Catering help

[mellongoose]

Without going to every caterer I thought I'd ask MN for their experiences first.

We have the offer of a marquee at a cheap price if we put it up ourselves. Now I'm trying to price up caterers.

We'd like a wood fired BBQ banquet style for 60-100 (not sure of numbers yet). What would you expect this to be priced at pp and what facilities do they expect us to provide?

Thanks

Have you ever erected a marquee? It's a specialist job- it's not like a family camping tent but bigger! When are you getting married? Will the marquee have heating (don't underestimate how cold it can get in spring and autumn), what about flooring? You will need to arrange toilets and power- I do not recommend slinging an extension cable out of a window, that's a sure fire way of all your guests ending up in darkness when the fuses blow, you will need a generator. If you're having a DJ or band, it will have to be a big generator.

For a BBQ it very much varies- depending on whether we are talking sausage sandwiches or something with a range of foods, hog roast style joints, salads etc - sorry to not be more help. It is not always a 'cheap' option as BBQs for a lot of people require a lot of chefs to do properly, whereas a traditional 3 course meal is staged so that is actually easier.

Equipment- we'd provide everything we would need. You would need to hire tables, chairs etc, which a caterer may do for you or may be able to point you at a hire company.

You will also need plates, cutlery, linen, staff, glassware....... again a good catering company will at least be able to point you in the right direction.

Thanks for coming back so quickly.

The marquee bit is all taken care of. We've put it up before for parties. Ditto for the generator. OH has been plugging in enormous sound systems for years so they are confident about that side of things

Interesting that the BBQ would be more hassle than the sit down meal. I didn't know that.

We're having a Marquee and Barbecue and it's honestly completely dependent on your area and caterers.

I'd shop around, some caterers charged quite a lot for extras like hiring equipment, staff etc. but the dedicated bbq caterers brought all their own and staff was included in the cost.

We're trying to keep costs down and so are having more of a standard bbq (steak, chicken, burgers, hot dogs, veggie skewers and sides) and ours is only costing £14pp including their equipment, crockery, staff etc. There the cheapest option but most quotes were between £14-£23pp

We're renting tables etc. but buying tablecloths on ebay - cheaper than hiring! We're hiring a bar company who will provide all glasses and that side of things.

We're having a BBQ style meal too, we managed to get a great package including welcome drinks, canapés, starter, BBQ main, dessert and 1/2 bottle of wine for £29 a head.
If it's just the BBQ you're after we found lots for around £14-17 a head and all provided their own equipment and plates etc.