Key Questions to Ask When Ordering wedding furniture

There are so many aspects of a wedding that make it special. To the newlyweds, it's celebrating their love as a married couple. To the guests, it's the music and food (and having a great time toasting the duo of the day, of course). That's why it should come as no surprise that one of the major considerations of your reception is your food and drink choices.

Hiring a wedding caterer can be pretty complicated, especially as you’re trying to figure out the budget, guest count, and menu. Whether you’re hoping for a full, sit-down dinner or a cocktail hour with passed apps, it needs to go off without a hitch, and finding an awesome wedding caterer is key to the planning process. But the good news is that hiring the right wedding caterer will help you in figuring out all of these things.

Tips for Hiring a Wedding Caterer

Here, find our tips for hiring the right wedding caterer for you, complete with a list of questions to bring to that first meeting.

Booking early is important.

If your wedding venue doesn't have in-house caterers or a list of preferred vendors, start the search by narrowing down a list of caterers you absolutely love. Once you settle on a few options, strike while the iron is hot and set up appointments.

Search on social media.

When you start your search for a wedding caterer, look at Instagram for food inspiration or check with a restaurant you already frequent to see if they have a special events department. You can also ask your friends or even your wedding photographer or DJ if they have a suggestion from a previous wedding.

Consider the logistics.

According to Alexis Berry, General Manager for Tom Douglas Catering in Seattle, choosing a caterer in tandem with your venue can be a total game-changer. “Typically, couples will choose a venue, and then try to accommodate catering within that space,” she said. “Think about your vision, work backward, and consider logistics. Working on the venue and catering needs at the same time will help to eliminate compromises later on.”

Because the venue and the caterer are two main party components, choosing them at the same time and making sure each vendor communicates is crucial.

Establish your budget.

As you’re thinking through catering options, come up with a comfortable budget from the get-go. “It’s really important to know what kind of food you want, and a rough idea of your budget,” says Shawn Niles of Fat Pastor Productions. “For us, we work to craft a meal that is very specific to the wants and needs of our clients. We don’t have cookie-cutter menus, because we want our service to match the people we are serving. Without an idea of budget, we don’t know whether to craft a menu for sandwiches or lobster.”

Come to your appointments prepared.

Once you’ve figured out a budget and a few caterers you’re interested in, set up appointments for interviews, and see if you can do sampling at the same time. “Going into the first meeting with a clear idea of your vision, whether it’s laid back and fun or formal, definitely helps,” says Diana Ceballos of Rise & Shine Catering in L.A. “Walk us through what you want so we can see what can be done to meet you there.”

Questions to Ask Your Wedding Caterer

To be sure you’re heading into that first meeting prepared, we’ve rounded up a list of questions to consider as you’re finding the best wedding caterer for you!

Venue & Availability

• Do you have our wedding date available?
• Do you have any other obligations that day?
• How will your staff balance multiple events that day (or weekend)?
• Have you ever catered at our venue before?
• Can you accomplish our vision at our venue?
• What are your specific needs to be able to cater at our venue?
• How much space will you need at the venue?
• How much time will you need for set-up and clean-up at our venue?

Food & Drink

• Do you have a static menu, or can you do a custom menu?
• Can we sample some of the food ahead of time?
• What are your most popular dishes?
• Do you charge a bulk fee or cost per person?
• What is the difference between a plated meal, buffet, family-style, etc.?
• Can you make kid's meals?
• Can you provide vendor meals?
• Can you take care of various allergy/dietary requests?
• Will food be made on-site or brought in?
• When will you need final menu choices?
• When will you need a final headcount?
• Where do you source your food from?
• Can/how will you handle last-minute requests?
• What are the portion sizes?
• What do you do with leftovers?
• Do you make wedding cakes as well?
• If not, will you provide cake cutting services?
• Do you offer other desserts?
• Can you provide bartending services?
• If so, will we need to provide alcohol, or can you?
• Are any non-alcoholic beverages included in the food costs?

Logistics & Details

• How many weddings have you done in the past?
• Do you have photos of past events and references from past clients?
• Do you provide linens, table settings, and accessories?
• What colors and style options do you have for linens, table settings, and accessories?
• If you don’t provide linens, table settings, etc., will you handle coordinating the rental?
• Will your staff handle setting place cards and menus, if desired?
• What is your typical server to guest ratio?
• Do you have the proper catering license requirements, as well as liability insurance?
• Will we need any special event permits? Will you obtain those?
• Will there be an onsite coordinator day-of? Can we meet them ahead of time?
• Can you provide a copy of your standard contract?
• What is the amount of the deposit due to hold our date, and when will the remainder be due?
• What is your cancellation policy?
• Do you offer a payment plan?

We all know that what makes the perfect wedding venue is more than just the aesthetics—though good looks are, of course, a huge bonus. There are so many important details you’ll need to go over before you sign on the dotted line, from whether your venue of choice offers add-on services (like catering), to the proximity of the venue to lodging for your guests.

Ahead, we've compiled the key questions (recommended by wedding planners!) that you should ask about a wedding venue before making a final decision. Make sure that you're checking all of your planning boxes by bringing this list of 30 essential questions with you on your site visits.

Questions to Ask Wedding Venues About Pricing and Availability

• Is my date of choice available? If not, are there any surrounding dates available? Or do you have a waitlist for dates?
• How far in advance can I reserve my date?
• What are the rates for different days of the week and times (Friday, Saturday, Sunday; morning, afternoon, evening)? What about different seasons?
• How many hours are included in the rental of the space? How early can we arrive, and how late can we stay?

Ideally, you’ll want to be the only event on-site on your wedding day, as having other events happening can result in less setup time, limited venue access, and confusion for your guests. If you’re not guaranteed to be the only event that day, find out how much it would cost to do a complete buyout, as well as ask about how the staff handles having multiple events at once.

Questions to Ask Wedding Venues About Payment

• How much is the venue deposit?
• When do you need the deposit by?
• How do you structure the payment schedule?
• What is included in the total? Does it cover service charges, gratuity, and cleaning fees, or are those additional line items?
• What is the cancellation policy?
• When is the last possible date to make changes to our reservation?
• Do you require that we use wedding insurance?

Questions to Ask Wedding Venues About Vendor Teams

• Do you have a list of approved or recommended vendors we can use?
• Do we have to use your approved vendors? If not, are there limitations or guidelines we need to meet when bringing others in?

If your venue doesn’t require you to use their vendors, ask if there are any they recommend most highly. A vendor who is familiar with your venue will already know the quirks and challenges of the space, which will make your planning process that much easier.

Questions to Ask About Logistics

• Is the site handicap accessible?
• Are there noise restrictions?
• How many bathrooms are there? Will we need to rent additional portable restrooms?
• Is parking available on-site? How much space is there? Will guests be charged for parking?

Sometimes the use of parking is included in your site rental fee, sometimes it isn’t. If there is a fee and it isn’t covered by your rental, ask how much it would cost for you to pay for your guests’ parking for the evening.

Questions to Ask About Event Specifics

• What is the venue’s capacity?
• Do you have your own sound equipment and speakers, or will those need to be rented or provided by the entertainment?
• What is the backup plan for rain or inclement weather?
• Are there any décor restrictions?
• When can vendors arrive for setup?
• Will your staff be involved in setting up and breaking down the décor? In what capacity?

A venue like a hotel will usually have staff available to help arrange and set the tables, then help pack up any rented glassware, flatware, and dishes at the end of the night. Confirm exactly what the venue’s staff will be doing so you can pass that information on to your other vendors.

Questions to Ask About Food and Drinks

• Do you have an in-house caterer? If so, are food and beverages included in the venue rental fee?
• If there is not an in-house caterer, do we have to choose from a list of approved options, or can we hire our own caterer?
• Do you have a food and beverage minimum? What are the consequences if we don’t meet it?
• Do we have to purchase liquor through you, or can we source liquor elsewhere?
• If we can bring our own liquor onto the property, is there a corkage or service fee?

If your venue does allow you to buy your own alcohol, they may charge a fee to serve it on the property—which is still often much less than the price of ordering straight through the venue.

Questions to Ask About Production Staff

• Who will be our point person as we plan our wedding? Who will be our point person on our wedding day, and is this person an on-site coordinator?
• Can we meet them today?