How to choose your Italian wedding caterer
Dolci Tradizioni Toscane | Photo: Red On Blonde
We’re guessing that you’ve chosen Italy for your wedding because food and wine are pretty important to you! So when choosing your wedding caterer, it can be hard to know where to start.
FIRSTLY LET’S BUST A MYTH
Not all food in Italy is good. Ouch. Did we really say that?
We really did, because we’ve seen it first hand. Like restaurants, caterers have different styles, specialities and skills which lead to different catering experiences. Catering a wedding is a huge undertaking that involves a lot of coordination. Delivering a perfect service for a large number of people and keeping the food consistent is best done by an expert.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU?
When choosing a caterer, like any supplier, it’s best to go in with a good idea of what you want and an open mind. Is a certain part of the day more important to you than another for example, does the antipasti have to be EPIC? Or do you want a certain food display, like live mozzarella making or a pizzaiola making pizzas there and then? Or maybe you’d like a family-style service, so you need a flexible caterer…etc. etc. If you have these ideas in place, you can have these conversations with each caterer and rate them on which of your criteria they can meet and at what price.
Photo: Giovannini Enterprises
WHAT TO ASK A PROSPECTIVE CATERER (OR TO CHECK THEIR BROCHURE FOR):
Specialities. Do they excel in certain areas that are important to you?
Flexibility. Is the menu the menu, or can you ask for certain adaptations and at what price?
Drinks quantities. It’s totally normal to have allocated drinks ie. half a bottle of wine per person, just make sure it’s crystal clear for each aspect of the day before you sign and that you have the budget for overflow. Ask the price per bottle of wine/Prosecco/beer for when you go over the allocation and budget accordingly.
What equipment is included. Tables, chairs, linen, crockery…and what options you have. Caterers may be comparable in their catering offerings but have different offerings when it comes to décor, which could mean one could save you considerable costs or offer a different aesthetic to the other.
How they cater for dietary requirements. All caterers are pretty good at this, but it’s worth clarifying up front, especially if you have some complex guest requirements
What is their tasting like? Tastings are different for different caterers. Some offer a sample menu, some offer trying a couple of dishes per course and others don’t offer tastings at all. Make sure you get the caterer that offers the experience you want to have.
Photo: Giovannini Enterprises
REVIEWS FROM OTHER COUPLES
If you can, source reviews of the wedding day experience from other couples. A tasting could be excellent but that’s a chef and a team under zero pressure. Great food served cold, or late, isn’t great for anyone.
Are you currently looking for a caterer that ticks all the boxes?
Check out our fabulous catering members here- all highly recommended for their professionalism, ethos and delicious authentic cuisine (chefs kisses all-round).
Wondering whether you need a wedding planner for your Italian wedding and whether they are worth the $$$? Check out our article full of expert advice.
Written by Lucy White, Founder of La Lista & Wiskow & White, with over 5 years and 150 weddings worth of experience.
