Stories Behind Our Closed Catering List

We know how coming in from the outside, it seems strange to have a closed list of vendors. When coming across a venue or planner that has any kind of closed list, it often comes from a good place of wanting to be sure all goes well on your wedding day, and the folks on that list are trusted.

For all vendors, we help you locate a vendor that fits your needs. We've met SO many talented photographers, florists, musicians, DJs, videographers, entertainers and more over the years, and we love helping to match up the right team for your wedding. We're also happy to meet new-to-us vendors. Except... for catering.

Why the closed list on catering?

Here are a few of the things that went horribly wrong:

• Food kept in a hot box for 7 hours. Hot boxes are rated for 4 hours.
• The caterer that only brought half the food, was paid in full, left early, and refused refunds (this caterer has multiple lawsuits against them).
• The caterer who announced to the guests at dinner that their staff had worked very hard serving them and should be tipped.
• The days that servers are poorly dressed to a formal wedding.
• Food left out too long at the wrong temperature. (Can make guests sick, but potentially life-threatening for the elderly).
• Caterers with a bad attitude, and who complain about anything within guests' hearing.
• Food of poor quality that guests did not eat (hungry guests do not stay long)
• The caterer that brought dirty napkins to put on the tables.

This is only a fraction of the things that have happened at our venue over the years. Many times the Planner or Venue staff have to jump in and quietly work to remedy forgotten items, shush attitudes, smooth things over, or fix the things we can.

Our Planner ran out and got pizzas for the still-hungry guests... and thankfully is a certified bartender and was able to take over behind the bar when the caterer's bartender left 3 hours early.

We've re-worked layouts, added tables and located extension cords because the caterer never looked at the layout we sent and/or never disclosed to us their needs.

Dirty napkins maybe doesn't sound like a big deal, yet we had only an hour before ceremony. The caterer shrugged us off when we asked about napkins, there was no reaction of "OMG" and no apology. Thankfully in an offsite storage area we had some napkins in a similar color left behind by a previous couple that we had washed and were about to donate. We never told the couple of the hiccup... and the caterer never thanked us.

We want your event to run well, and catering is one of the biggest parts of your wedding day. It's front-and-center for your guest's experience. A poor catering company reflects badly on a significant portion of the event, and unfortunately for us as a venue, sometimes it's hard for a guest to know the venue wasn't one and the same with the caterer, and so a poor experience makes us look bad.

We know the caterers on our list, and they know us. They understand our green initiatives, communicate with us well in advance about the menu so we can provide the right dishware and glassware. They look at the layouts created for your wedding, ask about the flow of the event and what is expected. They communicate with us AND you ahead of the event... most importantly, they care about what they are doing.

That's what we want for your most special of days as you celebrate your marriage with your most special people.

Photo Credit: Jordan Hope Photography

Caterer (in photo): Events With Taste