What Every Couple Should Read Before Booking Your Catering Team
A Guide to Booking Your Lowcountry Wedding Caterer
Shortly after you’ve popped the last celebratory champagne bottle, most couples dive into the wonderful world of wedding planning and find themselves with a lengthy checklist of to-dos that will be the center of their universe for the coming weeks, months, and sometimes, even years. Most couples start by checking off some of the bigger items, venues, photographer, planner, dress, and, one of our personal favorites – catering! From Charleston to Savannah and Hilton Head to Myrtle Beach, the Lowcountry is home to countless wedding caterers on the coast of South Carolina & Georgia who will make your big day the talk of the town. While everyone loves the décor, florals, draping, etc., it’s the menu that will leave your guests raving on their way out the door and leave a lasting impression in their minds.
Today’s impressive vendors have a flair for making local ingredients shine and have the ability to effortlessly weave in your favorite cuisines to design a menu that is truly reflective of you. So, regardless of if you’re all about a plated dinner or maybe you’re leaning more towards heavy hors d’oeuvres, read on for all the details on Lowcountry wedding catering in Charleston, Hilton Head, Savannah & Myrtle Beach.
When To You Start Contacting Wedding Caterers
Once you’ve decided on your venue, you’ll need to determine if your venue provides on-site, in-house catering services or will require you to bring an outside caterer. If your venue does provide this service or requires you to select one of their preferred vendors, you’ll be expected to select one of these options. If you have the option of selecting your own caterer, you’ll want to start the process right away. “It’s never to early to reach out to caterers,” advises Tanya Gurrieri of Salthouse Catering in Charleston, South Carolina. “Certain dates do book up quickly, so the sooner you lock in catering services, the sooner you can move on to other important items on your planning list.” Ideally, we suggest contacting and booking your wedding caterer anywhere from 10-12 months prior to your wedding and, honestly, a little earlier never hurts if you’re planning on tying the knot in the heart of wedding season. This will allow you the time (especially if you’re planning a destination wedding) to coordinate menu tastings and site tours with ease while creating a menu specifically geared towards you tastes and budget.
Image via Caroline Ben Photography
Image via Dana Cubbage
How To Work With Your Caterer to Design Your Reception Menu
Normally, when you begin the conversation with potential caterers, they will share their current menu offerings with you. These will give you a good idea of what their specialties are and a price range to make sure they are within your budget. After you’ve had a chance to review as a couple and with your families, take some time to discuss with your catering sales manager some of the options that caught your eye and what you hope to achieve with the overall ambiance and menu. “It’s a good idea to discuss and consider what food service style you’d like to offer at the reception (i.e. seated dinner, stations, family style, etc.) and what works best for the venue you’ve chosen,” suggests Gurrieri. “This will allow your catering manager to share appropriate menus and give guidance on how to choose a menu that best suits your needs, tastes, budget and venue specifics.” From there, listen to any suggestions your caterer might have and, jointly, work on creating a custom menu that fits your overall needs.
Salthouse Catering apps by Dana Cubbage
How to Prepare for a Menu Tasting
Once you’ve had a chance to review and tweak your initial menu to make sure it satisfies your detailed requirements, schedule a time for a menu tasting with your potential caterer where you and your partner can sample different options. “Your catering manager will guide the menu selection and make sure you understand the details of the tasting (i.e. how many people can attend, which days are available, how many/which items you will try and if there is a cost associated),” says Gurrieri.
On the scheduled day of the tasting, make sure to go on an empty stomach! If there is one thing we know for sure, Lowcountry caterers pull out all the stops during tastings and personally, it was one of my favorite wedding planning memories! The tasting will be a great time to sample smaller portions as your caterer describes each item. Here is your chance to provide feedback, narrow down your favorites and remove dishes that don’t work with your overall vision.