We’ve catered an awful lot of weddings over the years; everything from a ranch wedding in a barn filled with horses, to 250 person Art Gallery spectacles, to a plated intimate dinner in a botanical garden. At this point, nothing surprises me anymore. That said, there is always a common theme for any couple planning a wedding, regardless of the style – trying to stay on budget! And any couple will tell you this is MUCH easier said than done, but luckily, we’ve got some great suggestions for dealing with what is, more often than not, the biggest expense at any wedding – the food.

Having a memorable, fun and unique food service will no doubt be the main talking point for many of your guests, but can you still wow them and stay on budget? Sure you can. Here are some great tips to consider when working with any caterer planning your big day:

1. Avoid over-the-top dessert displays
I know, cake and weddings are synonymous, and no one’s saying axe it altogether! Over the weddings we’ve catered, I’ve done and seen sundae bars, cheesecake stations, ice cream machines, s’more stations, chocolate mousse displays, chocolate fountains, you name it. And these are in addition to the couple’s traditional wedding cake or cupcakes.

The truth is, the vast majority of your guests simply aren’t going to eat 3 desserts at your wedding. Think of it this way, after a meal, every one will of course try some of the wedding cake or cupcakes as a tradition, how many do you really think are going to go grab a huge piece of cheesecake after that? Dessert items can be quite pricy, and the amount that are usually eaten at such parties almost never justifies the cost. If you’re set on having more food, a more cost effective and popular option is a lighter savoury late night snack option.

2. Avoid Adding Extra Items for All Guests Just to Satisfy a Handful of Dietary Restrictions

Dealing with vegetarian guests or dietary restrictions is a part of planning. Of course, these guests need to be taken care of as well, so many couples will believe they need to add in extra vegetarian buffet items as a result of this. Since you can’t just put out a few servings of these on the main buffet, you need to have enough of this ordered to be sufficient for everyone. Adding on two separate items for a group of say, 100 people is very pricy just to accomodate a few.

While having some vegetarian items is always a good idea, a better and more cost effective option is to simply have your caterer prepare and plate special meals for the guests separately. Any caterer you work with should be willing to do this for you. Doing it this way accomplishes two things:

1. You only are charged for the exact amount of special meals that need to be prepared.
2. These guests are served individually by the staff, which makes them feel as though they are being well taken care of by both the couple and the caterer. It shows their dietary concerns are being taken seriously and handled professionally. Of course they are still able to help themselves to any additional buffet items they are able to eat as well.

3. Spread out your Food Service, Rather than Having One Huge Meal

This will go a long way towards providing a memorable food service experience for your guests. Have your guests greeted at the door with light passed canapes while they mingle and grab a drink, rather than just drink and wait for a huge buffet. Consider doing food stations (composed small plates of hot and cold food) to provide a unique and more social experience for your guests than a traditional buffet. And finally, consider having some great late night snack options available for your guests as the inevitable dance party begins later in the evening. You will pay a bit more for service staffing, but spreading the food service out with multiple, lighter meals will help create an experience your guests won’t forget, and your caterer will be able to help you to stay on budget with your menu selections. Imagine having a poutine bar set up for your guests for 10pm? Need I say more?

We’re proud to announce we’ve given our homepage and the rest of our website a facelift for 2011! We wanted to make our site even easier for our clients to navigate and instantly be able to find the service they are looking for, so we decided to make two big ol’ buttons on our homepage to take both our corporate clients as well as our clients looking to plan social gatherings right where they need to be.

We’ve also updated the site with brand new food photos as well as updated and expanded menus in most sections!

What do you think of our new website design? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

…for the Drew Cooks! van making it’s way around the Lower Mainland!

Let us know what you think of the design by leaving a comment on our blog.

I wanted to take a moment to share some information about a program throughout the Greater Vancouver Area that some may not be familiar with: The Food Runners Program.

When most people think about a food bank, they think of donating non-perishable canned goods, however the Vancouver Food Bank has the Food Runners program set up to take donations of all sorts, perishable produce, meats, anything you can imagine. In fact, they will send refrigerated trucks to your house, kitchen, or restaurant to pick up donations anywhere in the Greater Vancouver area!

I encourage anyone having a large gathering or BBQ this summer to consider donating surplus food to this great program.

For more information or to schedule a pickup, contact Will, manager of the Food Runners Program at 604-834-7457.

Over the last 7 days, Drew Cooks! has been providing lunch catering to the numerous staff and volunteers from Medecins sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders and their exhibit set up in front of the Vancouver Public Library.

The exhibit was entitled “Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City”, and is in the process of traveling to major cities across North America. Here is some information from their website about the exhibit itself:

Guided by MSF aid workers, visitors are asked to imagine that they are among the millions of people fleeing violence and persecution in, for example, Somalia, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Sudan.

The exhibit is made up of materials used by MSF in its emergency medical work around the world, including emergency refugee housing, a food distribution tent, water pump, health clinic, vaccination tent, therapeutic feeding center, and a cholera treatment center. It addresses questions such as:

• Will I be safe?
• What will I eat?
• How do I find water?
• Can I get medical care?
• Where will I live?

Today, 42 million people around the world have fled armed conflicts and are searching for safety (see Refugee/IDP Snapshots). They are children, women, and men living in temporary shelters, camps, or shanty towns, struggling to survive in new and often hostile environments. Those who have sought refuge in another country are refugees, a status which entitles them to certain rights under international law.

Those who are seeking refuge within their own countries are officially called internally displaced persons (IDPs). They have fewer rights than refugees, yet make up almost two-thirds of the people around the world today who are seeking safety from armed conflict and violence.

It was a pleasure cooking for the hard-working staff and volunteers each day, who braved the Vancouver rainfall and October chill to give tours to hundreds and hundreds of visitors over the week.

Here are a few pictures of both the event and the staff involved in putting this together:

Thank you to all at MSF/Doctor’s without Borders for your hard work in bringing this display to Vancouver!

Photos courtesy of Kevin Hooi