Planning your wedding food shouldn’t mean choosing from a hundred dishes before you know what will work at your venue. Start with a simpler question: do you want a hot meal, sharing platters, or a relaxed backyard BBQ?
These three wedding catering menu ideas give you a starting point for a reception in Georgetown, Ontario. Use them to narrow your preferences, then confirm the dishes, quantities and arrangements before booking.
Already have a date and an approximate guest count? Discuss your wedding catering with Pat’s Prime Cuts and request a menu proposal.
3 Wedding Catering Menu Ideas to Discuss
Pat’s reception options include antipasto boards, hot meat trays and family-style mains. The following are planning ideas, not fixed wedding packages; the final menu depends on your event and what the team confirms.
1. Hot Meat Trays for a Reception Meal
If dinner is the main meal of your celebration, start by discussing a hot main and the accompaniments you would like alongside it. Keep the selection focused so you can explain exactly what you want guests to receive.
- Menu direction: hot meat trays with sides agreed during planning.
- Useful for: couples who want a straightforward meal rather than several separate food stations.
- Decide first: when dinner will start and where food will be served.
- Ask before booking: what arrives ready to serve and what equipment or handling the venue must provide.
Think through the journey from collection or delivery to the table. Who will receive the order? Who will arrange the trays? Those details deserve the same attention as the choice of main.
2. Antipasto Boards and Family-Style Mains
For a sharing-focused menu, discuss antipasto boards alongside family-style mains. You can explore a board as an opening part of the meal, rather than assuming it will replace dinner.
- Menu direction: an antipasto selection followed by shared mains.
- Useful for: couples who prefer a communal meal with dishes passed around the table.
- Decide first: whether boards are a starter, a separate reception spread or part of the main meal.
- Ask before booking: which items are included, how quantities are calculated and what serving arrangements you need.
Check the table layout with your venue. Shared dishes need space alongside glasses, place settings and decorations. Agree who will bring platters to each table and replenish them; a menu description alone does not confirm table service.
3. A BBQ Menu for a Backyard Wedding
For an outdoor celebration, Pat’s BBQ packs offer another direction: marinated proteins, sides, sauces and buns prepared for grilling. This is different from ordering a fully cooked reception meal.
- Menu direction: a BBQ pack with the selection confirmed for your event.
- Useful for: a backyard wedding where cooking arrangements are already in place.
- Decide first: who will cook and whether the venue permits your planned setup.
- Ask before booking: what needs cooking, what equipment you need and how to coordinate collection with the meal.
Make a weather backup plan before committing to an outdoor format. Do not assume a BBQ pack includes an on-site chef, grill rental or serving staff.
How Do You Choose Between These Wedding Menus?
Choose the format that fits your reception, rather than the one with the longest list of dishes. Answer these questions together:
- Meal or light reception food? Tell the caterer whether guests will expect a full lunch or dinner.
- Seated or moving around? Consider how guests will collect and eat their food.
- What does the venue provide? Check preparation space, refrigeration, tables and serving equipment.
- Who handles the food? Assign responsibility for receiving, arranging and serving the order.
- What else is being served? Mention separate starters, desserts or evening food so quantities can be discussed in context.
You do not need a completely finished menu for the first conversation. A clear event outline makes it easier to compare suitable options.
What Should You Budget for Wedding Catering?
Request a quote for your actual menu and guest count rather than relying on a generic per-person figure. A food order and a staffed reception package are not the same thing.
When reviewing a proposal, ask for clarity on:
- The dishes and quantities included.
- The total food price and applicable taxes.
- Any agreed delivery arrangements and charges.
- Whether serving utensils or other equipment are included.
- Anything you must arrange separately through the venue or another supplier.
- The terms for confirming or changing the order.
Working within a budget? Share your target at the start and ask which menu choices fit it. Compare proposals on the same basis: the same guest count, meal requirements and included services.
What About Allergies and Dietary Requirements?
Ask guests to share dietary requirements with their RSVP and pass those details to the catering team before approving the menu.
- Identify the specific requirement instead of using a broad label such as “special meal.”
- Ask which proposed dishes, ingredients and preparation arrangements can meet that requirement.
- Confirm how any separately arranged meals will be identified and handed to the correct guests.
- Do not promise a guest that a dish is suitable before receiving confirmation.
A custom menu does not automatically establish that every dietary request can be accommodated. Discuss individual needs directly, especially where an allergy or coeliac disease is involved.
When Should You Start Planning?
Contact the team once you know your wedding date, location and approximate guest count. Ask about availability before treating any menu as booked.
Agree the deadlines for your order directly, including:
- Approving the menu.
- Providing the final guest count.
- Confirming dietary requirements.
- Making changes.
- Finalizing collection or delivery details.
Keep those decisions in one written checklist that you can share with whoever is coordinating food at the venue.
Your Wedding Catering Enquiry Checklist
Copy this list into your enquiry to make the first conversation more useful:
- Wedding date: your proposed date.
- Location: the venue name or event address.
- Guest count: your current estimate.
- Meal time: when you want guests to eat.
- Menu preference: hot trays, sharing dishes or a BBQ pack.
- Budget: your target for the food order.
- Dietary requirements: the needs already identified.
- Logistics: collection or a delivery request, plus available venue facilities.
Discuss Your Georgetown Wedding Menu with Pat’s
You do not need to choose every dish today. Start with your preferred menu direction, wedding date and guest count.
Pat’s Prime Cuts builds custom event menus and confirms order details directly. Pickup or an arranged delivery window can be discussed with the team.
Request a wedding catering quote or call (905) 873-0352 to talk through your plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pat’s Prime Cuts offer wedding catering?
Yes. Wedding receptions are among the events listed on the catering page. Contact the team to confirm availability and discuss a menu for your date.
Can we request a custom wedding menu?
Yes. Share your preferences, guest count and budget. The specific dishes and arrangements should be agreed before confirming the order.
Are serving staff or chef stations included?
Do not assume they are included. If your reception needs on-site cooking, table service, setup or cleanup, ask explicitly what can be provided and what you must arrange separately.
How much food should we order?
Share the guest count, meal timing and any other food being served. Ask for quantities based on that complete plan rather than applying a fixed portion rule to every wedding.
