Most catering problems at weddings are not cooking problems. They are agreement problems: a headcount nobody confirmed, a dish someone assumed was included, a counter that was meant to run until midnight and closed at ten. Almost all of it is preventable in the booking conversation.
This is the checklist we would want a family to bring to us. Work through it in order; each stage assumes the one before it is settled.
Before you shortlist
Do this before you speak to any caterer, because these four answers change every quote you will receive.
- Fix the date and the venue. A quote without both is guesswork. The venue in particular decides what equipment a caterer has to bring. See what wedding catering costs in Lucknow.
- Decide which functions you are catering. Mehndi, haldi, sangeet, baraat, reception: each is a separate brief with its own crowd, timing and appetite.
- Set a working guest count per function. Not one number for the whole weekend.
- Agree the family's food position. Fully vegetarian, mixed, allium-free, or a mix by function. Deciding this late forces menu rewrites.
At the tasting
A tasting is not a free meal, it is a test. Come with the draft menu and treat it as a working session.
- Taste the dishes you intend to serve, not the kitchen's standard sampler. If a dish on your menu is missing from the tasting, ask why.
- Taste at least one dish cold or reheated. At a wedding, food sits in a warmer. A dish that only works straight off the flame is the wrong dish for a buffet.
- Check the spice level against your guest list. Elderly relatives and out-of-town guests eat differently.
- Ask who cooks on the day. The person who cooked the tasting should be the person leading the kitchen at your event, or you should know why not.
- Look at presentation, not just flavour. Ask to see photographs of the counter setup and crockery you will actually get.
One question worth asking at every tasting: what would you change about this menu if it were your own family's wedding? A caterer who answers honestly is telling you where the menu is weak, which is exactly what you need to hear.
What belongs in writing
Verbal agreements are where events go wrong. Before any significant advance changes hands, make sure the document covers all of this.
- Full dish list for each function, named individually
- Assumed guest count, and the date by which you must confirm the final number
- What the price does if the headcount rises or falls after that date
- Service style per function, and how many service staff are included
- Live counters by name, with the hours each one runs
- Equipment, crockery, cutlery and linen included, and what is not
- Setup time and clearing time at the venue
- Any dietary-specific menus, and how they will be kept separate
- Payment schedule, with what each instalment covers
- One named coordinator, with a mobile number
The final week
This is when a well-planned event becomes a calm one. Three things matter.
- Confirm the headcount by the agreed deadline. Round up if you are genuinely unsure, and say so. A caterer can plan a buffer, but not a surprise.
- Walk the venue with the coordinator. Where counters stand, where the prep area is, where guests will queue, and where the power and water come from.
- Lock the timeline. When the welcome drinks start, when starters go out, when the main buffet opens, when dessert opens, when service stops. Share it with the venue and the photographer too.
On the day
By this point your job is mostly to stay out of the kitchen's way. Two things are still yours.
- Nominate one family contact. One person the coordinator calls, and who can make a decision without a family conference. Multiple instructions from multiple relatives is the most common cause of service confusion.
- Eat early. Couples routinely finish a wedding having eaten nothing. Ask the coordinator to set aside plates for the couple and immediate family before the buffet opens.
Questions we get asked
When should we do the tasting?
After you have shortlisted two or three caterers and shared a draft menu, but before you pay a significant advance. A tasting is most useful when it tests the dishes you actually intend to serve.
What should be written into the agreement?
The dish list per function, assumed guest count and confirmation deadline, service style and staff included, live counters and their running times, equipment and crockery included, setup and clearing times, the payment schedule, and what happens to the price if the headcount changes.
How do we handle dietary restrictions?
Tell the caterer the requirement and the approximate number at booking, not on the day. Allium-free, Jain, diabetic-friendly and allergy-related menus change preparation and need separate serving equipment to avoid cross-contact. We cook a full no-onion, no-garlic menu when it is planned in.
Who is our point of contact on the day?
Ask for one named coordinator and their mobile number before the event, and give them one named contact from your side. On the day the family is occupied, so a single decision-maker on each side keeps conflicting instructions away from the kitchen.
Anil Caterers, Lucknow
Catering weddings, corporate events and private parties across Lucknow since 2000, under founder and executive chef Anil Gupta. More about the kitchen.
