One of the most beautiful things about a summer wedding—besides the bride, of course—is the abundant variety of fresh ingredients for your wedding menu. But before you can stroll the farmer’s market checking out the season’s latest and greatest, you’ll need to start with some fundamental decisions in order for things to be absolutely perfect on your wedding day.

Book Early

If you’re planning a summer wedding and you haven’t chosen your caterer yet, you should prepare yourself for making a lot of phone calls. Most caterers book a minimum of six months out, but it’s not a bad idea to nail down your first choice a year from now (hear that, brides of Summer ’17?). But don’t let that stop you from contacting your first choice. Cancellations do happen and you may be one of the lucky ones to snag an opening in our schedule.

Budget

Deciding on your budget is a larger question that encompasses the whole wedding, but you should have a good idea of what percentage of your party budget you want to denote for food and drinks before you meet with caterers. There is certainly some wiggle room in any party planning but no one likes to shop for champagne when they only have enough in their pocket for beer, as the saying goes.

Similarly, you’ll want to have a guest list range to work with. That way you can adjust numbers in order to have the menu you want most.

Restrictions

You may not know 12 months before your wedding which guests may have dietary restrictions or food allergies, but if you do, now is a good time to bring it up. Otherwise, you’ll need to find out as your guests reply and notify your catering team ahead of time. There may be little they can do to accommodate gluten free friends or vegetarian aunts if they aren’t prepared before the big day.

Think Seasonal

Summer is absolutely one of the best seasons to choose a menu that offers seasonal produce. Our incredible range of menus offer plenty of opportunities to work in produce that’s in season during the summer and work beautifully for every wedding style, from formal, multi-course meals to causal buffet-style gatherings. If you and your groom have favorite summer produce that you want to showcase, just let us know and we’ll make sure it gets worked into the menu.

Consider your Guests

Of course, this is your day, and it should be everything you’ve ever dreamed. But it’s also a special day for all of your friends and family, who can’t wait to come together to celebrate your union. In order for everyone to have a memorable and enjoyable day, consider the general tastes of family and friends. If you adore a type of food that you’re pretty sure no one else in your family likes, this may not be the time to put it at center stage. Instead, include a range of foods so that everyone can find something they will love and no one will leave your wedding grumbling about an empty stomach.

When you’re ready to talk about delicious summer menus for the most important day of your life, call Raffel’s. You really can’t do better, as My Wedding has recently made official by naming Raffel’s Catering the best wedding caterer in Cincinnati.

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