food stations bring an entertaining food experience to life with a dramatic presentation. You can showcase dishes and entertain with a culinary tour of the foods on display. Stations are set up within the venue to center the event around the food. This allows guests to have fun exploring different types of foods while building their plate with the assistance of a skilled chef. Examples of a food station are a waffle station, pasta bar, mofongo station, avocado station, taco cart and a short rib station. Guests are able to interact with the chef and the food in a unique way. If this is an element you want to bring to your venue, you will want to find a wedding catering company that can deliver the experience.
Get Passionate About the Experience
Your wedding catering requires that you think about the foods you are passionate about and the foods that are significant to your theme. The style requires you think about how you will display it and serve it. The first step is to explore the menu and fine details with a chef to plan your wedding catering experience throughout your wedding venue. If you envision a cocktail hour with white glove butler service and guests indulging in Caribbean style ceviche, share your ideas for that experience with your chef. It is important that you find a seasoned chef that can bring your vision to life with a creative and diversified menu that avoids the cookie-cutter wedding catering experience.
Full-Service Wedding Catering
Traditional wedding catering is planned to deliver to a sit-down dinner style that groups guests at reception tables. If you desire the elegant and upscale vibe the tradition offers, you are probably envisioning plated meals and full-service catering that explores every possibility. Full-service catering serves plated meals to each guest, which can eliminate waste and avoid portion control issues.
Buffet-Style Event
We do not all envision full-service wedding catering. Sometimes, a buffet-styled event is in the plan. This is the perfect option to mix and match a variety of foods and beverages. Having food on display in an artistic spread on a buffet can be combined with full-service catering options. Drop-off service is designed to deliver your cuisine to banquet staff and food managers for a buffet-style dining experience. Buffet-style is less formal than plated meals and table service. If you envision guests lined up to plate food, the buffet option could be the best choice. It is also the most affordable option. Think about how you envision your day and choose the type of service for the dining experience you want to create.
Cocktail Hour
The cocktail hour is part of most weddings. Regardless of whether you are considering full-service catering or a buffet-style event, you will probably want to serve appetizers for a little taste of the main course to come. This is the hour your guests will mix and mingle while indulging in delectable hors d'oeuvres. Food is usually distributed from serving platters. Upscale events call for a white glove butler service.
Wedding Catering Menu
Choosing your cuisine and discovering flavors with a tasting is probably the most enjoyable part of the event planning process. This brings your vision and sophisticated palate to the table to explore a creative menu. Packaged menu options can make planning a simple process, but be careful to avoid a cookie-cutter catering experience. Pairing entrees with a complementing appetizer and side can create a safe starting point. Explore options and work with a wedding catering company that can customize your table of cuisine to match your vision.
Season and Theme
Since season can affect the way certain foods are experienced, think about the season. You might choose a hot and creamy soup in the cold of winter that you would avoid during the summer. While there are no real rules to your cuisine, it is a good idea to create a food experience that conveys your theme. If you are planning a multicultural event, you might consider a fusion menu that balances the flavors.
Budgeting for Wedding Catering
The head count absorbs a significant part of the budget, but it does not need to create sacrifice. This does not mean you should risk skimping with cheap wedding catering. If the cost seems too good to be true, it probably is. A professional caterer with a reputation will cost between $30 and $45 per plate. Catering can cost less or much more, depending on skill and the style of wedding catering you choose. You can negotiate and customize your packages to receive the most savings. Working with a venue that bundles services and has preferred vendors can help you save the most with your catering.
Creating the Finest Experience
Create the finest wedding catering experience at The Crystal Ballroom. Meet with designers and stage your event from the ceremony to reception. Set your tables with luxurious Crystal Ballroom décor and serve the finest cuisine with Crystal Ballroom vendors. The talent and imagination behind every event is discovered inside the design studio. Meet the in-house design team and create a fairy tale. Bring imagination to this all-inclusive wedding venue and deliver a creative masterpiece with 5 Senses Restaurant & Catering. Create a flawless event with an extraordinary food experience that is made possible by the collaboration between The Crystal Ballroom and your wedding catering.
