It’s been a year and a half since we were catapulted into this hot mess of a pandemic. We went from many of our lives being largely unaffected by external influences to feeling like we got shoved inside of a blender for 20 long months. All these changes have impacted how we have celebrated some of our most important moments in life. Many weddings have been hit pretty hard, with some of my brides postponing their events once, sometimes twice. The uncertainty that has been floating around in the air makes planning an event extremely difficult. The elephant in the room here isn’t Aunt Edith; it is COVID and how it affects your special day.
But I like to think of myself as a glass ½ full kinda gal. I don’t think anybody can argue the stress of ensuring the perfect wedding day when one must decipher and juggle all the current health orders. Are there gathering limits? Will people need to wear masks? Do we have to show proof of vaccination? Can we even have the event catered? Sure all these changes are inconvenient, but they aren’t insurmountable obstacles. Let’s dive into how my catering company has worked with brides through a worldwide pandemic to ensure their day is still as special as they had always imagined.
Communication
At Biggar Bites, communication has always been an essential aspect of the planning of your meal. But, since the onset of this pandemic, we’ve certainly improved and streamlined our processes in this regard. Most of my brides look at planning their wedding well in advance and start to reach out to photographers, caterers, venues, and more right away. Once you find out about my company, there are a few avenues for contact that I’ve made available. Many of my brides opt to contact me through Facebook or email (I have a contact form on my website that can be filled out), but others reach out through Wedding Wire or by phoning me. We’ll get a lot of the burning questions you might have out of the way during this initial chat. Although it won’t set any plans in stone, our discussion will provide some insight into how I cater and what the process will look like going forward.
Throughout the planning of your wedding, I keep these lines of communication open. I believe that the meal(s) you and your guests dine on are a crucial aspect of a successful day/night. So, as we inch closer to your wedding day, we’ll dot our Is and cross our Ts. You can find more information about my catering process here.
Meal Options
Another area of focus during the initial planning of your wedding is the big meal. In the middle stages of this pandemic, my team transitioned to a fully served dining experience for all our wedding catering. This eliminated much of the concern with the serving and sharing of food among guests while also focusing on food presentation through our plating. We’ve since transitioned back to giving you the option of a buffet-style or fully served meal and will discuss this during our initial talks about your wedding catering.
Some other considerations we will highlight during our talks include:
- Whether you’re looking for a traditional turkey dinner or something more elegant like Cornish Game Hens or Salmon Wellington
- Whether there are any food restrictions to accommodate like Celiac (gluten-free) or lactose intolerances
- Any religious beliefs or restrictions regarding the food preparation or serving
These points are pretty universal in the world of catering but are ones I emphasize more in the preparation stages now with COVID so that we can ensure a seamless dining experience.
Guests & Budget
Tying into the discussions we’ll have surrounding your big meal, we will also take time to go over your guest count and budget. Although this step in the process hasn’t changed much since the introduction of COVID, it is a crucial part of planning your meal. At Biggar Bites, I’ve developed a reputation for not compromising on the quality of food I serve for my wedding catering. I don’t want your big meal to be mediocre; I want it to WOW your guests. Just as you desire to have stunning photos of the event, you should also have a delectable meal to enjoy with your friends and family.
Once you know how many guests you’ll be inviting, I’ll be able to give you a breakdown of the cost of the meal, gratuity, server fees, mileage, etc. This cost breakdown will allow you to see exactly where your money is going, enabling you to make the most informed decision about the catering company you’d like serving your wedding.
Change & Adaptation
Finally, a little bit must be said about our ability to change and adapt under trying times. If you had told me back in 2019 that a worldwide pandemic would charge through and wreak havoc on our lives, I don’t think I would have believed you. This is all new to everybody, and we’re just going with the flow. Although challenging to navigate, maybe COVID looming overhead will allow us to slow down time and evaluate what’s really important.
Since we were born, food has meant love & comfort. If there ever was a meal to emanate these feelings, shouldn’t it be this one?
Marcy