Weddingbee Blog

Mmmm… (Tummy rumbles)

When it comes to food, I know what I like. I am one of those people who LOVES food. I definitely live to eat.

Anyways, when it came time to talk about the menu, Mr Trail Mix and I had a pretty clear idea of what we wanted. Since all the food will have to be cooked without access to a kitchen (our venue is essentially a field), we wanted to keep it simple and easy but tasty.

A nice cocktail spread, including cheese, crackers, fruit, hummus, croute de’tats and few passed hot hors d’oeuvres would do nicely. Then, either a Caesar or fresh mesclun salad, choice of fish or steak with some version of potatoes and a summer veggie or two. And finally, our yummy strawberry dessert. Easy, right? HA! This is where the fun begins…

Love the simple shrimp dish and summer corn…

I was truly unaware of how to go about finding a caterer. After we found out my first choice was booked (that’s what happens when you live in a small town with one local caterer, dammit!), I was taken aback and unsure of what to do next. So, I did what any wedding-versed chica would do and hit up The Knot for vendor recommendations. I emailed a few and one responded, inviting us up to do a tasting.

Eric and Catherine of Woodstock Moveable Feast were the first ones to respond and we really like them. We went, tasted multiple delicious courses and threw our original menu right out the window based on how good their food was! They were also willing to take care of rentals for us, which was a huge plus in my eyes. We left the tasting feeling full and confident. Unfortunately, after thinking about some important details and doing some MapQuesting, we decided that they were simply located too far away (about 1.5 hours) from our wedding. However, for anyone getting married in the Hudson Valley Region, I highly recommend them!

Classe Catering in Albany, NY was my next option. They are a much bigger catering company (one of the biggest in the Albany area) and are full service, so I wouldn’t have to rent plates, cups, flatware, etc. I also got several glowing reviews from other brides on both The Knot and Brides.com. But after one of their representatives sent me a sample menu, I was honestly so uninspired and disappointed by it that I didn’t really pursue them much further. I did get so despondent looking for a caterer over the next two months that I kept revisiting Classe as an option but was never excited about them.

The next two caterers I contacted simply didn’t respond to my email and phone message. The 3rd said she would send me a sample menu with prices and never did. Who knew some caterers were so dang flaky? Isn’t it a recession? Aren’t they hurting for business? Don’t they want mine? Apparently not.

Did we find a caterer? Stay tuned to find out…

Was finding a caterer one of your more difficult wedding tasks?