Hiring A Professional

Ideas of when to hire a Caterer!

1.  When to start looking for a Caterer - ASAP - of the Event date.
2.  How to start looking - get all of your facts together and review what you are looking for.
3.  What to ask the Caterer - What is provided?  China, linens, heating trays, etc.
4.  Smart Questions to ask:
a)  How long has the caterer business been up and running?
b)  Has the caterer serviced other weddings at the location of your event?
c)  Does the facility charge the caterer service a fee to provide their service at the site?
d)  Has the caterer provided service for this amount of guests before?
e)  What is the ratio of servers for this type of event?
f)   What is the cost of the servers and what is exactly included in their service for this event?
g)  What will the servers be wearing during the service?
h)  Does the caterer take care of the set-up of tables/tearing down and trash clean-up?
i)  Does the caterer provide the tableclothes/skirts on the tables?
j)  What is the tax and gratuity of the caterer's service?
k)  Will the tax and gratity be included in the fee charged for the food?
l)  will the caterer's be responsible for the toasting glasses and champaign distribution?
m)  Will this be an added charge if caterers take care of the champaign?
n)  Will the caterer servers be cutting the cake and distributing the cake to the guests?
o)  How will leftovers be handled?
p)  Is gratuity based on the total food bill or is it based on the total bill?
q)  How will the leftovers be handled?

Make sure that the contract has everything that has been discussed with the caterer included as well as the menu, amount of guests the menu will take care of, the type of menu, whether you have diebetic or special meals to prepare for those that are under a special diet, the linens, tablecloths, dinnerware, glasses, servers, the cake cutting, the coffee serving, the cork fee, the clean-up and leftovers.
Everything should always be in writing to protect your investment and the vendors responsibility for your event.
Have a Beautiful Wedding Day!!

Submitted By:  Kay's Wedding Planner

Website:  weddingconsultantplanner.wetpaint.com