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March 17, 2020

Guest Writer Kasey Plourde gives tips on catering for your big day.

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With engagement season upon us, we reached out to the best event and wedding planners in Utah to see what tips they had to make the catering at your big day the best it can be!

 

Kasey Plourde from Harvest Moon Events

Kasey Plourde, owner and event designer, started Harvest Moon Events in 2012. With a degree in Communication and background planning VIP events in Las Vegas, she has over 15 years of experience designing world-class celebrations. She is proud to have a fantastic team of event specialists who are passionate about producing one-of-a-kind, memorable occasions. Her event philosophy: these are not our events, they're yours--but we take equal ownership in their success; we are grateful to put our stamp on them with our style and expertise while having fun planning with you along the way.  

Don't be afraid of a theme.

Themes are not just for birthdays or other types of events! Have fun with it. The theme can be as simple as "Utah"--showcasing local Utah ingredients. When you're working with a fabulous caterer such as Culinary Crafts, give them a little direction to let them know your style and desires, and they will put together a show-stopping menu for you. That goes for all vendors--I like to let the professionals run with their own creativity as much as possible; when you let them do their jobs (with some general direction on likes, dislikes, and style preferences), I believe they do their best work and can really shine for you.  

Do what you love.

This day is about the two of you. Showcase foods that you two love or that are meaningful to you. You can always customize the menu with vegan/gluten-free options to accommodate dietary restrictions. But ultimately pick menu items that you two love.

Always SAY YES to a tasting.

This is the most fun part of the planning process, isn't it?! That and cake tasting. If you don't live locally, try to schedule one planning visit before the wedding to meet with all the pertinent vendors--your planner, catch the band in a live performance, walk through at your venue, see a table mock set up, do your hair and makeup trial, taste your cake and specialty cocktails, and your menu items.  

Think about something fun to do for your escort cards and table details.

These are a great way to be creative and showcase special details that are meaningful to you and your partner. We once had a bride handwrite 120 individual notes to each of her guests, which we placed atop each place setting. You can pair your escort cards with a favor as well--we had a bride supply copper mugs for each guest to use throughout the night (the bride and groom loved Moscow mules), so we tied the escort cards onto the mugs, which were displayed beautifully on a pallet wall at the entrance to the dining room.  

If you don't have a huge budget, pick one area on the menu to really be the WOW-factor.

Or scale back on rentals, going more basic, but allowing other areas to stand out. Thanks for following this 9-week series.

27x winner Utah’s Best of State

24x Best of State Caterer

3x Best of the Best / Hospitality

1x Entrepreneur of the Year