Too Many Wedding Receptions

The hotel is a large venue able to provide everything a wedding party needed. Canapés and drinks served in a substantial foyer and bar area, with catering provided by the hotel itself. And of course a range of styles are on from buffet to silver service.

But this is just exactly where it all started to go wrong. As the venue is large it can accommodate several wedding parties at once. And this is exactly what happened. As the guests from each party (and there were at least two if not three) converged in the foyer drinks and canapés became confused.

In fact one wedding was not offering any – officially – but the guests from it benefited by being confused with the guests from the other. In fact there was no way the hotel staff could tell one set of guests from the other . In fact they didn’t even bother to try. The foyer area, which is large, was not segregated in any way and other guests of the hotel were also wandering around. The result – general chaos with my friend missing out on canapés and the official drinks as guests from the other wedding received them instead.

However as no one knew what was going on the fact that there were any drinks escaped some of the party’s attention. Consequently they were happy to buy their own from the bar.

Next came the catering. A buffet style event which featured a variety of dishes and offerings. This is where one of several problems arose. First, most people wanted to sit down and eat but there were places to do so. The hotel obviously felt that “buffet style” meant “stand and eat”, and mingle. Not very convenient when you are trying to hold one or two plates of food and a glass of wine.

But even more vexing for the guests was the length of time it took to collect their food. The hotel had only laid on two staff to serve and they were a little overwhelmed. Added to this was the fact that certain dishes ran out very quickly and had to be replenished. This meant one of the staff had to leave their position and travel some distance to the kitchens, to return some time later with a rapidly cooling serving tray of food.

Some simple lessons can be learnt here. Large venues are booked solid most of the year round because they are known. However it still their responsibility to ensure that each wedding is dealt with in an individual way so that the bride and groom are aware of the catering and how their guests will be treated from the moment they arrive. It is also important to understand what the food will be like.

As part of our catering service we always take these considerations into account. And even if people don’t ask us the right questions we provide the answers anyway. We inform you of the number of waiting staff, all the catering arrangements and how we will look after your guests before, during, and often after the main reception.

Arens & Heriot Catering is familiar with many venues in the county of Herts. And all our catering is provided in someone’s venue. And we perform this service because our business associations and customers recognise the professionalism of an established catering company. This is what makes the difference.

Your Wedding Day is special so please ensure you get everything fixed and sorted in advance.