Most wedding checklists suggest that you should do a tasting of
your wedding menu with your caterer several months before your wedding. Some
venues and caterers offer private tastings while others offer group tasting
events – what are the pros and cons to each?
Private tastings generally have you sample the exact menu from
your wedding, allowing you the opportunity to make changes if there is a dish
that is not what you had expected. You will also often have a chance to meet
with the catering event manager to go over details for your event, including
how to incorporate the timing of the meal with other parts of the wedding such
as photos, dances, etc. There are two drawbacks to this type of tasting. The
first is that if you have chosen dishes that will be seasonally appropriate for
your wedding, they may not be at their peak at the time of your tasting. A fall
wedding that incorporates pumpkin into the menu is not going to be able to
taste the dish during a spring or early summer tasting with any sense of how
great the dish really will be in October. The other drawback is that you will
not get a sense of how the dish may change in presentation when cooked for a
large group. The art of catering combines not only the ability to cook well,
but also the ability to do it for a large group while ensuring that the
presentation and service do not suffer. This is just not able to be seen in a
private tasting.
Conversely, group tasting events allow you to see your caterer
or venue in action cooking and serving a larger group at once. While the timing
may not mirror that of a wedding, pay attention to the presentation and
temperature of the dishes – is the food hot? Is it well presented? You will
also have a chance to talk with other couples who may be a great resource for
other vendors or ideas that pertain to your venue. You may not have the
opportunity to try every hors d’oeuvres or item from your menu, but at the same
time you may see others that you would not have initially picked that are
suddenly “must haves.” The event managers will also be busy trying to
talk to each of the couples and may not have as much time to go over your event
in detail at a group event. Take good notes of your likes, dislikes, and
questions and be sure to ask before you leave when you might be able to
schedule a time to discuss your thoughts with your event manager.
