Wedding catering in Portugal

THE ESSENTIALS

Before requesting proposals, decide how you want the meal to unfold

Guest numbers are only the starting point. Think about the meal format, the time you want to give each moment and the importance of the drinks reception, dinner and bar in the overall experience. These decisions make proposals more relevant and much easier to compare.

• Guests and formatShare a realistic guest estimate and decide whether you imagine a seated meal, a more informal service or several food moments throughout the day. Confirm any minimum guest count or minimum spend as well.
• When to beginOnce the venue is chosen, you can understand its kitchen conditions, timings and available services. That is the right stage to shortlist caterers and check availability.
• First point to confirmUnderstand exactly what each proposal includes for the drinks reception, meal, drinks, bar, team and table service. A per-person price is only comparable when the inclusions are similar.

A well-prepared brief prevents proposals that are difficult to compare and helps you choose a solution that works with the venue, budget and rhythm you imagine for the wedding.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

What a catering proposal should make clear

• Menu and service momentsThe proposal should show what will be served at every point, from the drinks reception and meal to the bar, including quantities, alternatives and solutions for dietary requirements.
• Team and timingsConfirm how many people will work in the dining room, kitchen and bar, for how long, and how staffing adapts to the guest count and planned pace of the day.
• Allergies and special dietsThese needs should be handled in advance, not merely marked on a list. Understand how dishes will be prepared, identified and served so every guest is properly looked after.
• Tasting and final menuUnderstand what can change after the tasting, when the final choices are confirmed and which elements are included, such as tableware, furniture, ice, cake, transport, installation and cleaning.

For multicultural weddings, or when an external caterer comes into the venue, coordination becomes even more important. Kitchen facilities, power, water, storage, access, installation and cleaning must work with the venue and the other teams.

This is precisely where professional support makes a difference: not only in choosing the menu, but in ensuring that what was booked can be delivered at the venue, within the available timings and without conflicting with the rest of the plan.

WHAT CAN CHANGE THE BUDGET

What changes the value of a catering proposal

• 01 · Meal formatA seated dinner, buffet or several service moments require different teams, timings and set-up requirements. The chosen format should suit the guest count, venue and atmosphere you want to create.
• 02 · Bar, drinks and service durationThe drinks selection, type of bar and number of service hours can carry significant weight in the budget, especially when the celebration continues late into the night.
• 03 · Equipment and venue requirementsTableware, glassware, furniture, linen, ice or kitchen equipment may be included by the caterer, supplied by the venue or booked separately. This is where apparently similar proposals often begin to have very different real costs.
• 04 · Logistics and booking termsTravel, installation, additional hours and minimum guest counts or minimum spend can also change the final price. Identify these costs before comparing proposals.

The aim is not to find the lowest per-person price, but to understand the real cost of delivering the service you imagine. We compare proposals against the same criteria and identify early what might later become an extra cost.

BEFORE BOOKING

What to confirm before choosing a proposal

• Does the per-person price include VAT, service staff, equipment, installation and cleaning?
• Is there a minimum guest count or minimum spend?
• How are allergies, intolerances and other dietary needs handled?
• Is the bar included, for how long, and what does it cost to extend service?
• Which elements may be charged separately at the end?

These questions reveal the true value of each proposal and prevent you from comparing prices that cover different services. We review them with you so the decision considers not only cost, but also service quality and the way catering connects with the rest of the wedding plan.

PREPARATION

What to include in the proposal request

• Guests and booking termsState the expected number of adults, children, suppliers and additional meals, along with any minimum guest count or minimum spend.
• Menu, drinks and service momentsDescribe how you imagine the drinks reception, meal, bar and cake, including allergies, dietary requirements and important preferences.
• Team, equipment and venue conditionsShare the planned timings and identify what the venue already supplies, from kitchen facilities and furniture to access, installation and breakdown.
• Tasting, timings and paymentsConfirm when the tasting takes place, the deadline for changes, which timings are included and how the payment schedule works.

The more complete the brief, the more relevant the proposals and the easier they are to compare. We structure the request so every caterer responds to the same needs and the decision is based on genuinely comparable information.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Common questions before choosing wedding catering