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Wedding Planning in Gainesville
Whether you have planned your wedding in a hotel, bed and breakfast, restaurant, or country club, the food service is usually provided by the facility. However, there are many sites such as: the Thomas Center, The Gainesville Women’s Club, and many church facilities such as Holy Trinity Episcopal Hall, where catering is not provided. How do you choose a caterer that suits your style, site, and budgetary considerations? Ask questions, listen for referrals, and taste the food.
Before you approach a caterer, book your reception site. There is a world of difference between developing a catered event in a tent vs. a historic home, club, or union hall, both in terms of prices and facilities characteristics. It is important that the caterer be (or become) familiar with the reception site. If they have never worked in a specific site, then a site inspection should be suggested so that work and guest areas may be clearly delineated, and water, electric and other requirements can be determined. Whether inside a building or outside under a canopy, your caterer will need a work area out of sight of the guests as a staging area for set up and clean up. Refuse removal is also a consideration. Is the caterer responsible for trash disposal, or will the facility personnel (or you!) take care of this?
If you are planning an outdoor reception, it is wise to consider the possibility of a chance shower... or tropical storm, and plan accordingly. This might mean reserving a tent, or simply planning for an alternative indoor location. In most cases, your caterer will be able to assist you with these alternatives. If not, we have two rental companies in Gainesville that are prepared to assist you with tenting, chairs, tables, linens, dance floors, etc.. Though we advise keeping your business as local as possible to avoid problems with timely delivery and freight, there are several companies outside the area that provide tenting, linens, and other rentals that you might require. Again, your caterer can, generally, guide you in your selections. RENTAL COMPANIES: Party Time Rental Mart Headquarters (LOCAL) 352-373-8596 - 4319 NW 6th Street, Gainesville, FL 32609 - tents, lighting, linens, tables, chairs, dance floors, china, stemware, draped backdrops, food service equipment, many props and more! United Rent-All (LOCAL) 352-372-9541- 220 NW 8th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601 - tents, lighting, linens, tables, chairs, dance floors, china, stemware, food service equipment, props, and more! Holiday Tent Rentals 1-866-244-8368 (toll free/not local) or 352-377-9498 - tenting and lighting (more rentals available if renting tenting) Kirby Tent Rentals 1-800-446-1011 (toll free/not local) - tents, lighting, linens, tables, chairs dance floors, china, stemware, drapedbackdrops, food service equipment, many props, and more!
Staffing for an event is critical; the personnel needed for efficient service depending upon the level of service required for your event. A plated meal with several courses, wines appropriate to each course, and service on fine china requires far more staff, both in the public eye and behind the scenes, than a casual buffet using disposable dinnerware. Be sure that your caterer is experienced in the level of service that you require. If wines are to be offered to guests with each, or any, course, the staff should know how to serve the wine properly. If cake cutting is part of the caterer’s duties, Aunt Martha having retired from such, then they should know that a wedding cake is sliced differently than a birthday cake. Every portion of the food service will have its own accompanying service requirements. It is not critical that you know them all, as that is within the realm of the caterer. You do, however, need to take the time to determine the style and level of service you will need, and the menu.
Finally, we get to the food! The number of guests, site limitations, time of day, and your tastes all impact your menu. Any experimentation with new and exotic foods should be done prior to the actual reception so as to ensure that you are serving foods that you and your groom enjoy. As you peruse menu options, ask questions. Some items sound “fancy” in another language, but are actually very simple country fare in their home of origin. “Pommes de terre frit,” for example, are fried potatoes. When you have selected a menu, you might schedule a tasting with the caterer to sample a few of the more untraditional selections.
If you have a limited budget for feeding the crowd, it is perfectly acceptable not to provide a meal! Cake and punch receptions can be every bit as wonderful as a plated dinner in numerous courses, and just as casual or elegant as you prefer. Plan these and more elaborate dessert receptions for the middle of the afternoon, or after 7:30 PM, between/after traditional mealtimes. For a morning reception, traditional American breakfast of eggs, bacon etc., or European breakfast of coffee and a selection of fruits, juices and breakfast breads are in order. Add a few items such as quiche, a selection of cheeses, perhaps a honey basted ham and you have brunch!
Lunch and dinner menus are often similar, though usually on the lighter side for luncheon. Buffets have become very popular and are a wonderful way to ensure that guests find something on the menu that is acceptable to their palate.
If the site allows, some dishes such as Steak Diane or Bananas Foster can be prepared at a food station, sort of food entertainment! Theme buffets are fun, featuring regional fare such as Pan- Pacific, Southern American, or international such as Thai or Japanese selections, winter or seasonal themes, fairy tales, and even a “Night at the Opera,” and of course traditional holiday themes. Remember...Valentine’s Day falls on a Saturday in 2004!
Cocktail hours or receptions offer light finger foods designed to stimulate, not satiate, the appetite. Note that finger foods imply that no knife is required to slice selections into a size appropriate for a mouthful! There is nothing worse than juggling plate and glass and trying to rend a bite size morsel from a too large piece of chicken, or worse, beef. A Cocktail Hour, whether cocktails are served or not, is a pleasant way for the guests to have a light refreshment while the bride, groom, and family finish pictures, signing of license, etc.. It is not polite to keep guests waiting for longer than an hour after the wedding, regardless of trying to obtain the perfect sunset picture.
This author definitely prefers a sit down meal. Conversation is not interrupted by the comings and goings of food acquisition, no collisions of guests with meatballs or similar, and the elegance of being served and not having to serve oneself. No bias here! When serving a plated meal, it is not necessary to accommodate the whims of your guests by providing more than one selection. Traditionally, with a beautifully presented and well prepared meal, guests should eat what is placed before them without complaint. That said, please don’t choose a menu that you know will not be consumed by a portion of your guests, such as an entire meal of sushi containing raw fish and seafood. Such selections are best served as a single course of the meal. It is a kindness to take into account the known dietary restrictions; i.e. vegetarian, allergies of your guests and provide a special plate for these few. Please note, we have exited the era of tradition and some guests will complain regardless of the menu. Be gracious, not rebellious in your selections, choose foods you like, and ignore unwarranted whining.
Gainesville is home to many wonderful caterers. As you compare pricing, please be sure that you are comparing apples with apples and oranges with oranges. We are not talking fruit salad, but similarity of service. Caterers will provide some decoration with their product. Know what is available. Ask questions. Obtain referrals.
The caterers listed here regularly provide food service for events in Gainesville. Many levels of service are represented. Hotels, clubs, and restaurants providing catering only in their Home facility are noted with an “@” for “at home.” This does not include
restaurants (nearly all of them!) that routinely prepare large platters of food, delivered or picked up, but provide no other service.
A Touch Above Catering 352-376-3120
4020 NW 22nd Dr., Gainesville, FL 32605
Best Western Gateway Grand Hotel @352-331-3336
4200 NW 97th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32606
Brown’s Country Caterers 386-462-3000
14423 NW Hwy 441, Alachua, FL 32615
Cacciatore Catering 352-692-0701
9130 SW 51st Road, Gainesville, FL 32608
Celebrations Catering 352-377-0787
904 N. Main St., Gainesville, FL 32601
Chef’s Garden Catering 386-418-1580
2441 NW 43rd Street, Gainesville, FL 32606
Farah’s Catering 352-378-5179
1120 W. University Ave., Gainesville FL 32601
George’s Florida Style Bar-B-Que 352-384-1222
601 NW 6th Street, Gainesville, FL 32601
Harvest Thyme Café 352-384-9497
2 W. University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Hill’s Bar-B-Que 352-376-8072
2626 NE 39th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32609
Hilton University of Florida Conference Center @352-371-3600
1714 34th SW Street, Gainesville, FL 32607
Holiday Inn West 352-332-7500
7417 W. University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32605
The Home Bistro 352-246-3663
Ironwood Golf Course @352-334-3120
2100 NE 39th Ave., Gainesville, FL 32609
LePapillon @386-462-7722
10100 NW 13th Street, Gainesville, FL
Sovereign Restaurant
12 SE 2nd Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Special Events Catering 352-378-4213
301 N. Main St., Gainesville, FL 32601
Steve’s American Café 352-377-9337
12 W. University Ave.,Gainesville FL 32601
Stewart’s Catering 352-335-4527
2106 NW 67th Pl., Gainesville, FL 32653
Sweetwater Branch Inn @352-373-6760
625 E. University Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
Terranova Catering and Market 352-378-7810
14 SW 1st Ave., Gainesville, FL 32601
The Tower Club at the Village @352-373-4032
8000 NW 27th Blvd., Gainesville, FL 32606
Third Place Pub and Grille 352-378-0721
5323 NW 91st Ter., Gainesville, FL 32608
WH Catering 352-378-4830
1801 NE 23rd Ave., Gainesville, FL 32609
White Apron Catering 352-376-8467
2201 NE 2nd St., Gainesville, FL 32609
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