Besides the cake testing this is probably going to be your favourite part of the wedding planning. The menu tasting! Most venues/ caterers will offer you the chance to sample the food before choosing what you would like. If you have booked it far in advance you can arrange the tasting a year before the wedding. That way you know what will be in season, which ingredients your catering will use and the quality of the food.
Take pictures. Even if you’re halfway through the dish when you remember (which is what happened to us!). This is important as you need to guarantee the food will be served like that on the day. At the tasting you have roast chicken with butternut squash mash but on the day your guests are served roast chicken with steamed veg! Your guests won’t know any difference, that’s if you haven’t told them what’s for each meal, but you will definitely remember this was not what was agreed. It also helps if you didn’t like something about the dish. Having a picture will help you remember and you can discuss alternatives with your wedding coordinator. All suppliers should offer a vegetarian alternative and we made sure one of us had the vegetarian option so we could try this and know if our guests would like it or not.
Pace yourself. We had wine tasting included in our dinner which meant we had 2 glasses of Champagne/Prosecco/Sparkling Wine, 2 glasses of white wine and 2 glasses of red. So we basically had a bottle each! My big mistake was forgetting to eat lunch so you can imagine how that affected me. When deciding on the wines it’s important to think about which ones you like and what you think goes best with the meal. As our host for the evening said *in a thick Irish accent* ‘It’s about what you and the top table like and no one else. Don’t think about your Great Aunty Betty in the corner’. I don’t like red wine but I was surprised at how much I could compare the two we sampled to each other and the meal. So don’t worry about that, as long as you have a drink you do like I wouldn’t get stuck on things you won’t have.
If you’re having kids think about what they’ll be having. Do you want the under 10’s having Spaghetti Bolognaise spilt over the tables and down them? We were advised to go for something less… liquid. Chicken, fish fingers or even a child size portion of the main meal should be fine.
If you’re trying to save a bit of money on the catering think about if you want tea and coffee afterwards. Yes it is a nice thing to have at the end of the meal and if you’re guests are going to be partying the night away then the coffee may come in handy, but if you’re being charged £4.50 per person for a cup of tea and a petit four you may rethink it. It’s not a necessity and if you have a cash bar I’m sure one of the guests can ask for a coffee a bit later on. It’s not the end of the world!
Do not assume this is free! Some will charge a minimal fee and others will price it the same as on the day. Please check before arranging a date if you will be charged and if you’re happy to pay the amount. There’s nothing quite like sitting down to a three course dinner only to be given an unexpected cheque as you’re leaving.
Just a few things to think of before you go out and taste as much as you possibly can!
L'Chayim Moments 