We know that planning your wedding is like navigating your way around a foreign city when you don’t speak a word of the language. You know where you want to go, you’re not entirely sure how to get there and you know you definitely don’t want to be ripped off along way.
We completely understand that this can be overwhelming and, in the beginning stages, not an entirely enjoyable experience. That’s where we come in. Weddings are our first language, and we’re completely committed to getting you where you need to go. So here it is, a little light Autumn reading. If you’re planning your big day for 2020 or even 2021, take some advice from the locals about town as we do some well needed myth busting!
1.You must have exactly what’s listed on the menu pack, word for word: Creativity is at the forefront of what we do. The accompaniments and flavours of dishes are things that we think work well together, but they are not set in stone. Are you getting married in Spring and would prefer seasonal veg? Fancy more garlic in your jus? Just let us know and we will work together to create your perfect menu.
2. You need to decide what you’re having RIGHT now! Although your tasting is to try your menu choices, contrary to popular belief, we don’t need to know your final choices until two weeks before the big day! Whilst it is useful to chat through firm favourites at your tasting so you don’t forget, this means you can debate those last few canapes backwards and forwards until your heart is content.
3. You must book before you come in for your tasting or we’ll give away your date. We normally advise coming for your tasting 9 months-1 year before your wedding. This is so you can remember the dishes you’ve tried, taste your menu in a similar season to the one you’re getting married in, and so we can begin to fill in a few of the details you don’t have two years before, like timings, and who your other suppliers are. You will never be expected you to book your caterer before you’ve tried our food. Once you are booked in for your tasting, we will hold your date until two weeks after your tasting, when we’ll ask you to confirm booking. We can, of course, offer you a tasting more than a year in advance, but please be aware that tastings are often booked up a couple of months in advance, so you may have to bear with us whilst we find a space.
4.Having different coloured linen or fancy glassware is really expensive. We do have a standard range of things we use. These are included in your per head price on our menu packs. We can, however, source all sorts of jazzy things. If you know for certain you’d like something like gold cutlery, email us soon after booking to avoid disappointment. We use local suppliers to your venue. This helps the local economy and us out by avoiding excessively high delivery fees. If you’re interested in our suppliers let us know and we can give you all the details. As a standard cutlery & glassware upgrades are roughly 40p per item, with napkins at 60p.
5. Tastings are held at weekends. We do not hold tastings at weekends. This is because 90% of our events occur at weekends so we are often busy with those. On the rare occasion that there is not an event on a weekend, we actively encourage our team to enjoy a weekend with family and friends, getting a much needed work/life balance, which is particularly difficult during the heady main months of wedding season. Tastings are, instead, held on weekday evenings from 6:30.
If you would like some more information about our menus, or would like to book in for a tasting, email us at [email protected].
Image by JStokeley Photography at Balcombe Place