How to choose your wedding catering service: 10 questions to ask before you hire

Choosing who will cook for your wedding sounds simple until you start asking for quotes. One includes everything. Another leaves out the chairs. A third one asks how many guests you are expecting, and by now you are no longer sure what you are comparing.

This is a short list for that moment. These are ten questions worth asking any caterer before you sign anything, and we wrote them from what we see every day after more than 30 years of catering events. Print it, save it on your phone, or send it to your partner, who surely has opinions about the cake too.

1. What exactly is included?

It sounds like a silly question, and it prevents more problems than any other. Two quotes for the same number of guests can be very different. One brings the food and nothing else. The other includes the service staff, tables, chairs, linens, dishes, glassware, setup and even the cleanup. And nobody likes finding out a week before the wedding that the chairs were extra.

One of the questions couples ask us most is whether the glassware is included. In our service, it is. Ask every caterer the same thing, because in some proposals the glassware, dishes or linens are rented separately.

Ask for a written list of what is and is not included. Ask about the things that are easy to forget too, like drinks, ice, dessert service or cleanup at the end. When you compare three proposals, compare what each one includes, not just the total.

2. Can I taste the menu before deciding?

Nobody buys a car without a test drive, and your wedding menu should be no different. A tasting tells you whether the food is as good as it sounded, and it lets you adjust flavors, portions and presentation calmly, without the pressure of the big day. Ask whether they offer one, whether it costs anything, how many people can come and what you get to try.

At Cesco Banquets we offer a tasting. Once the event is confirmed it is free of charge, and it is for three people, so the two of you can go with someone else, whether that is a parent or whoever has the most opinions. If you want an idea of what you could serve before you come, see our menu inspiration page.

3. What about guests who do not eat everything?

At every wedding there is a vegetarian, someone allergic to shellfish, a grandfather who can no longer handle salt and a group of kids who only want pasta. Ask how the caterer handles special diets and allergies, and whether the menu can adapt or whether it is take it or leave it.

The best time to find out is early, not on the day, with the guest already seated and staring at the plate with a doubtful face. We offer menus for special diets, and we suggest asking your guests about this when they confirm.

4. How many people will serve my guests?

The best menu in the world loses points if the food arrives cold or if you have to wave for ten minutes to get a glass of water. The number of service staff depends on the style of banquet, since a buffet does not need what a plated dinner does, and on the number of guests.

Ask how many people will be there, how they are organized and who supervises the service. If you can find out who will be in charge on the day, even better: you will know who to talk to when you need something.

5. Have you worked at my venue before?

Every venue has its quirks. A tiny kitchen or none at all, awkward access for vehicles, stairs, sound limits, a closing time you cannot go past. A caterer who already knows the space knows how long setup takes, where to come in and what can go wrong.

In Antigua this matters even more, because many venues are historic, with cobblestone streets and rules of their own. We work at colonial ruins such as the Convento de Capuchinas, San José el Viejo, Santa Clara, San Jerónimo, La Recolección, La Compañía de Jesús and the San Agustín ruins, and in gardens such as the Jardines de San Francisco, as well as any other venue you choose. And if your venue is new to the caterer, that is not a problem, but ask whether they will visit before the event.

6. What happens if it rains or something goes differently than planned?

There is always something unexpected at a wedding, and it is almost never what you imagined. Ask how they react to rain, a late ceremony or a last-minute change. A good caterer does not promise nothing will go wrong. They tell you what they will do when something does.

If your date falls between May and October, which is the rainy season, talk about plan B before you book. There is more on weather and dates in our destination wedding guide for Antigua Guatemala.

7. What happens if the guest count changes?

It almost always does. Fewer people confirm than you expected, or an aunt turns up with three guests nobody had counted. Ask until what date you can confirm the final number, how much room there is to adjust afterwards and how it is calculated. Having these rules clear from the start avoids awkward conversations when the wedding is close.

8. Who coordinates the whole day?

Between the food, the tables, the decoration, the drinks and the music, a wedding has a lot of moving parts, and someone has to make sure they fit together.

The mistake we see most often is reaching the wedding day without anyone who can make decisions if something gets complicated. The couple will not be keeping an eye on things, and they should not have to. When a problem comes up, someone needs the authority to decide on the spot, without waiting for the couple to find out.

So ask who will be the person in charge on the caterer’s side, who you will deal with before and during the wedding, and who decides when something goes differently. At Cesco Banquets we do not have a wedding planner as such, but every event has a person in charge, who keeps in contact with the couple and with the person in charge or the wedding planner they have hired.

Many couples save themselves quite a few headaches by having one team in charge of the food, service staff, decoration, drinks, music and furniture, instead of six vendors who do not know each other. That is exactly what we do at Cesco Banquets, and you can see more on our weddings page.

9. Can I see real work?

Catalog photos always look good, but they do not tell the whole story. Ask to see photos of real events, preferably similar to yours, and ask whether you can meet someone who has already hired the service. A company with years of experience should have something to show you. In our gallery and on our social media you can see how we work at weddings, colonial ruins and gardens.

10. What is in writing?

Everything promised verbally should appear in a quote or a written agreement. The menu, the guest count, the schedule, what is included and what is not, the payment terms, the dates and what happens if you need to cancel or move the date. It is not distrust, it is order. If one day something does not go as expected, a piece of paper helps everyone remember the same thing.

One more question, the one that is not on the list

There is one more question that matters, and you ask it to yourself rather than to the caterer: do I feel comfortable talking to these people? For months you will exchange messages, adjustments and doubts. A caterer who answers you patiently from the first conversation is usually the same one who takes care of the details on your wedding day.

If you do not have a date or a venue yet, start with our free wedding timeline and checklist: you enter your date and we show you what to do and when. And when you want to see how we answer these ten questions, tell us about your wedding. We build the quote around your budget, and we also cater events on short notice, depending on availability.