Archive

Tags: wedding catering

No host wants to be in the position of running out of food at an event. But you also don’t want to order too much and have it go to waste. And it’s also likely that you don’t cater to hundreds of events every year and know the rules of thumb for how much the average person will eat at a given event. Luckily for you, Silver Spoon Caterers is here to guide you.

Here are some handy tips to use while planning for your next event.

• The amount of food you need to order depends on how long the event is and what time of day it’s at, as well as the number of people attending. An evening cocktail party requires less food than an afternoon wedding reception with a dinner. The longer the event lasts, the more food and drink people consume.
• The number of appetizers depends on whether you’re serving another meal. Plan on 3-5 pieces per person if served pre-dinner, but make them lighter fare. If it’s an afternoon event, 1-3 pieces may suffice. For an evening function, with no dinner, you’ll need to plan for 10-15 pieces per person.
• Round up, never down. People eat more when it’s served buffet-style than when it’s passed on trays.
• Plan on roughly three beverages per person. Remember that people often have coffee after dinner, as well as throughout the day. (People tend to have a cup every hour and a half or so.)
• The larger the variety of whatever you are serving, the smaller the portions should be, so that people can have a little of everything but not waste too much.
• For a breakfast, plan on one main entree and two sides, and two beverages. If you’re serving only pastries, assume two pastries per person.
• For lunch, assume one entree, and 2-3 sides (this includes a dessert if you’re serving one.) If you’re offering hors d’oeuvres, plan for 2-4 per person.
• Dinners are usually heavier than lunches, so the entree is generally a little larger. In addition to 2-3 sides, you’ll also want to offer small portions of soup, bread, or salad.

This is just a small selection of general tips to help you in the preliminary stages of planning the meals for your event. If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’ll be happy to answer your questions and provide you with a detailed quote.

Silver Spoon began as a family-owned business in Fairfax sixteen years ago. We take immense pride in knowing that we’ve been able to make your special event a success! We strive to be the very best caterers in the business. Whether you’re planning an indoor concert hall or outdoor patio wedding we can help! We have the staff and experience to make it a success!

Tags: wedding catering

Choosing the right caterer for your wedding is extremely important to the overall success of your big day. You want to find a caterer that will go out of their way to make sure that all of your needs are met. For exceptional Fairfax wedding catering, look no further than Silver Spoon Catering!

When preparing to meet with your wedding caterer, you may be wondering what questions you’ll be asked. Certain questions help us understand your wants and needs, so that we can help make all of your wedding dreams come true. It’s alright if you don’t have all of the answers yet. We will be happy to share our past experiences with you so that you are able to make an informed decision.

One of the first questions that we’ll ask you is about where your wedding will take place. For instance, will you have your wedding at a winery or reception hall? Although we will do everything that we can to accommodate you, please keep in mind that not every venue allows outside caterers. We will also need to know the date of your wedding and how many guests you plan to invite.

We will ask about your vendors such as your photographer, videographer, florist, baker, DJ and wedding planner. Knowing who your vendors are before your special day allows us to coordinate with them to ensure that everything runs exactly how you imagine it.

You’ll be asked if you have figured out the details of your reception. This might include colors, types of tablecloths, napkins and chairs, centerpieces, china, silverware and glasses. Some venues provide tables and chairs. We will need to figure out if yours is one of these. We can show you examples of what we can provide for your big day. If you are unsure of what to choose, we are happy to make recommendations.

We will discuss whether you wish to serve alcohol and all of the details pertaining to that. While we are licensed to serve alcohol in the state of Virginia, please remember that every venue will have its own rules regarding alcohol.

Each couple is unique and we believe that your menu should reflect that fact. That’s why we work directly with you to create a menu that fits your unique tastes and style. Our talented staff will make sure that all of your needs are addressed, including special diets and family favorites.

This is an extremely special time in your life. Let Silver Spoon Caterers help make it perfect! For more information, please contact us at (703) 968-2950.

Tags: wedding catering

It’s wedding planning season.

And when planning an event such as, you know, the biggest, most important day of your life, one of the first things you must consider is how best to feed your guests.

Will you have a sit-down dinner, a buffet, or a mixture of both?

It all depends on the details.

A sit-down event can be:

• Elegant. Sit-down events are considered to be more elegant.
• Pricey. Sit-down events can cost more than other types of events because they will require servers and pre-prepared plates.
• Easier. A sit-down event can make things a little easier and better for people as far as eating. Nobody has to wait in a line to get their food, all they have to do is sit down and eat.

A buffet-style event can be:

• Creative. This type of meal allows everyone to be able to fix their own plate and not have a pre-prepared plate just handed to them.
• Pleasing to every palate. With a buffet-style meal you can have more options on your menu to accommodate everyone.
• Less expensive. This style of dinner can help save some money, because you will not need servers, and you don’t have to worry about having someone prepare all of your guests’ plates.

With a mix of both:

You can get the best parts of both styles. You could decide to have your first meal served to everyone at their table. Then you could choose to do buffet for the next course. If you decide to do this it can help give you the creative side of the buffet, as well as the elegance of the sit-down meal. This also helps with having a crowded buffet, because people eat at different speeds. Since people don’t eat at the same speed, not everyone would be at the buffet at the same time. Your dinner would move at a more steady pace and nobody would feel rushed or bored for having to stand in a long line and wait.

No matter which way you decide, just make sure to keep in mind what you want to get out of your event. If you are still not too sure what style meal you want:

Let Silver Spoon Caterers help make your decision a little easier.

Call and talk to one of our event planners at Silver Spoon Caterers today. Our caterers will be able to help you plan the perfect meal for any event you have planned. We can help you decide on a menu, style, and service type that will help make your event memorable.

Tags: wedding catering

As someone who was recently in your shoes herself, first things first let me say, “Congratulations!” The year you’ll spend planning your wedding will be the most exciting, the most fun, and probably the most stressful year of your life. Take a few moments to enjoy it, because soon you’ll be twirling around the dance floor with your new husband, and even sooner, it’ll all be over, and your new life will begin.

Enjoy your engagement.

Have fun planning your wedding.

And know this:

Beyond the groom, and the dress, and the venue, the single most important component necessary to pulling off a memorable wedding is the food. Many of your guests will have traveled to witness this happiest day of your life, there’s no better way to say ‘thank you for celebrating with us’ than with a scrumptious meal — from no other than Fairfax, Virginia’s own Silver Spoon Caterers, of course.

As the ever-so-helpful wedding caterer that we are, we think it’s important that you know what we know will help us help you. So when you call to talk about hiring Silver Spoon to cater your wedding in northern Virginia, ask us these questions:

Wedding Catering Basics

• Would you be available to cater my wedding on [THIS] date?
• How many weddings do you cater each year?
• What permits will I need for my event? Will you help me obtain them?
• Will you provide a banquet manager to coordinate the food service? What about an on-site coordinator to run the entire event?
• Can, or will you assist with other elements of planning my wedding (such as choosing other vendors, or event design)?

Wedding Catering Questions Related to Food & Presentation

• [This] is my budget, and [this] is my guest count. What food and presentation options can you suggest to suit my wedding catering needs?
• Do you offer event packages, or is everything sold a la carte?
• Can you accommodate my specific dietary restrictions, and those of my guests?
• Are you open to developing a theme menu, and if yes, will you provide some, or all of the décor?
• What will be the difference in cost if we choose to offer passed appetizers, as opposed to a solely stationary appetizer display?

Questions Related to the Business of Wedding Catering

• What will be the ratio of servers to wedding guests?
• How much time will be required for set-up, and what is your cleanup policy?
• What is your refund or cancellation policy?
• Can you provide a list of references?

We’d be happy to! Silver Spoon Caterers has been feeding happy brides and grooms (and their guests) for nearly two decades.

As northern Virginia’s favorite wedding caterer, we’re standing by make the best day even better.

Tags: wedding catering

Do you like pi? Um, we mean pie. No, Pi. Yes, yes. Pie. Do you like pi? What about pie?

Confused yet?

Don’t be.

Tomorrow, March 14 is a very special day. Maybe it’s your wedding day. Maybe it marks one week, or two, or one month until your wedding day. Maybe it’s just another Saturday in northern Virginia. Or maybe — wait, no maybe. This we know to be true. Tomorrow is PI DAY. (Ahh, it all makes sense now, right? It wasn’t that we couldn’t spell; it’s that we love numbers almost as much as we love food. Almost.)

Hold on a second, Silver Spoon. What is pi?

Pi is the 16th letter of the Greek alphabet, and as such, a numerical constant that represents the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, commonly approximated as 3.14159. Did you notice what we did? There’s something extra special about Pi Day this year: 3 14 15.

This occasion befalls but once a century, especially special. Just like your own wedding day.

So here we bring the two together.

Seven Delicious Ways to Make Your Wedding Sweet as Pi[e]

Serve one pie per table.

It may be easier, less expensive (and maybe even tastier) to buy several small pies than one large wedding cake. Miniature wedding pies placed on each table make a fun alternative to the traditional dessert.

Serve mini pies.

Pass around platters of miniature-sized desserts in different flavors.

Serve pie pops!

What a great way to put a new twist on the trendy late-night wedding snack. Filled with fruit and crimped on the sides, these darlings give guests a much-needed sugar boost, and help them keep up the boogie.

Serve fruit cups.

These light-as-air cream-filled cups make a perfect treat for the wedding guest who enjoys a little dessert…
before dinner.

Serve fruit crumbles.

Brunch wedding, anyone? This dessert starts the day off right!

Serve pie in a jar.

Who doesn’t love a good Mason jar? Add pie, and you’ve got an instant hit.

Serve a whoopie pie.

Originally an Amish tradition, historians say that wives used to bake these “hucklebucks” for their husbands and put them in their lunch boxes. When it was time for lunch and the lucky guys discovered the packed treat, legend has it that they’d shout, “WHOOPIE!”

Celebrate Pi Day. Serve pie on your wedding day.

Let the Silver Spoon Caterers team provide you a creative and custom menu that will make you and your guests happy and full (of pie, on this Pi Day, and any other day).