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by Lee R. Clarkson
You’ve picked out your gown, booked the church and started making lists—from invitations to timelines. Among all the elements of planning your wedding, nothing sets the mood and makes your guests feel a part of your celebration like the food. Especially in a city like San Antonio, where we take our food pretty seriously, choosing the right caterer for your event can define your wedding day.
Last December, Hilary Mace Staples was married with a winter wonderland theme. When Staples was selecting a caterer for her reception, she wanted to find someone attentive and friendly. Staples says, “I was looking for someone who could come up with helpful ideas and suggestions for the menu and also someone who could see the vision that I had for the wedding and coordinate the decorations of the [food] with the rest of the event.”
Staples’ reception included a cocktail hour and dinner, with pasta, sirloin with a rosemary demi-glaze and a mashed potato bar. She recalls, “I knew that in order to satisfy a range of tastes, it would be best to go with somewhat casual foods. It was quite grand. I believe the good food was a key to the success of the reception. Food helps with the mood, so we made the right choice.”
Every bride starts the process of planning food for her reception by looking for the right caterer. For Staples, the reception venue supplied an approved list of caterers.
Many reception sites maintain such a list of caterers, and this list aids the bride in her search. The venue and the catering service are familiar with each others’ needs, rules and regulations, and the bride has fewer concerns when coordinating between the two vendors.If the reception site doesn’t work from a list of caterers, the search may start in a different way. Many brides find recommendations helpful. Norah Gonzalez Costantino says, “We actually sampled four different caterers. Two were given to us by referrals, and the other two we happened across… from bridal shows we had attended.” Caryn Hasslocher of Fresh Horizons Catering says brides find her in a variety of ways. “They may call us after a venue has recommended us or given them a list of their caterers… They may have attended a wedding or party we catered.”
Married friends may have great suggestions about caterers. After all, they’ve worked closely with a caterer to plan their reception, and they have inside knowledge of the planning process. If you’re among the first of your friends to marry, a referral may be hard to come by, so you can get started by attending bridal shows. There, you can meet a handful of caterers in one stop and ask about the style and range of services they provide.
For brides who enjoy researching from home before tracking down a caterer, the Internet can be a useful tool. Think practically, and narrow your search by proximity to your workplace, home or reception site. You want to minimize the stress of additional travel to a caterer who is on the opposite side of town. Many caterers have web sites that provide a good sense of available options.
When you start the working relationship with your caterer, present an idea of what you want for your reception. Holly Buske of Anne Marie’s Catering helped plan the selections for Staples’ reception. Buske recommends that a bride should have “an idea of what kind of atmosphere she would like to create, a vision and a budget.” Caryn Hasslocher adds, “It really helps if the bride has an idea of what type of service she is looking for—formal, casual, theme, fairy tale, et cetera.”
When you decide on a reception menu, you may be looking for a list of prepackaged options. However, you should consider options unique to your tastes and traditions. Hasslocher says, “We create individual packages for all our brides. Each bride has her own set of unique and special needs. It would be impossible to cookie cut a wedding for our brides. We do offer bar packages and special bridal menus; however, everything else must be customized to brides and venue needs.”
Diane Cortez, co-owner of Absolutely Everything Catering and member of the National Association of Catering Executives, agrees, “I find that for the majority of our clients, packages don’t work. We do some very specific tailoring for our clients based on what their needs are.” Janine Cousins, sales associate and event coordinator at Absolutely Everything Catering, says, “I like to find out about the bride and her family and try to incorporate some regional cuisine or any family recipes.” Any caterer will make suggestions for menu items, but if a bride has an idea of what she wants, no matter how unique or sophisticated, she only needs to ask, and a caterer will try to accommodate that request.
Cousins cites chicken dishes as a tried-and-true selection, but the menu at Absolutely Everything Catering offers more tantalizing options as well. Chef and co-owner, Jerry Olivarri, prepares entrees such as a chicken roulade filled with feta cheese and spinach, a crème Brie and apple chicken with cranberries, onions and chives, an artichoke Parmesan chicken with red peppers and spinach and chicken duxelles en croute stuffed with mushrooms and wrapped in puff pastry. For those who prefer red meat, Absolutely Everything Catering offers items such as grilled Argentinean tenderloin with an ancho-cabernet reduction, dill mayonnaise and a horseradish crème or filet Oscar, which is topped with lump crab meat and a béarnaise sauce. For fish lovers, options include herb-encrusted tilapia with a chardonnay glaze and pecan-encrusted rainbow trout with a peach jalapeño sauce. There are also vegetarian options such as a polenta torte and artichoke and leek crepes. Cousins says she is used to couples and families with special dietary requests, especially vegetarian diets and allergies.
At one wedding, Cousins planned a meal for which each buffet table represented the foods of a different country on the couple’s Mediterranean honeymoon cruise. For every table, one each for Spain, Italy, France, Turkey and Greece, Cousins planned the menu according to traditional local cuisine. For another wedding, she incorporated the recipes of a bride’s Irish heritage. Cortez says, “We try to understand the couple’s vision and make it happen for them.”
Caryn Hasslocher says, “Chicken usually ends up on the menu, either as an entrée or appetizer, beef much the same. We offer vegetarian, seafood, lamb, veal, chicken and beef. All our entrees are freshly prepared under the creative magic of our culinary team… When the client has the desire and budget for two or three entrees, it makes for a sensational, wow presentation.” At Norah Costantino’s reception, Catering by Celebrations provided a Mexican buffet. “We wanted someone who was going to be attentive to us and be willing to work with us. The catering, overall, was a great experience. Having a caterer takes so much of the pressure off having to put things together yourself. And it was definitely worth it.” The dinner consisted of chips and queso, chicken fajitas with onions and red and green peppers, borracho beans and two variations of cheese enchiladas with chili con carne, rice, pico de gallo, salsa verde and guacamole.
Cousins offers some advice to brides who are planning to work with a caterer: Set up tastings with your caterer so you have an idea of what the food will be like at your reception. Try to drop by an event where your caterer is working to see how the caterer functions on the job. Don’t be afraid to choose what you like for the menu. Consider your guests, but keep your own preferences in mind. And communicate; you don’t want your food to be a surprise.
Since the reception accounts for 35 to 50 percent of a wedding budget, your catering choices are significant. The average wedding has 178 guests, according to the Association for Wedding Professionals International.
When you finally choose your menu, also keep in mind the season of your wedding. Some food options, especially fruits and vegetables, will be fresher and more appealing during certain times of year. The impression you want to make with your reception will also influence your choices, whether your reception is theme-based or simply reflects your personality. After all, food is the way to the heart, and when love is the focus of an event, the food should reflect that love of family and friends.
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