Wedding party planning mainly comes once in a lifetime. And holidays are the ultimate season for happy young couples to plan a wedding. One thing you need to know is that every good party must have a great menu. You will be surprised to find out that your visitors shall remember the food at your wedding more than the gifts, venue, or even entertainment.

If you are planning a wedding party but lack the skills and time to do it brilliantly, you should consider hiring an experienced local catering company. According to The Knot’s Small Business Study, caterers service an average of 71 weddings annually and 235 non-wedding events. For your special day, you will want experienced pros who know what they’re doing, not a friend of a friend with a flair for cooking.

A caterer is your holiday party best friend since they will take responsibility for the planning and all you have to do is invite your guests. You, however, need to know that the caterer can make or break your event. Since most likely you don’t have a trusted favorite, you will need to carefully select one to plan a perfect gathering.

Here, you will learn about some critical tips to follow when choosing your event catering company.

1. Does the caterer deliver?

You might want to disregard this question, but it is very important and should never be taken for granted. If you’re going to have the perfect catering package, you must stop making assumptions. Find out whether a company delivers food to your venue location, or you need to pick it from their kitchen yourself. Note that delivery could affect your budget because traveling costs might be involved. If they don’t, it means that you might need to organize another team at your venue to handle food distribution.

2. Does the caterer cater to all or specific venues

You might not know this, but some venues have specific caterers who plan holiday parties, no matter the type it is. You will, therefore, need to liaise with the management of your special event venue to understand how they handle catering services. Also, get to know the type of foods that your caterer specializes in. Some only deal with lunch, dinners, or desserts. It would be wiser to pick a company with a reputation of diversity in handling different social events, weddings included.

3. Ingredients

The safety of your guests is paramount for a perfectly planned holiday party. Foods that can cause allergic reactions need to be avoided at all cost. You might also need to consider that some guests might be gluten-free eaters or vegans.

While at it, you need to ask whether they offer barbecue catering. Why is it important? Barbecue is a classic American food that fits in any holiday party. Your guests will definitely love BBQ because that is what almost every American does. You can request for delicious customized barbecue menus to make the party more exciting.

4. Pricing

Proper event planning demands proper handling of bills. Apart from the menu expenses, you need to consider whether there are other extra charges related to decorations or setup. Such matters should be discussed and finalized before the date of your holiday party. If you are extra careful with your budget, this approach will see you avoid a surprising colossal budget. Also, it won’t hurt to ask whether the catering company offers discounts.

5. Can you get food samples?

Again, there should be no room for mistakes during your holiday party. Tasting is a crucial undertaking while planning your wedding party to know whether the food will be to the liking of your guests. It is your opportunity to make sure that the caterer prepares food according to your specifications. However, your caterer might want you to narrow down to selected items for tasting to avoid preparing unwanted foods.

One thing to keep in mind: tasting is necessary, but not all companies allow it. A company might recommend holding a tasting session at your own cost or recommend you to seek advice from their past clients.

When planning a wedding holiday party, you must be very picky about the catering options. It might be your event, but it’s more about your guests’ experience. Luckily with these tips, you are a few steps closer to holding your perfect dream party.