A Caterer’s Take on Wedding Coordinators
When you hire a Wedding Coordinator, they’re going to be working with every other vendor you’ve hired as well. Wedding Coordinators are the middle man who make sure everything goes smoothly. It’s important to know that your coordinator can work well with the other vendors you’ve hired. I chatted with a great local caterer, Aleta from Frugal Gourmet Catering, to get her thoughts on working with a Wedding Coordinator. Before we get into the juicy stuff, here’s a little bit about Aleta and her business!
Part 1- About Frugal Gourmet Catering
Q. Tell me a little bit about Frugal Gourmet Catering!
A. We are a Full Service Caterer, specializing in Boone, NC. We offer catering services for weddings, parties and corporate events. We offer custom menus that will fit your budget and delight your taste buds.
Q. What sets you apart from other caterers?
A. We shy away from the “Cookie Cutter” approach, allowing for a varied menu with a creative approach to your catered event. Whatever your style, Frugal Gourmet offers fully tailored dishes made fresh and delicious for your event. Take a look at our offerings, call or email us with your budget and food preferences, and then we’ll assist you in creating the ultimate experience. Don’t see what you had in mind? We can customize any catering menu to suit your palette!
Q. What services do you offer?
A. From Fried Green Tomato Chicken to our Wild Mushroom Ravioli, the possibilities are endless. Crave decadent Desserts? Sample our Signature Macadamia Kahlua Pie or Italian Cream Cake. If you’re a Foodie, we’ll make your taste buds happy! We like to offer you a selection of services styles. Whatever your selection, the Frugal Gourmet Catering Staff will excel at creating an extraordinary dining experience.
Other touches we add to simplify the process:
Linens – Napkins – Silverware – Plates – Beverage Glasses
Part 2- A Caterers thoughts on Wedding Coordinators
Q. How does having a wedding coordinator on the wedding day help you do your job better?
A. When a professional wedding is overseeing it removes us from being the “assumed person in charge”. This is huge, as I know all the details for food, times etc…but everything else falls under the “wedding planner duties” which encompasses a huge amount of details. A wedding is a one time event and you don’t get a second chance to get the details right.
Q. What is one thing that a wedding coordinator does to help relieve stress for you?
A. I would say the biggest thing is coordination! We both have our respective jobs to do, but both teams are always jumping in to help the other.
Q. Tell about a time when you were glad there was a wedding coordinator present:
A. We had a wedding at a winery on an incredibly “stormy” day, with multiple sites for ceremony, reception, etc AND the head count had gone from 130 to almost 200 (we did get a heads up a few days before)! The team from the winery did a stellar job making it all work!
Q. Tell about a time when there wasn’t a wedding coordinator and you wished there was:
A. This is an easy one! Again, it was a wedding at another winery with multiple off-site locations. The bride’s priority was the photos. I absolutely get that, but it was a rainy day off and on and so photos took twice the amount of time. She had declined having ANY refreshments for her guests during this time and that left them for over 2 hours. What really impacted me the most was speaking with her mom afterwasrds, and she commented that “she just couldn’t wait for this night to be over” . I never want to hear that from a mom again. This should be just as special a day for the mother of the bride, as the bridal couple.
Q. What difference does it make in your client’s planning process when they’re working with a Wedding Planner?
A. That’s a great question! The style and theme of the wedding take on a whole new personna when a good wedding planner is involved. I do charry vintage dishes, glasses, etc. and having a wedding planner who can pull that all together with florals, props, etc. really makes a huge difference in the impact of the “venue scaping”.
Q. Anything else you want couples to know about hiring a Wedding Coordinator or Planner?
A. I think a wedding planner should be versatile enough to make suggestions on all vendors and suggest at least 2 for each tier of service; not a “one size fits all” approach. Here is something that seems to be showing up this year…not just posting any blogs or social media posts, but the CONTENT! I have to give a shout out to Joelle here, as, after seeing several posts of hers, I actually contacted her! I wanted to know more about her, as I really felt her marketing approach was refreshing and so I knew her approach to wedding planning would also be!
