Practical guides

The questions that come up at every wedding, with answers from a caterer who has been preparing them since 2012.

• How to make your wedding seating plan

  The step-by-step method for seating your guests: when to start, which tables to begin with, round or rectangular tables, and the mistakes to avoid.

• Getting your guests' replies: deadline and reminders

  What reply deadline to set, what questions to ask, how to send reminders without offending anyone: the method for getting a reliable number before you call the caterer.

• How many covers to tell your caterer

  Adults, children, suppliers, cancellations: how to work out the number of covers for a wedding and by what date to give it to the caterer.

• Allergies and dietary requirements: what to ask your guests

  How to collect your wedding guests' allergies and dietary requirements, what the caterer needs to know, and why they must be linked to a person and a table.

• Wedding timeline: what to do, and when

  The stages of organising a wedding over twelve months, in order: venue, caterer, invitations, replies, seating plan, big day.

• Wedding budget: building it and tracking it

  How to set your wedding budget, which items depend on the number of guests, and how to track deposits and balances without nasty surprises.

• Secular ceremony: building your running order

  The sequences of a secular ceremony, how long they last, the role of the officiant and the contributors, and what to plan in terms of sound and equipment.

• Arranging accommodation for your guests

  On-site accommodation, nearby hotels and gîtes, shuttles: how to list your wedding guests' needs and assign the beds.

• The big day timeline, hour by hour

  How to write the schedule for your wedding day: the key times, the margins to allow, what to send to suppliers and the rain plan.

• Wedding invitations: when and how to send them

  When to send your wedding invitations, what they must contain, and how to include the online reply without forgetting anything.

• Drinks reception: duration, quantities, organisation

  How long a drinks reception lasts, how many bites and drinks to plan per person, and how to avoid waiting between the ceremony and the meal.

• Choosing your wedding caterer: the questions to ask

  What to ask a wedding caterer before signing: what the price includes, staff, lead times, tasting meals and cancellation terms.

• Wedding drinks: what quantities to plan for

  Wine, bubbles, water, non-alcoholic drinks: the benchmarks for working out wedding drink quantities, from the drinks reception to the party.

• Children at weddings: meals, tables and childcare

  Whether or not to invite children, where to seat them, what meal to serve them, and how to organise childcare during the evening.

• The brunch the next day: keeping it simple

  Who to invite to the brunch the day after the wedding, at what time, what to serve, and how to find out how many people will be there.

• Speeches and entertainment: where to place them in the meal

  How many speeches and entertainments to plan for at a wedding, when in the meal, and how to coordinate them with the caterer's service.

• Outdoor wedding: preparing the rain plan

  Ceremony, drinks reception or dinner outdoors: how to plan the fallback, who decides to activate it, and at what time.

• Choosing your reception venue: the points to check

  Capacity, hours, kitchen, accommodation, access: the list of points to check before booking a wedding reception venue.

• Guest list: building it and trimming it without falling out

  How to draw up your wedding guest list, bring it down to the number the venue and budget allow, and announce your choices.

• The wedding meal: sit-down, buffet or cocktail dinner

  The three wedding meal formats compared: atmosphere, duration, staff needed, budget and constraints for the venue.

• Thank-yous after the wedding: when and how

  How soon to send your wedding thank-yous, to whom, what to write, and how to avoid mix-ups over the gifts received.

The wedding figures

Average and median budgets, supplier prices, quantities of drinks and canapés, with their sources: the guide with figures, the budget, the drinks, the petits fours.