WINNING AT WEDDINGS

Or, Is the Spice in the Sauce to Your Taste?

By Sara Pentz

You don’t have to be a wise old prognosticator to know that the wedding catering business, if not booming, is surely busting out all over.

Kelly Troxel, Catering Manager, at San Francisco’s Union Street Catering, www.unionstreetcatering.com verifies this fact. “Our wedding business has tripled in the last three years. We attribute this increase to a strong economy and a greater interest in larger scale weddings. The bride’s expectations are higher, and her budget is bigger.”

Special event planners, wedding coordinators and caterers are experiencing the same phenomenon. It’s part of the trend that began with big budget Hollywood blockbusters, $1M jet setter parties, high tech digital rock shows, and the social pressure to outdo the latest big bash! It is also part of the need to be noticed in the enormous clutter of today’s avalanche of information about celebrity.

So why wouldn’t we expect to hear that brides are requesting one of a kind venues, with exotic ethnic foods, designed to resemble nothing before seen, at the (mostly) once in a lifetime, fantasy day of their lives?

These brides expect, and receive, first class hand holding, explicit time lines, production value food tastings, edgy or elegant venue choices, streamlined flow charts, and analysis of ethnic heritage, just to ensure that the spice in the sauce is created exactly to suit their taste.

The more the wedding caterers outdo the last bash and create the next perfect catered affair, the more the clients will need to use them because they are “in”. And, so unfolds the success of the wedding business.

The Nature of Success

Essentially, the caterer must be savvy about the tradition of the wedding event, knowledgeable about available venues, creative about the food preparation and display, and in tune with the flow of the particular wedding party and their guests. According to our panel of caterers, if these particulars are accomplished, the wedding will be flawless, the wedding party will have peace of mind, costly mistakes will be avoided, and their catering business will boom.

Customer service is at the heart of the wedding caterer’s success, more so than in any other type of off-premise catering. Handholding is essential because the bride and her mother are ripe with anxiety. For them the wedding must be absolutely perfect so that it will live forever in their memories. This requires that caterers be wise, sophisticated and part-time psychologists.

The Conductor

Gail Garceau (Ggweddings@aol.com) is known as The Wedding Coordinator in Newport Beach, California. In fact, she describes herself as the wedding day conductor. She brings professionalism to the planning, guides the budget expenditures, and is the non-biased referee, if necessary, among family members.

Garceau creates the majority of high end, high profile weddings in this affluent Southern California area. In fact, her weddings range up to, and above, $500,000, including wedding, reception, dresses, tuxedos, flowers and catering. Flowers alone may cost up to ¼ million dollars.

From her perspective Garceau enumerates the basics. “A successful wedding means a seasoned caterer with an eye for design, layout and the flow of staffing,” she says. “The movement and flow of guests is even more critical to the success of the wedding. The three negatives about a wedding are bad food, bad music and bad flow of events.”

The Business Plan

The wedding business is flourishing whether the catering is related to a large wedding and reception or to the simple reception after a private marriage or elopement.

“Most people don’t have the time to plan their wedding,” explains Greg Casella of San Jose-based Catered Too, http://www.catered2.com/. 50% of my work comes from wedding planners. There’s been a big shift in the past two years in Silicon Valley. People from Internet start-up companies are too busy.”

On the other hand, Ann Lyons, of Melons Catering, www.melonscatering.com, in Sausalito, in the San Francisco Bay Area, says, “We have it down to a fine science. Weddings are more structured than corporate events. You have to guide them through it. I have several meetings with them and then create a detailed time line.”

Lea Rae Brockner, of Bold American Catering www.boldamerican.com in Atlanta, began her career in the county club catering profession with Club Corp, like many successful caterers. That background in restaurant quality food services and amenities gives her a leg up in the business.

Brockner also follows a strict business approach. “We are a small company so we try not to compete as a high volume company. Yet, the demand for our catering services is great because we eliminate the number of events we do. We are also the most expensive catering business in town. We put a premium price on our premium product. That’s how we can hit higher dollars.

“It’s all about working smart instead of working hard,” she adds. “We know our demographics, and we focus on our client’s needs. Right from the beginning we agree with the bride to move forward or we’re not the right partner. We can do business this way because the demand is out there.”

Kathy Mezrano, of Kathy G. & Company, http://www.kathyg.com, Birmingham, Alabama, explains, “You are a hostess; you must be gracious. I view the entire business that way. I treat every wedding party as if they were my own guests. You have to look at it that way in order to enjoy the process, or you can suffer from amazing burnout. I’ve always had a love of entertaining and a passion for great food.”

Guaranteed Results

Melons Catering custom designs menus to fit the taste, whether it’s Asian Pacific, Russian or Persian. “You have to listen to what people want,” explains Ann Lyons. “We send out sample menus. We invite the bride in and spend time with her. Sometimes they call me five and six times a day. I take every call until I reach my max. Then I politely tell them not to call. For that reason, my brides can’t have a wedding for under $100-$150 a head.”

Lyons has developed a sure way to capture the rapport between her food offerings and her client’s taste. She does on location tastings. “Recently, I invited three couples to attend a wedding that we were doing. It was being held at the very site of each one of the couple’s upcoming weddings. They were invited to see the wedding and the reception set up. They tasted the food. It was very successful because brides tend to be emotionally stressed out, and they can’t remove themselves from their anxiety or visualize what the wedding will look like. Seeing another wedding at their site helps them to make faster decisions and be less anxious.”

On the other hand, Kelly Troxel, at Union Street Catering, provides the wedding couple and their parents with a full sit down tasting in the company’s commercial kitchen in San Francisco. The wedding party meets with the executive chef who prepares a sample meal. The chef answers all their questions and makes adjustments. “They can even decide if they want more spice in their sauce,” says Troxel. “They are always happy with the end results because they have personally customized their menus based on their tastes and their needs.”

Food Flexibility and Flow of the Crowd

While many brides still prefer sit down dining receptions there is a growing trend for more food stations. This kind of reception increases the natural flow of movement, allowing guests and the bridal party to circulate. “It also allows for more flexibility in the food,” Kelley Troxel explains. “It’s more fun because the bride does not have to commit to formal seating or food styles. You can make everyone happy by presenting a large variety of different cuisine.”

Shelley Pederson’s Atlanta brides are interested in food quality and menu design. She does her own intensive menu research. “I read lots of consumer magazines because that’s where my clients get their ideas. I also do a lot of dining out because my clients tell me about a dish at a specific restaurant, and I have to know what they’re talking about. I need to know consumer dining experiences.”

Coping with Angst, TMI and Budgets

Shelley Pederson, owner and president of Beyond Cuisine, Inc., in Atlanta, is a frequent seminar speaker and the immediate past president of NACE. 60 to 65% of her business is weddings. “99% of the time it is a happy occasion. The other 1% is made up of angst, the gnashing of teeth and the wringing of hands. If the mother of the bride did not have the wedding of her dreams, she wants her daughter to have one. Sometimes that can get ugly if the bride wants rustic décor, and the mother wants traditional white and satin.” This is when the catering referee steps in.

Then there are the brides who are on information overload because of the increase in the number of wedding magazines, consumer publications with advice to the bride, and books on the subject They come in for the first meeting with a three-inch thick, three ring binder with all their ideas. “I’ve seen ring binders that would make NASA happy,” laughs Pederson. “They have sections on floral designs, wedding dresses, food suggestions and, of course, their Martha Stewart book. What is fundamentally important is not the three ring binder, but what kind of wedding the bride prefers. Will it be formal, romantic, edgy or contemporary? Or does it fall in between?”

Or is it strictly driven by a budget? “I’ve learned that it’s where they put their value. It could be a very expensive wedding without flowers because the bride is allergic, or a wedding with a $9,000 band because the bride and groom like to dance. Maybe they place a high value on the venue, and then they don’t have money left over for flowers, food or me.”

“You can take the bottom line and wriggle it however you need. This is the first time the bride and groom will imprint their style on a social event. They have to find the right person who can help them determine what that unique style will be.”

The Aging of the Bride

Kathy Mezrano has noticed another trend. “Brides are a little older. The average age is 30 years. These brides know what they want. Usually, there is only one bridesmaid and maybe a child. These brides are a little more focused and independent. People are designing the wedding to suit themselves and not to conform to a mold.”

In fact, says Mezrano, most of these more mature brides do not necessarily want crème and ivory weddings. “Many are digressing from traditional colors to more vibrant fun colors. We did a wedding in Napa Valley with vines and wine bottles as centerpieces. The tablecloths were a rich sheer melon with a bronze overlay.”

Even in food preference, according to Mezrano, these ‘older’ brides are more knowledgeable. “They know ethnic dishes and want them as a mix to their wedding. Sushi is a favorite. I try to introduce the ethnic background in the family. We might have a Greek and Italian wedding, or a Scottish and Italian one.” Mezrano recently coordinated a museum wedding with a Scottish influence, complete with bagpipes and kilts.

Pride in the Details

Shelley Pederson says that success lies in the details. “We take pride in great fabrics. No two parties look the same when I’m involved. I use food vessels and containers that are not necessarily traditional. They are more edgy and trendy. I have trays and platters from TJ Max and Pier One. I use a lot of wrought iron and glass that you can’t find at wholesale wedding commercial outlets.”

One point made by Perry Butler, of Union Street Catering in San Francisco, is worth noting. “I credit our increased business to Dale Moul, President of the company. He’s in charge of cooking, organizing and supervising everything. He has a good reputation because he leaves a site in better shape then when he found it. He’s a fastidiously neat person. It does endear you to the venues. It speaks to your professionalism.”

Talk About Venues

Perhaps nothing about weddings has changed so much in the past several years as the venue. Museums, art galleries, private homes and historic mansions, public and private gardens, seacoasts, and renovated factories. The religious venue is still important. However, with the emphasis on individuality these exotic venues are becoming more popular.

Additionally, being a preferred vendor stabilizes the catering business. Smart owners are solidifying their relationships with a variety of venues.

Talk about the importance of venues, Lea Rae Brockner, with her three partners Robby Kukler, Steve Simon, Kris Reinhard, of Bold American Catering www.boldamerican.com in Atlanta, have gone one step further. Instead of finding unusual venues, Bold American is one.

“We represent the culinary arts in the King Plow Art Center. The special event Art Center studio is a renovated concrete factory with a contemporary art collection. It is a raw, unique, non-traditional environment. The ceilings are 35 feet high. There are over-scaled factory windows. It allows people to be married in a museum, a garden and a historic building.”

“Nobody competes with us in this area,” she states flatly. “There might be something like King Plow in New York City or Chicago where there are interesting lofts and factory spaces, but nothing around here.

Proof of her company’s success is in the stats. In l996, Bold American did two weddings. This year they completed 30 weddings. “We have demand for 2001 already,” she says. “We’ll probably max out at about 40 weddings per year unless we grow into another facility.

Birmingham’s Kathy G founder Kathy Mezrano has a staff of 35 employees because she has become the exclusive caterer at five venues in the City. As a result she has increased business by 38% over the past year. She is the exclusive caterer for, to name a few, the Birmingham Museum of Art, and for the Zoo Lodge, a stone cottage that originally housed the zookeeper.

Greg Casello of Catered Too has 200+ sites in his location database “Whether you're looking for a mountain top winery, wooded park setting, historic building, elegant mansion, or something unusual, Catered Too offers the most unique locations in Silicon Valley and beyond. If we don't have it available, we'll find it for you!” is the sales pitch from his Web site.

Finding a Niche

Perhaps one of the most unique success stories in the catered wedding business is that of Chef and Catering Company owner Michael C. Flowers, C.F.S.A. of Marietta, Georgia. Flowers and co-author Donna Bankhead collaborated via the Internet on a recently published book How to Cater Your Own Wedding Reception.

The book has step-by-step reception plans complete with recipes, shopping lists, timelines, and diagrams. It claims to cut the catering costs by at least ½. The book sold 3000 copies in the first 2 ½ weeks. Mike and Donna have still never met in person!

“The secret to accomplishing what seems to be an overwhelming task is organization,” explains Chef Mike, www.chefmike.com. “Any bride who can recruit a group of family or friends to pitch in and help for a few hours, can pull off a terrific wedding reception.

“Most people have not decided whether they can afford a caterer. If they’re on that borderline, I can show them how to do it themselves. I still get paid for the book,” he says. “The people who are going to cater for themselves, I don’t want them as my customers. There are two groups. One can afford a caterer. Those who cannot will bug you to death.”

Minus a complete collapse of the world economy, these trends and business philosophies will continue to bring success to the wedding caterer who is talented, business smart, and a savvy, sophisticated psychologist.

Brides will expect bigger, better, best, from their wedding caterer, -- call her the hostess with the mostest. And caterers will bustle to create the special effects needed to make the bride happy and leave her mother with the satisfaction of the perfect wedding.

Good advice for caterers, as well as those who want to make sure the spice in the sauce is to their taste.