But what will we eat?

We started our search for a caterer with the list of preferred caterer's from Cator Woolford - obviously, better to find a caterer on the list than to pay an extra $1,000 to bring in someone else! Being the dedicated bride/researcher that I am, I went to the websites of every single one, crossing out the ones that didn't really appeal to me. Then I sent the rest emails - and continued crossing people off based on their lack of response, very strange response, or any number of things. I tend to go with my gut in most cases - so even if I couldn't explain why I was crossing them off, I would. What can I say? Not all my reasons have to make sense! I'm a bride!

When it came down to it, we were left with 2 caterers. And after meeting with my DOC (the wonderful Daria of Circle of Love Weddings) and getting her recommendation, we had 1 more. That caterer wasn't on the list of preferred caterers.. but they were willing to split the cost with us 50/50.

Since I was trying to get all the major vendors booked before I left in August, and it was already July by this point, AND I was trying to let Thomas have the tasting experience as well, we scheduled to have all our tastings over a period of 2 days. Plus, I figured that we would definitely know who we liked best if we had them all in a row.

Disclaimer: My camera was stolen before I had uploaded the pictures from our catering meetings. So we have no pictures from the tastings, which is so sad I can hardly stand it. We experienced some really awesome presentations.

First up was Monday lunch at one of the more trendy caterers in the Atlanta area. Thomas and I went, along with my brother/man-of-honor. There's a group of vendors in the area that all seem to have a similar aesthetic appeal, and they work together on a lot of weddings. Their food is fantastic - they actually have a restaurant that we often eat at for brunch - but their prices definitely reflected the fact that they are an in-demand caterer. This was actually Thomas' favorite for the food, since their beef was really fantastic. However, the cake was not as good.. Though they gave us huge slices, it was kind of dry and crumbly, and they charged an extra fee to bring in your own cake. But it was definitely something we could work around in order to get some delicious dinner.

That evening, my mom, BM C, Thomas and I went to dinner at the caterer that Daria had recommended. It was not as trendy, and doesn't have quite the reputation as the first one, which meant they were also significantly cheaper. Also, their beef was not quite as good, a little on the tough side, but their chicken was much better than at the first caterer. Their prices were also significantly less, and I was absolutely in love with this appetizer they had.. watermelon and mozzarella with a balsamic vinaigrette. So good. But Thomas got food poisoning the next day.. and since no one else did, we weren't really sure where he got it, but he thinks it was this caterer.

(source)

My new favorite flavor combination! 

The next day, my mom and I were supposed to go to the third caterer, but it ended up getting pushed back two days. When we went, their office had no air conditioning, but it certainly didn't detract from the overall experience. Their food was excellent, but definitely more on the traditional "wedding food" side of things. They were on the price point in between the first two. In addition, they had a lot of experience.. I think they said they had been catering in the Atlanta area over 20 years, so I knew they would have a lot of contacts with other vendors. However, when explaining some of my ideas for the wedding, they were a little more negative and less accommodating than the other two had seemed.

Time for a little House Hunters style question! Which caterer did I choose? A) The trendy, expensive caterer with delicious meat? B) The less-expensive caterer with the amazing appetizer that might have given Thomas food poisoning? or C) The more traditional, experienced caterer with delicious "wedding food" and a less-than-positive attitude?