Wedding Menu Tastings
We understand that not every item on your wedding planning to-do list is particularly thrilling, but a food tasting? Now there’s something we can all get on board with!
Along with your venue and photographer, wedding catering is arguably one of the most important parts of your special day. You wouldn’t book a venue without seeing it, or a photographer without looking at their portfolio and so understandably most brides and grooms are keen to try the food before they commit to a wedding caterer, too.
The term ‘Wedding Breakfast’ can make wedding food feel a little daunting… With connotations of being your first meal shared as the new Mr and Mrs, the pressure mounts for this monumental meal. We like to ease that pressure, with our personal, informal and insightful menu tastings at our kitchen in Semington, Bath.
What Is a Wedding Tasting?
A wedding tasting is your opportunity to get to know your chosen catering company. Usually visiting their production kitchen, you’ll sit down to a selection of dishes either alone as a couple or as part of a tasting event. At Wild Fork, your tasting is completely personal, meaning it will just be you and your chosen guests at your tasting with us. We offer a tasting to our couples before they have booked with us, as we understand it’s important to meet the team and get a good feel for the kind of food we love to cook!
We like to remind our clients that a tasting is less about nailing down the exact menu for your wedding day, but more a chance for you to understand the flavours and style your caterer likes to cook with. After the tasting you’ll have complete trust in your caterer to put forward your dream menu.
When Should A Wedding Tasting Be Booked?
We suggest booking your tasting 9-12 months before your wedding day, not only so you can lock in your chosen caterer nice and early, but also so you’re trying your wedding food in a similar season! As we note above, you’re likely to want to try the food before committing to a deposit with your chosen catering company. To avoid disappointment, this means you’ll want to book your tasting way in advance so that you can secure your booking with a deposit soon after.
How To Choose Your Tasting Menu
Your wedding menu tasting is usually centred around the three course meal, or ‘wedding breakfast’, though some catering companies might offer the chance for you to try canapés and evening snacks. The three course meal is the star of the show for our wedding tastings; and we suggest choosing up to 3 starters, mains and desserts to try!
It’s easy to get caught up in the feeling that this is one of the most important meals of your life, but we encourage our clients to get back to basics! What do you gravitate toward on a restaurant or pub menu? What’s a family favourite that inspires a feeling of comfort or nostalgia for you? Your caterer will work with you to put together a selection of dishes that incorporate your favourite flavours and ingredients, ready for your wedding tasting.
Although it’s important to caterer for dietary requirements on your special day, you don’t necessarily need to taste all of the variations. Focus on the menu the two of you will be eating, and your caterer can suggest alternatives once you have collated all requirements.
Is There a Cost For Wedding Tastings?
The cost of a wedding tasting will vary between supplier. Some catering companies offer a tasting for free, and some will be free if you go ahead with their services. Others will charge a fee for a tasting which applies whether you book, or don’t. Our tastings are free for couples that book us, but in the rare event that they do not, we charge £150 + VAT. The fee covers our chef time and ingredients cost, which we’re happy to cover if you choose to book us! Additional guests are charged at £50 + VAT per person, and are non-refundable.
Beccy Goddard Photography
Who Should I Bring To My Wedding Tasting?
Now, this is a tough question to answer. The polite answer would be to say to bring whoever you’d like to share the experience with. While yes, it’s a lovely experience that you’ll undoubtedly like to share with your family or bridal party, there are decisions to make. The practical and slightly more convoluted answer would be to consider whether the guests you’re bringing will add complexity to your decision making and ultimately take away from what should be a relaxing, exciting and intimate part of wedding planning!
If you’re bringing guests, we’d suggest two is plenty.
Who Will Be At My Tasting?
So, you know who you’re bringing. Who are we bringing? Lots of catering companies will run their tastings in a different way, some have a specific chef for tasting events, some will have the owner and chef and others might have a chef and member of waiting staff! Our tastings are personal; it’s just you, your guests, a wedding planner and our head chef. We host tastings in our open plan kitchen, so you’ll have the chance to chat away with our wedding team as you tuck into each course.
Will We Discuss Crockery, Cutlery & Linen?
This will vary between catering companies, but for some, there will be the opportunity to discuss extras, such as crockery, cutlery, glassware and linen. Although the food is the priority of our menu tastings, we do like to chat through other details! We have a selection of The Luxe Collection’s beautiful upgrade options, and The Knotted Napkin Company’s hand dyed linen for you to have a look through. We can also discuss all things drinks, and give advice on your timeline and logistics.
The wedding menu tasting was our event manager Jasmine’s favourite part of wedding planning; being wined and dined, chatting all things food and going through the creative little details on the tables was her dream! We provide a relaxed environment for you to envisage what your wedding would look like with Wild Fork, offering our expert advice when asked. And if we’ve not sold the process already, there’s also fizz…. Pop us an email if you’d like to get your tasting booked in!