Consider Catering— A Pinch of This, a Dash of That Could Save the Day for Tented Weddings

By Cate Buscher, National Association for Catering and Events, 
Baltimore   Creating a successful tented affair requires a lot of careful planning. Anticipating the needs of the caterer can reduce the number of potential complications and make the experience much more rewarding for everyone involved.As a wedding planner, before I became an off-premise caterer, I loved the challenge of tented weddings—and still do. Far from routine weddings at familiar venues, tented events allow couples to embrace a location that truly means something to them and offers the stunning ambience of a photographer’s dreams. They also make hiring a planner pretty crucial. Someone’s backyard doesn’t come with a dance floor, tables, chairs, restrooms, or marked parking spaces. An empty field does not necessarily offer electricity or running water. Identifying and obtaining all of these things can be a daunting and expensive process for couples—and nearly impossible with no guidance.Therefore, it’s up to the planner to pull together all of those elements and create a realistic budget to make it happen. But careful planning can be undone if the logistics of what the caterer needs to prepare the food interferes with the flow of the event. The needs of the caterer can also add up financially and make an unwelcomed impact on the final bill 
if unexpected.A common mistake among planners is to address the obvious concerns, like budgeting for restrooms and rentals but neglecting to consider some of the biggies that have a major impact on catering. How can you avoid this? Consider the following:Prep space is cost- and time-savingWhen preparing for a tented wedding, be sure to ask yourself: Where will the caterer be preparing the food? A home kitchen? A garage? In their truck? In a caterer’s tent? While it seems almost silly to bring this up, this detail is often overlooked by planners and clients alike. Some solutions are less costly than others. A pre-existing kitchen costs less than renting a tent. An onsite refrigerator eliminates the chance of potentially being charged more for a refrigerated truck. Generators for ovens and lighting for caterer’s tents don’t come cheap. Is there adequate room for prepping the food as well as a breakdown area? An appropriate prep space for the caterer will enhance the efficiency of getting the food out, and we all know how important an itinerary is for maximizing dance time. Becoming familiar with the necessities of the prep space and realizing the need for one is a huge step in the right direction.Proximity keeps food service promptSuppose there is an amazing prep space established for the caterer, but it is far from the reception. Maybe there is no avoiding this, or the couple doesn’t want an unsightly catering truck ruining their view. Regardless, the issue now is getting the food from the kitchen to the tent. Additional staffing might be required to ensure a meal served in a timely fashion. In the case of rain, additional tenting would be required to cover the path of the servers. One guest’s last-minute surprise request could take an eternity to fulfill. Keeping this in mind, discussing layouts and aesthetics will be worth it in the long run.Consider setup and breakdownA commonly encountered money-saving technique is using the same rented chairs for the ceremony as well as the reception. How does this affect catering? It usually requires catering staff to relocate the chairs from ceremony to tent for the reception. And if the ceremony and the tent are separated by the cocktail area, or not at all near one another, the caterer must employ more staff to make it happen. It’s possible this could be the most economical approach, depending on headcount, but it might be the most awkward way to handle the turnover.Any caterer worth her salt will tackle these issues as soon as she is involved, but the planner worth her weight in gold will anticipate these needs and prepare her clients for them in advance. This can make things infinitely easier for both client and caterer throughout the process, prevent last-minute charges from arising, and have a beneficial effect on the day-of itinerary. By considering the requirements of the caterer, you will be operating in the best interests of your clients.