Updated: Jan 21, 2019
If you’re like anyone else on this planet, in your spare time you’re a foodie at heart, a restaurant critic, professional food photographer and social media guru. Basically, you know food! If this is true, you’ve got to be stoked to plan your first dinner you throw as a married couple! The difference is, this is not your average dinner party. You will be partying on a much larger scale and luckily for you, the staff at Pure Joy are experts at throwing large scale parties! Give us a call and we can talk you through it. But first, here’s a bit of prep before you hop on a call with us…
What’s your wedding venue? If you don’t have one, we can always recommend one or even ten to fit your preferences. The event venue is important because venues come with their own unique amenities and rentals. For proper planning, we need to know what is at the location and what else needs to be brought in. Kudos if your chosen event venue has tables, chairs, lighting and bathrooms that are included; that just means there’s less for you to bring in. A great venue source is SantaBarbaraVenues.com
Estimated Guest Count. This is a rough estimate to create your initial proposal. At Pure Joy, we don’t need a final guest count until 10 days prior to your wedding date but it’s important we have a good rough estimate through the planning process so we know how much food and how many rentals of each item you will need. This will give you a much better idea of what the bottom line cost will be in the end.
The Food Though! What kind of food do you like? Do you have a preference in menu style? Keep in mind, something like a full plated and coursed meal will be more expensive than action stations or a buffet. If you’re not sure, we’ll give you options. What’s cool about Pure Joy is we create food from all over the world, so don’t be afraid to ask us for a variety of ethnic cuisines because we will create the most authentic version of most dishes. We don’t do cookie cutter menus and love creating unique culinary experiences that suit you as a couple. You can see some of the menu options we offer HERE to get you started.
What’s your Style? What kind of vibe do you want your guests to feel and experience? Do you want rustic, boho, elegant, modern or a classic feel? Your chosen style will not only tie in with your menu, but all the fun rentals and décor as well. This is what we call Pinterest time! Creating a wedding Pinterest board is a perfect way to convey what you are looking for to your vendors and is a great way for you to start honing in on your vision. You can check out Pure Joy’s Pinterest for some inspiration.
We can’t wait to chat with you about your wedding, rehearsal and post wedding brunch plans too! We’re here and ready to create the perfect wedding reception menu that suits you and your guests. We’re sure there will be rave reviews, foodie photos, social media posts and best of all we’re sure you’ll get a five star review from all your guests for throwing the best dinner party they’ve ever been to.
Pure Joy Catering, events@purejoycatering.com (805) 963-5766
Above Photo by Willa Kveta Photography