Weddingbee Blog

For those of you brides out there that work all day and have busy nights, planning a wedding can be a task that has the least allotted time in your day. I have found this to be true for myself. So how does someone with little extra time plan their wedding without a wedding planner? Well… you need to get creative and use every bit of spare time you have. I may have done things a little less conventionally than other brides would, but for me this is what worked best. I am not one for formality and phone calls or even meeting the caterer before we talk prices. I used the best resource I had… GOOGLE!

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Yes, that’s right I hopped on the computer and searched for local catering businesses. I viewed as many sites as possible. Some were more elaborate than others and offered more information, some were simple and to the point, while others offered little but contact info.

My next step was to send out a mass email detailing my plans to all the caterers I could find. I inquired about pricing and gave ranges that I liked and I let them know I was trying to keep a small budget and that any help with this would be great. I wasn’t expecting every caterer to give me the reply that I wanted, all I could do was sit and wait until I heard back from one I liked. In my first round I wasn’t too impressed. Not all of the caterers replied and some were charging way TOO MUCH!

At this point I began searching for caterers near my venue versus in my town of residence. Upon the advice of my venue coordinator I checked out their website where I found a list of local caterers that they had worked with in the past. I picked a few and sent out what would be my last round of inquiry emails. And, then I waited, and waited, until out of nowhere it was like I had hit the jackpot. I had four responses from caterers who could work in my price range! I began to feel a huge sense of relief.

It then got down to the specifics and I asked if they offered bar service, did they provide linens and tableware, and if there were any hidden fees. After these inquiries some of my options sank while others rose to the occasion. And, after a lot of back and forth emailing between caterers we decided to meet with just one, Corning Catering.

I know it may seem crazy to meet with just one caterer and I assure you it wasn’t my original intent. But, after many email and phone conversations it became clear that these guys were all about pleasing their clients. Another positive was all the praise I received from my venue coordinator. She mentioned that they were the top pick for catering weddings at their venue. Sure enough, after meeting with Bill (Corning Catering), both my fiance and I were sold.

Tips to finding a caterer for a busy gal:

1. Search, search, search. The internet is a great source and is available at anytime. I found it was easier to search in the evenings before bed or while dinner was on the stove.
2. Use your resources. It is smart to check with your venue coordinator because they have great insight on whom you should check out or whom you should avoid. As mentioned, my event coordinator for my venue became a very reliable resource, she led me to a list of area services. Another unexpected resource is our caterer, upon meeting him and having discussions about our planning he offered contacts of other vendors he has worked with (DJ, photographer, etc.)
3. email=the new phone call. Due to time constraints and businesses often being closed by the time I got home, I found email to be my best means of contact. An email can be sent out at anytime and a response can be read anytime, it was easy to check my email during my downtime in the lab. Further, I found that if someone is willing to do business via email they are working with you, you are not working with them.
4. Ask questions. The best thing about emailing the caterer is you don’t need to have the same conversation over and over again. You can type up a “cookie cutter” version of your email, include all the information your caterer will need and ask as many questions as you find necessary and send it to whomever you would like.
5. Weigh your options. Compare the responses you have received. Are some caterers over-priced? Are they offering what you need? Are some more responsive than others? These are all important questions to ask. It was really important to me that the caterer be responsive and receptive to my emails. It showed me that they wanted to do business with me and that I mattered even if they hadn’t met with me. Also if you are choosy in your comparisons this will save you the time and effort it takes to meet with the caterer.
6. Ask Around. Ask around or search for reviews or personal testimonies regarding your top picks. If you find many negative reviews this should be a red flag. Also, you can ask around to see if you have overlooked any caterers.
7. Pick the top contenders. Based on what the caterer looks like on paper you should be able to make a decision on whom you would like to meet with first.
8. Meet and greet. From your top picks setup a time to meet. In my experience I found that some caterers could only meet during business hours while others were willing to meet with you at your convenience. I was able to have our top pick travel to meet with us (not all caterers were willing to do this). It was really great that they could meet with us because it saved us the travel time and it showed that they were committed to pleasing us. When you meet with your caterer be prepared. Make sure you have all the possible questions you can think of ready and have a notebook to take notes. This is a great time to address any issues you may have over-looked in your preliminary inquiry. During this meeting it is also a great time to get a rough estimate of costs.
9. Eat. If the meet and greet goes well it would be a great time to schedule a food tasting to help choose your menu. Alternatively, this can be done during your first meeting with the caterer if you schedule things that way. I found that some caterers will charge for the food tasting if you don’t book with them, this is important to keep in mind if you are trying to stay on a budget. Also, in our case if we wanted to do the tasting we would have to travel to our caterer. This is why we thought it important to meet with them first. If they couldn’t offer us what we wanted it wouldn’t have been worth the extra trip.
10. Decisions and Contracts. Make final decisions on who you would like to cater your wedding. Finalize the menu and discuss final costs. Once the menu is set and a full estimate of costs is written up your caterer will be able to determine deposit amounts and a payment schedule. Every caterer will have different methods of determining the cost break down.

*Please note that not every person will have the same experience as I did, these are just tips based on my own experience.

How did you go about finding your caterer?