(Image: Callahan Catering)
When many brides and grooms interview caterers for their wedding reception, questions get asked like “How many events do you do in a given weekend, or in one day?,” “Can we do a tasting?,” etc, but very few might ask about staffing on the day of the wedding. But I urge all of you to please ask what your caterer’s plan is for staffing servers, folks to bus tables, chefs and anyone else you might need for your wedding. The number of staff needed for any given wedding will change depending on the complexity of your menu, whether you’re doing stations or a traditional sit-down, as well as the number of guests you’ll have that day. There is no one size fits all when it comes to service.
Recently, Fresh LiME Events worked with a caterer who only brought 8 staff members for a wedding with 250 guests, and that included three chefs. That left 5 servers to help facilitate the service and busing of tables. Not only was the service of guests’ meals delayed because they were unprepared, but there was practically zero busing going on. That meant dirty plates, glasses and flatware everywhere. It was a nightmare and embarrassing. I only wish we were involved in the selection process of caterers, as this would have been one of my top negotiating points during the contract phase. Five servers for 250 guests does just not cut it. So what did we have to do? The Fresh LiME Events team bused those tables. We couldn’t have guests sitting amongst that filth. Luckily the bride and groom didn’t notice it, but I sure did. For a guest list of 250, I would have had at least double the number of servers.
Just a little squeeze of LiME….
To keep up with our wedding blog, subscribe here!
