Today’s blog is written by our in-house Chef Melissa Hoenshell-Nissen in response to the many recent inquiries we’ve had recently from several brides to cater their upcoming wedding receptions.
We hope that this blog post gives you an opportunity to view your catering expectations from the other side of the coin (so to speak) and allows you a chance to rethink your expectations BEFORE you meet with the caterer of your choice.
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Imagine with me if you will, your first date with your now fiancée. You pour over the menu; the main thing you are looking at is the price of the entrée. You don’t want to be the expensive date but you also don’t want to be labeled the notorious salad eater that we women usually are called. You finally settle on it, you don’t even know what it is but you promise yourself you are going to like it because the price is just right. It isn’t over twenty dollars and it isn’t a salad. Add to that the drink you are going to enjoy and you are looking at about $18 dollars this gentleman is going to pay to take you to dinner. You sigh a breath of relief because you have just sidestepped the two major labels, expensive and rabbit.
Fast forward to your meeting with the caterer for your wedding to this amazing man you went on that date with. You contact or sit down with the caterer. They gather as much information as they can from you to ensure that the food matches the overall theme of the day. Of all the questions the caterer is going to ask, two of the most important questions are, how many guests are you planning on attending and what is your budget range. You can easily answer the first question, we are having 200 guests, ok thinks that caterer, not a problem. Then the caterer asks the ever important question, what you want to spend on these 200 guests. You drop the bomb; you want this to cost no more than $1500. I am sure you are wondering why I call it a bomb, the caterer didn’t explode, this seems reasonable, and it fits in our budget. What you don’t see is the quick math equation the caterer is doing in their head. That is $7.50 per person, back out all the fees that you will be charged so we stay in that $1500 budget and we are talking about $5.00 per person. The caterer, being very graceful, moves on to see exactly what you want to serve with that $5.00 per person. You then proceed to tell about how you absolutely love just a plain grilled chicken and he, being a carnivore, loves tri-tip so you want to give your guests the option. You envision your guests coming into a social/cocktail hour where there will be passed appetizers and the guests can get as many beverages from your open bar. Then they will be ushered into a beautifully decorated ballroom and sit down to their seat where their previously decided on entrée will be served to them, amongst the other items that you had decided on, a salad, the starch and vegetable for the entrée, etc…. You finish describing how you see the food fitting into your wedding day. You should notice by now the glazed over look that the caterer has on their face. All they are thinking is “are you kidding?”, but they take a breath and tell you the truth.
This is where I want you to think back to that ever important first date and you scouring the menu to find the right priced item. You had a number in your head that you didn’t want to go over on that date. Take that number you settled on and then attach that to each of your guests to create a catering budget for your wedding. Most caterers start out their menu pricing at $15++ per person and that is usually for a buffet with a single entrée choice, you want two choices, add $5.00 per person. You want to add to that a social hour for the 200 guests, you are talking an additional $7.95++ per person and then adding to that a plated dinner, add another $2.00 per person. You can now see that the new per person price is $29.95++ minimum. That takes your catering budget from $1500.00 up to $6,000.00++. I am sure you are wondering what that ++ is. It is our way of saying there are two additional charges you have to pay that are not worked into your price per person. Those typically are a service fee or gratuity, depending on the business and sales tax. A service fee is not gratuity for the event; it is usually a fee that covers the wear and tear on the equipment used. Now some companies might work with you on their service fee, but it typically ranges from 15 to 20%. The tax is unavoidable; it has to be charged because the business has to pay it.
Here is something to keep in mind when figuring out what to spend on your wedding day (keeping in mind that this is the first party that you and your new husband host as a married couple). The average amount of money that YOU will spend on your guests to attend your wedding is $125.00. Take that number and multiply it by your guests and there you have your overall budget for your wedding, not including your dress purchase and tux rentals. That price per guest includes venue, table décor, seating, catering and beverage. There are many programs that you can plug that total number into that will spit out how to break that big number up into different categories based on what the average bride spends percentage wise on the different categories.
What brides need to get out of this post is; it’s hard enough for you to have a decent meal for $5.00 so how do expect to feed 200 people a nice meal that fits with the theme of your wedding for that same amount of $5.00? This is a struggle I have as a caterer. I try my hardest to meet and match people’s dreams and expectations while staying within their budget but sometimes the number is too unrealistic. We do work within budgets and we do have some solutions to keep your costs down as long as it benefits both of us. I look forward to offering you some of these tips and tricks when you call us for your catering consult.
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