Wedding Catering Secrets Revealed

Hide your wallet because the wedding catering bill comprises the largest slice of the wedding budget pie. Count on spending 1/4 of your wedding budget on catering. For 200 guests, the average cost of catering is near $6,000.

Many brides consider enlisting the help of friends and family to cater the reception themselves, but if your guest count is above 25 you'll probably want professional help.

Be sure find out whether or not the reception site you are considering provides in-house catering. Many large facilities, such as hotels and country clubs, require you use their catering services. Often times, they'll provide you with a list of 3-5 caterers that do business with, and you can choose from that list.

The best way to find a good caterer is to ask your friends and family. Start with friends who have been recently married. If you're looking for a caterer in the St. Louis, Missouri area, join our Facebook group and pose your catering question to our wedding professionals and other Saint Louis brides. You're sure to get the best, unbiased referrals that will lead you towards quality caterers. But more importantly, you'll hear the catering horror stories of businesses to avoid because people love to talk about bad service.

Another great starting point is our STL Weddings Caterer list or your local phone book, but please don't let big, full-page ads in the phone book convince you that those caterers are the cream of the crop. Many such catering establishments purchase large ad space because they depend on high volume and purchasing food in bulk to maintain their business. Therefore, if your reception party is going to be a small function (below 200) then they may not even allow you to book them. On the flip side, don't let the small ads fool you either, because they may possess more than enough talent and skill to oversee your wedding function.

Discover more ways to save money on wedding catering: