Essential Wedding Catering Terminology [A-Z Glossary]
Reeka Head Chef Jay Halford prepares Canapés for a wedding.
About The Author: Reeka Events is a luxury catering company specialising in bespoke weddings in the Cotswolds. With over 15 years of industry experience, Reeka is an expert in ensuring your wedding day runs as planned and tastes incredible.
As if planning your wedding wasn’t hard enough, you now have to learn what feels like a new language to be able to organise your catering and wedding day!
This glossary is created from years of experience in wedding catering and includes some of the most common words we get asked to translate. After reading this, you can head into wedding planning conversations with confidence and new-found wisdom in catering jargon!
A
A la Carte: A menu style where guests choose individual dishes for each course. It offers flexibility in meal selection for a wedding.
Al Fresco: Dining outdoors. In weddings, this often refers to outdoor receptions or meals served in garden settings.
Aperitifs: Alcoholic drinks are served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. Anything dry, fizzy and slightly sour makes for an excellent aperitif—for example, a gorgeous ice-cold bottle of champagne.
B
Back of House: The areas of a catering venue that guests do not see include the kitchen, storage rooms, and staff areas. It's where the magic of food preparation, cooking, and organising happens.
Banquet Style: A type of seating arrangement. Long tables are arranged in rows, accommodating large numbers of guests, typical for wedding receptions.
Bowl Food: A catering style where various dishes are served in small bowls, allowing guests to sample different foods while chatting. It blends the convenience of canapés with the hunger satisfaction of a full meal.
C
Canapé: A small, decorative bite-sized portion, often served during the cocktail hour of a wedding. They are easy to eat while socialising and celebrating, as they often only take one bite!
Corkage Fee: A charge applied by venues when you bring your own alcoholic beverages. This is important to consider when planning your wedding budget.
Cover: A term used in catering to refer to each guest. So, a wedding with 90 guests is described as having 90 covers.
D
Deposit: A deposit is an upfront payment made to secure catering services for a wedding, typically a percentage of the total cost.
Dessert Station: A dedicated area at a wedding reception offering a variety of desserts. It often complements the main wedding cake.
Dietary Restrictions: Considerations for guests with specific dietary needs (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free). Essential for menu planning in weddings.
Drinks Reception: A gathering before the main meal where your guests are served beverages.
Dry Hire: Dry hire refers to renting a venue without any additional services like catering, furniture, or decoration, allowing you to choose your own suppliers.
E
Entree: In the UK, this term refers to the meal's main course or the dish served after the starter.
Event Manager: A professional responsible for overseeing the catering and other aspects of the wedding reception.
Exclusive Supplier: Refers to caterers or suppliers with exclusive contracts with specific venues. Couples may be required to use them for their wedding. Discover our list of exclusive venues and recommended local suppliers.
F
Feasting (Sharing) Style: A serving style where large food dishes are placed on each table, and guests serve themselves. It brings a communal, intimate atmosphere to your big day.
F&B: F&B stands for Food and Beverage, referring to all the catering services provided at a wedding.
Finger Food: Small, bite-sized foods that can be eaten without utensils. It is ideal for cocktail hours or informal wedding receptions.
Front of House: Front of House refers to the areas of a wedding venue where you and your guests are served or socialise, including areas like the dining room and reception (and dance floor).
Full Service: A catering service that includes setup, serving food, and cleaning up. Often chosen for more formal or large-scale weddings.
G
Grazing Table/Board: A large table or board filled with a mouthwatering selection of foods, like cheeses, meats, and fruits, allowing guests to graze throughout the event. It is growing in popularity and is perfect for a relaxed wedding vibe.
Gourmet: High-quality, often exotic, rare or unique food. Examples include Beef Wellington, Lobster and Foie Gras (pâté)
H
Head Table: The main table at a wedding reception, typically where the newlyweds (you), bridal party, or immediate family are seated. This table is usually front and centre. All eyes on you!
Hydration Station: A station or area where your guests can get water and other non-alcoholic beverages. It is more suited for outdoor or summer weddings.
I
In-house: The services or staff provided directly by the wedding venue, such as chefs, waitstaff, or bartenders, rather than being outsourced or hired externally.
Interactive Food Station: A catering setup where guests can interact with a chef or choose ingredients for personalised dishes. Adds a fun and engaging element to wedding receptions.
Inclusive Packages: Some caterers provide packages that include all necessary services and items, like food, service staff, and equipment. This can simplify planning and ensure everything is covered.
K
Kosher: Food that complies with Jewish dietary laws. This is why it’s vital to collect wedding dietary requirements in advance so you can accommodate certain guests.
Kid-friendly Menu: A menu designed specifically for children, often featuring more straightforward, universally-liked dishes. Nobody likes being hungry, especially children!
L
Live Station: A catering setup where chefs prepare food live in front of guests. It adds an interactive and entertaining element to your wedding reception and one that guests will always remember.
Local Produce: Ingredients sourced from local suppliers or farmers. We locally source as much as possible. The Cotswolds has some of the finest food in the country.
Linen Service: The provision of tablecloths, napkins, and other linens for the event. Many caterers offer this service, ensuring the linens match the wedding's theme and style.
M
Mocktail: A non-alcoholic drink that mimics a cocktail. An essential offering for non-drinking guests or as part of a thoughtful beverage selection.
Marquee Hire: Renting a large tent or marquee for an outdoor wedding reception. Catering in such settings often requires additional logistics planning.
N
Napery: Linen, such as tablecloths, napkins, and runners.
No-Show Policy: Caterers' policy regarding guests who RSVP but do not attend. Understanding this policy is crucial for accurate headcount and cost management.
Nut-Free: A menu or dishes made without nuts, essential for accommodating guests with nut allergies or intolerances.
O
Organic: Refers to food made from ingredients grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers. It is a popular request for eco-conscious couples or those who prefer a healthier menu.
Open Bar: A bar setup where guests do not pay for drinks. It's a popular wedding choice but needs to be budgeted to avoid surprises!
P
Plated Service: A dining style where guests are served individual plates of food by waitstaff, often chosen for formal weddings and very popular.
Petit Fours: Small, bite-sized confectioneries or pastries, usually served at the end of a meal or with coffee—a sweet way to end your wedding reception.
Props: Decorative items used to lift the look and feel of a wedding venue. They include centrepieces, lighting, and themed decorations to create a desired mood or style.
Q
Quiche: A savoury tart with a filling of eggs, cream, and often meat or vegetables. A classic option for wedding brunches or lighter meal selections.
Quinoa: A popular grain alternative, often used in salads or as a side dish. An excellent choice for gluten-free, vegan or health-conscious wedding menus.
R
Reception: The social event following the wedding ceremony. Food and drink are central features, with various catering styles to choose from.
S
Set-up: This is the preparation of the kitchen, staff and reception dining spaces, including dressing tables, arranging place settings, and setting up food stations and displays. This can take between 1 and 3 hours, depending on venue, location, and guest list size.
Signature Cocktail: A unique or specially crafted cocktail offered at the wedding, often reflecting the couple's taste, culture or theme.
Site Visit: Before your wedding, you may visit the venue with your wedding planner, coordinator or caterer to work out logistics and how your day will run. This is a great way to relax your nerves and get inspiration for your big day.
Stationed Appetisers: Appetisers that are set up at stationary tables for guests to help themselves. This option allows for a variety of foods to be presented.
Sommelier: A trained and knowledgeable wine professional, often involved in selecting wines for wedding receptions.
T
Tasting Menu/Session: An intimate menu created by your caterer for you to taste before deciding what menu to have on your wedding day. The tasting session is usually held at the venue or the caterer's tasting room.
Tiered Cake: A multi-layered cake, often the centrepiece of the wedding dessert. Each tier can have different flavours and designs.
U
Usher Service: Staff assigned to guide guests to their seats or various locations at the wedding venue. This can enhance the overall guest experience and event flow for larger weddings.
V
Vegan Options: Menu items that contain no animal products. Essential for catering to guests with vegan dietary preferences.
Vintage: Often refers to wine selection but can also imply a theme for décor and food presentation, like using antique or traditional serving ware.
W
Waitstaff: The team of servers responsible for attending to guests during the meal service at the wedding.
Wine Pairing: The process of selecting wines that complement the different flavours of the wedding menu. A sommelier is often involved in this process.
Z
Zero Waste: A catering approach aiming to minimise waste through careful planning, sustainable practices, and composting.
From A la Carte to Zero Waste, we've covered a wide range of terms that you may find during your wedding journey. Armed with this knowledge, you are now fully equipped and ready to talk business with your caterer, wedding planner or venue.
If you want more guidance and help, don’t miss our Ultimate Cotswolds Wedding Planning Guide. In this 7,000-word guide, we have broken down every stage of your Cotswold wedding planning and included bonus budget planning sheets too!
Good luck!
P.S. Still looking for a reliable, experienced wedding caterer? Request a free bespoke quote with Reeka Events today.
