The wedding breakfast is a large and significant part of your 
wedding reception, and the standard and type of catering that a venue provides can make or break the deal when you are making a final choice. Most venues will offer wedding menu tastings to give you an idea of the dishes that they offer.
Here are some hints and tips on taking part in a menu tasting at your wedding venue:
- The majority of venues will be able to arrange a menu tasting for you; just be sure to find out whether this will happen before or after you have made your final venue choice. Often this depends on the type of venue you are looking at. Restaurants are more likely to offer you a tasting while you are still narrowing down your choices, while hotels won’t usually offer this service until you have agreed to use their venue.
- Don’t forget to check whether your menu tasting will be free, or whether you have to pay for it. It can be a nasty shock to be presented with the bill for the eight delicious mini courses you have just consumed when you thought they were on the house.
- Try to narrow down your list of potential venues before you make tasting appointments at each one. While it’s fine to arrange tastings at two or even three venues, getting a free meal at seven or eight is just plain greedy.
- Some venues will allow you to visit when there is a wedding in progress and taste the food that they are actually serving to the wedding guests in a separate room. You may not get to taste the dishes that will be on the menu at your wedding, but you will get an idea of the quality and presentation of the catering. These tastings should be free; actually the couple that are getting married are financing your tasting.
- Call the venue to book your tasting and give plenty of notice. Ask how may people you are allowed to bring; most venues allow up to four people to provide a wide range of input. Let the venue know if anybody you are bringing has a food allergy or intolerance so they can cater for this.
- Check out the venue’s menus in advance and if there is a particular dish that you think you will want on your wedding menu let them know so they can prepare that for you. Don’t be afraid to experiment with dishes you wouldn’t usually try though; that is what tastings are for. Also try to taste a vegetarian option as you should have one on your wedding menu.
- Be honest with the venue about your catering budget. It’s not really fair or productive for them to dish up samples from the top of their range if you are more interested in the lowest priced menu. If you let them know what you can afford to spend they should be able to come up with some creative suggestions in your price range.
- Don’t be afraid of insulting the venue staff by saying you don’t like a particular dish and don’t want to include it in your wedding breakfast. As long as you are polite and tactful, venues expect you to be honest about the food they serve up. If there’s a dish you love but you feel the sauce is too salty, or the vegetables are a little overdone, don’t be afraid to ask if they can do it differently for your big day.
- It’s not possible to guarantee the food you taste and the food served on your wedding day will be cooked by the same person, especially if you schedule the tasting several months in advance. However, booking your tasting for the same day of the week as your wedding, and at a similar time, can increase your chances of getting the same chef. Visiting a restaurant at a busy time may mean you can sample more dishes as there will be a wide variety of food being prepared.