Orlando Wedding Caterers

The first step of planning your wedding is to choose a venue. Once selected, ask your venue what their requirements are when it comes to the catering portion of your wedding.

The most common categories at each venue are:

• Catering Included – The package includes either an in-house catering company or the venue contracts with one specific caterer.
• Required List – The venue has already done much of the work for you. They have narrowed down and decided on a limited number of catering companies for you to select between.
• Preferred List – While the venue will provide you with a starting point list of caterers, you aren’t required to use the list.
• Licensed and Insured – The venue only requires the caterer to have a valid Florida business license, a catering license as well at least $1 million in liability insurance.
• No Restrictions – This type of venue is rare to find. You can choose whomever you want that best fits your needs.

While some of the catering companies in our area can do more than one wedding per day, the best companies tend to book up quickly. Catering should be the next vendor category you choose after selecting the venue to make sure they have your date available. We suggest booking your wedding caterer at least eight to ten months in advance. You can always finalize your menu choices closer to the wedding date.

Part of interviewing caterers usually includes a tasting. But, we suggest having an initial meeting and receiving a quote from three to four different caterers before worrying about that step. After reviewing the proposal and menu options, you can narrow that down to decide which two companies to schedule a tasting with. You’ll want to review the proposal to consider exactly what is included and the overall costs in relation to your wedding budget.

One of the hardest parts of meeting with catering companies is comparing them with each other. Of course, you know they include the food. But, outside of the menu, different companies have additional services they might provide. We recommend hiring full-service catering companies that can provide or assist with some additional services.

Additional services may include:

• Menu planning
• Plate, dinnerware, silverware and glassware rentals
• Linens
• Staffing
• Bar services
• Rentals including tables, chairs and tents
• Cakes & dessert bars

You would be surprised how often couples make the mistake of hiring a drop-and-go catering company because the price is so much cheaper. The reality is that then there will be extra costs with having to use a staffing company to hire waitstaff.

• Are you available for my wedding date?
• Can we personalize the menus?
• How much time do you need to set-up and break down?
• Do you provide a tasting and is there a cost?
• What percentage of the food is made from scratch vs purchased ready to serve?
• What do the buffets and food displays usually look like?
• How many servers / bartenders will be provided and what do they wear?
• Have they worked at your venue before? If not, would they be willing to do a walkthrough with the venue manager and yourself?
• How do you accommodate guests with allergies or dietary restrictions?
• When do you need our final guest count?

Start with recommendations from the venue you’ve selected. Oftentimes, their list will include catering companies that have already worked there, know the space, and provided a wonderful experience for previous weddings.

Also, reading a caterer’s reviews is really important. Look for specific mentions of the menu, who they worked with, and their overall experience.

We highly recommend scheduling and paying for a tasting from the caterer. At the tasting, pay close attention to the level of service and food quality. This is an indication of what you would be able to expect on your wedding day.

Just like you would do, we have vetted every wedding caterer on this list. We’ve checked their references including both their online reviews and venues that they have worked with. Each has the required business license and insurance. Many of the catering companies listed here have catered our networking events and personal events for our owners.