Choosing a caterer for your wedding
by Marcy Blum and Laura Fisher Kaiser

It’s wedding season and whether you’re getting married this year or next, choosing a caterer is a big job. You’ll want your meal to be an excellent Epicurean experience for all of your guests, so here’s some advice to help you make the right decisions.

After you pick a caterer, it’s time to schedule a tasting, which can be one of the high points of your wedding planning.

Make sure that a tasting is spelled out in your catering contract or in an oral agreement. The majority of facilities, as well as off-premise caterers, include a tasting after they receive your deposit. Some caterers provide tastings before you have committed to hiring them, but the dishes they present to you will not be your personal menu choices.

For the tasting, ask to have the table set with your final place setting choices. It’s also a good time to ask your florist to see the centrepiece and linens.

When preparing for the tasting, bear in mind the following points:
Peruse a variety of sample menus from the facility or caterer before you decide what to taste.

For your tasting, even if you think you are definite about a particular dish, taste a few different choices in each category. You may be surprised at what you prefer.

Ask to taste a variety of starches and vegetables, not only the ones that come with each dish. You may opt to choose things to serve together that aren’t listed the same way on the menus.

For your final menu, choose varied flavours, colours and ingredients. For example, don’t serve asparagus puffs as an hors d’oeuvres, and asparagus vinaigrette as an appetizer.

Make a detailed tasting sheet, with a line for each item tasting and a place for notes and "final grade". List each hors d’oeuvre, each side dish, main courses and desserts.

Excerpted from Wedding Kit for Dummies, IDG Books Worldwide Inc., 2000, distributed by CDG Books Canada Inc. for Canada