This Wedding Catering Contract sets out how we will deliver wedding catering for your event, and what we each need to do to keep the planning and the service running smoothly. If anything in the proposal and this contract pull in different directions, we will talk it through and put the agreed version in writing, so there is one clear plan to work from on the day.
Scope
We will provide wedding catering for your event on the date, at the venue, and in the service style shown in your accepted proposal. Our work covers the lead-up planning and the on-the-day delivery, from the venue kitchen check through to pack-down and leftovers handover, with a staffed service team where your scope includes service.
The proposal sets out the items included in your booking, including: Venue kitchen check, Menu planning and service plan, Dietary meal handling, Staffed service team, On-site cook and serve, and Leftovers handover.
* Venue kitchen check * Menu planning and service plan * Dietary meal handling * Staffed service team * On-site cook and serve * Leftovers handover
Holding the date
We only hold your date once two things have happened: you have signed this agreement, and we have received the retainer. Until then, we may keep talking and planning, but we do not turn away other enquiries for the same date.
The retainer is the amount that reserves the date and puts your event into our diary for the kitchen check, menu planning, and staffing. If you cancel, we do not automatically refund the retainer. What we keep, and what we may refund, depends on how close we are to the event date, and we confirm those cancellation amounts to you in writing when you book and again if a cancellation happens.
Payment
You pay for wedding catering in two stages. A 30% retainer is due when you sign this agreement. Once it is paid, your date is held and we begin scheduling the kitchen check and locking in the planning work.
The remaining 70% is due before the event. We calculate that balance from your final numbers and any agreed extras, and we will tell you the balance due date in writing. We invoice as we go. Every invoice is payable within 14 days of its date. If a payment date is coming up and you need to talk about timing, tell us early, because staff rostering and supplier orders rely on those dates.
Final numbers
For us to buy, prep, and roster properly, we need your final guest count and your dietary schedule by a deadline we set before the event. We will confirm that deadline with you in writing during planning, and it becomes the number we work to on the day.
After the final-numbers deadline, we order and prep to that count. That means your final invoice is based on the final numbers even if fewer guests attend on the night. If numbers increase after the deadline, we will do our best to accommodate them, but it depends on supplier lead times, kitchen capacity, and staff availability. Any increase we can accept will be priced and confirmed in writing before we commit.
Changes
If you want to change the plan after signing, tell us in writing so we can track one version of the run sheet, menu, and hire list. Common changes are service style (buffet to plated), timing changes, extra canapés, or late-night food. We will price the change and confirm what it does to staffing, equipment, and timing before we do the work.
We can only accept changes up to a practical cut-off before the event, because staff rostering and supplier orders lock in. We set that cut-off based on the parts changing, and we will tell you in writing when a change request comes in. If we cannot accept a late change, we will explain why and offer the closest workable option.
Food and allergens
You are responsible for giving us complete and accurate allergy and dietary information by the final-numbers deadline, including any severe allergies and whether a guest needs a meal that is dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, or similar. We will build your dietary schedule into our prep list, label dietary items, and brief the service team so meals are plated and served to the right person.
We can work carefully, but we cannot promise an allergen-free kitchen at every venue. Venue kitchens vary, and cross-contact risk can never be reduced to zero. If a guest has a severe allergy, tell us early so we can agree a safe approach. After service, we will hand over leftovers as agreed on the night. Once food leaves our control, storage and reheating are your responsibility.
Other suppliers
You usually book and pay the venue and any other suppliers directly, such as hire companies, bar teams, celebrants, florists, and planners. Unless we agree otherwise in writing, those suppliers are not working for us, and we cannot direct their staff or take responsibility for their timing or equipment.
We are used to working alongside other teams and will coordinate service timing with your planner, venue manager, and key suppliers using your run sheet. To avoid crossed wires, we need one point of contact for decisions on the day, and we will confirm who that is during planning. If another supplier’s delay affects our service, we will adjust where we can and keep you informed about the practical impact on food timing.
Extra time and travel
Your booking includes the service window and staffing shown in the accepted proposal and run sheet. If the event runs longer than planned, we can often stay on, but it depends on staff availability, fatigue, and venue access requirements.
If we are asked to work beyond what was booked, that extra time is charged at our overtime rate, which we confirm in writing when it arises. Where possible, our front-of-house lead will flag a likely overrun before it happens, so you can decide whether to extend service or close out. Travel outside our usual service area, or extra trips for access constraints, may also be charged, and we will agree that with you in writing before the event where we can.
Moving the date
If you need to move the event date, tell us as soon as you can. We will check availability and, if we can take the new date, we will confirm the revised plan in writing, including any changes to pricing that come from seasonality, staffing, or supplier costs. Whether your retainer moves to the new date depends on how much work has already been done and how close we are to the original date. We will confirm the outcome in writing once we know the new date options.
Sometimes things happen that no one can control, like a venue closure, travel disruption, or a wider emergency. If an outside event means the wedding cannot go ahead or cannot be catered as planned, we will talk with you quickly about the safest, most workable option, which may include postponing, changing service style, or scaling back. Any credits or payments we can carry over will be confirmed in writing based on costs already committed.
If something goes wrong
We take responsibility for delivering the parts of wedding catering that are in our control, including our food preparation, our staff conduct, and the service plan we have agreed with you. If we make a mistake, tell us as soon as possible on the day, so our team lead can fix it while it is still fixable.
We cannot take responsibility for problems caused by the venue, guest behaviour, or other suppliers, including power or water issues, equipment failures that are not ours, or access restrictions that prevent service as planned. We also cannot cover losses that sit outside the catering, like missed accommodation or non-catering supplier fees. Our practical promise is this: we will communicate early, adjust the plan where we can, and document any agreed changes so the night stays organised.
Cancellation
If you need to cancel, tell us in writing as soon as you can. Early notice matters because it allows us to release staff shifts, cancel supplier orders, and offer the date to another couple.
What you pay on cancellation depends on how close the cancellation is to the event date. The amount we keep steps up as the date gets closer, because our costs and committed time increase. We set those time bands and amounts, and we will confirm them to you in writing when you book. If you cancel, we will also confirm in writing what has already been spent or committed on your behalf (for example, ordered stock or confirmed hire), and how that affects any refund. If we can reduce costs because a cancellation is early, we will.
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