By Saffie Mccallister And Katrina Rowe-Butcher
So you’re planning a wedding – flowers, dress, location, fiance. Now what? Planning the reception is often as hard as planning the wedding itself, if not harder. One of the first questions people ask about your reception will be in regards to food. Will it be formal? Buffet-style? Will it be a formal “tea” or will it be a beer brunch? You can’t really hammer down this decision until you talk to a caterer and see what you can afford. Choosing a caterer can be daunting, but here’s a place to start.
The first thing to consider is budget. You need to know how much you can spend before you set foot in a caterer’s lair. Have a firm number in mind that you have discussed with your intended life partner at least in some remote detail. Food prices can get outrageous quickly, so you need to pick a limit and be willing to stick with it.
The second most important thing to consider when choosing a caterer is location. Where are you holding the reception? There are many options here, from your own backyard to the local Knights of Columbus, a banquet hall, or renting a location in a hotel. Once you’ve decided on your location, you have to decide if you’re going to serve alcohol at your reception. Many caterers offer bartending services, but what kind of services you’ll need depends on the way you want to handle it. Also, your location will probably have restrictions on serving drinks. Many rental halls have bartenders on staff that you are required to use for serving drinks – even non-alcoholic ones like Pepsi and tea. Some catering services are full service establishments, such as Beha Catering of Louisville. It has its own liquor license and insurance, and can therefore provide the alcohol or serve what you choose to provide.
After choosing how to approach the dilemma of drinks, your focus should turn to food. What kind of dinner would you like to serve? You can find a caterer to serve almost anything, from backyard barbeque that you can get from fine establishments like Mark’s Feed Store on Bardstown Road to to a multi-course dinner with wait staff and table service, as offered by Divinity Fine Catering. Price varies greatly- from $8 to over $70 per person. There really is no ceiling on how much you can spend if you have the cash to waste, but there are also a number of places around town that offer catering that can save you a few bucks while still serving quality food. Frank’s Produce on Preston is an excellent little caterer. His food is always amazing and he can be quite creative, is willing to try new things, and you couldn’t find a nicer guy. Kroger also has a catering service that is nice, but they aren’t as cheap as you might think.
Be sure to get a contract for everything you talk about from both the location and the caterer. Always have everything spelled out in the contract. If someone balks at this, take it as a big red warning sign, and choose a professional instead. Just remember, you might only get married once, but that doesn’t mean you have to go into debt to do it.
Beha Catering, 4209 Produce Road, 589-0431
Marks Feed Store Catering, 933-2587
Divinity Fine Catering, 2054 Frankfort Ave, 893-7069
Kroger Catering & Banquet Hall In St. Matthews, 893-2461
Cafe Mimosa, 1216 Bardstown Road, 458-2233
