Planning a Menu for Your Wedding

Enlist the help of your caterer in planning your wedding menu as they are experts in serving events. If they offer a taste testing session, attend it to help decide what you want to serve your guests.

 Tampa Bay – Luptun’s Catering: When you have decided which caterer to use for your wedding, you should then be prepared to work out a menu. The menu should be one that is within the catering company’s capabilities and all of the food you choose should be available in that season. Some foods, particularly fruits and seafoods, are not easy to find in off times and could end up costing you a great deal of extra money if you have not considered the season in your menu.

Most caterers will be able to help you prepare a menu as they will provide you with a list of possible hors d’oeuvres and appetizers, main courses, veggies, fruits, salads, side dishes, and desserts. In most cases each item will have a price attached, or will have a choice of items that can be served for a certain dollar amount per guest. If budget is a big concern to you, be sure that you are clear on the costs of each item you choose for the event menu.

There are times when a caterer must substitute one thing for another when the ordered item isn’t available or some other disaster befalls the original menu. A good caterer will ask you what can be substituted for certain items before the event so you are not stressed with details on the day of the event. The menu should be solid well before the big day. This allows the catering staff to work their magic in their usual time frame and it allows you to relax about the food to be served. Checking that off your list will give you more freedom to worry about the other details instead. It will be one thing you can get out of the way well ahead of time.

The menu can be worked out with the caterer providing you samples of the different options. Many offer tasting sessions for you so you can better make the decisions about what will be served. This is an excellent way to avoid unpleasant surprises in the middle of the event. Your idea of lemon chicken might be different from that of the catering chef. Taste what they have to offer and then make your decisions based on what your taste test tells you.

Most caterers have sample or common menus they use for many of their clients and can show them to you if you have no idea of how to put a menu together for a large event. They are experts and can offer good advice.

	Lupton’s is known far and wide in central Florida for our fabulous BBQ, delicious side dishes, and world class catering. In addition to our two restaurants in Temple Terrace and Zephyrhills, we operate Lupton’s Boggy Bottom Event Ranch… a special event park that is nothing like you’ve ever experienced before! Whether you’re looking for a great place to take the family for lunch or dinner, catering Party Packs to go, full-service onsite catering services, or a truly memorable place to host your next gathering, Lupton’s is here to serve you!
For your next Central Florida catered event, please contact our catering experts at 813-985-6963