The Advice You Need to Know for Catering Your Wedding
With so much to remember when planning your big day, don't let catering become an additional stress
How did Ginger Snap Catering begin?
It launched in February 2006. I’d been freelancing at various different catering companies, and decided that I could actually do it myself. So I moved back home and lived with my parents while I set it up. My first big wedding in the first year was a marquee wedding for 200 in December of 2006, and Ginger Snap has gone from strength to strength since then.
How important is catering on the big day?
I think it’s actually one of the most important things. You’ve got to give your guests food and you’ve got to give them drink. It’s all part of making the day enjoyable for everyone. I think a lot of couples now are into the creative content and that’s great, but is it really needed over everybody having a good time eating and drinking? I just think that you could spend money on creating more memories from having food and drink that means more to you.
Tell us some common catering mistakes couples make.
A lot of people think that not everybody will eat late food. We go quite fun on late food, whether it’s tacos or lamb kebabs – we did chicken nuggets and chips for someone because it was part of their story of meeting. We did late food recently for someone and they only wanted enough for 60 but their wedding was 150. We got hangry guests because there wasn’t enough.
Also, making sure your day flows – making sure that your reception isn’t too long, the speeches aren’t too long, and making sure that everything flows into each other. Lots of people enjoy the reception with the canapés, but it’s so important to get the right amount of food for the right time. On that note, we also do wedding planning!
Starting your day too early is another one. If you start at say 11am or 12pm which seems to be happening a bit more commonly, things will get more expensive because you’ll have to staff it for longer. It’s also an incredibly long day for you.
How should couples approach selecting something that’s right for their day?
The one piece of advice that I always give to couples is to choose the menu that’s right for you and don’t worry about everybody else. It’s your day, you’re spending the money, so have something that means something to you and that you love.
What makes Ginger Snap Catering unique?
One is our experience (we’ll have been going 20 years in February), two is the personal service you get from us, and three is we try not to do food that everybody else does. We make sure that our food is original and makes your wedding stand out from the crowd.
How should couples handle the dreaded fussy eater?
That’s an interesting one. I think most people are not going to throw something back in your face when they’ve been invited to a wedding and they’re not having to pay anything. I don’t think you should make the menu unfussy for everybody. I think people forget sometimes that it’s for the couple. Food has moved on so much that wedding food is not just a dried up piece of chicken.
