Planning for Your Wedding Feast

The Filipino wedding celebration will not be complete without the wedding feast. If you’re going to celebrate your wedding, it’s best to spend a little extra on the food. Because no matter how pretty the wedding venue is, bland food and food in disarray is a wedding disaster you need to avoid.

To help you plan for your wedding feast, Hizon’s Catering, one of Manila's top wedding caterer, has come up with a list of things you need to consider:  

Duo of Pork and Mango Appetizer by Hizon's Catering

1. Budget – Do not skimp your budget on your wedding food. If you have a limited budget, it’s best to cut down on other wedding details than the wedding feast. You need to find a caterer that fits your budget but does not sacrifice the quality of the food. Take time to find the best caterer that will fit your budget.

2. Time of the wedding – Before anything else, book the time, date and venue for your wedding reception. The right kind of food is dependent on the time of day and location of your venue. If it’s a 11am wedding, then a lunch menu is best. The season or climate is also important. A December wedding in Tagaytay, will be perfect with warm and hearty meals including a delicious soup. A Boracay wedding in April should include cocktails and fresh fruits.

Watermelon Feta Cheese Salad
by Hizon's Catering

3. Menu – Ask yourself: What type of food would you like to serve at your wedding? You have to consider various factors such as the theme, time of day, and your budget before deciding on a menu. Don’t forget that your choices for each part of the menu should complement one another.

4. Banquet Service Style – A big decision you have to make is with your Banquet service style. It will determine how your reception program will play out and will also have an impact on your budget.

A Sit Down service is more expensive basically because of the extra service charge for the waiters that will be preparing and serving food to your guests. It is difficult to achieve this kind of style for your wedding banquet if you are planning on doing the preparation on your own and only with the help of your family and friends. It would be safer to hire people who are trained for this task to avoid problems during your wedding. Also, the choice of food on the menu will affect the cost. But what you are mainly paying for with this type of service is the convenience that your guests would feel on not having to stand-in-line to get food, and the elegance that it reflects to the totality of your event.

A Buffet banquet is quite cheaper than a sit down style. You can also give your guest more freedom to choose what food they want to put on their plates. The downside of a buffet though is that it can be a hassle to your guests, especially to the elderly, if lines become long and they have to stand-in-line for a couple of minutes to get some food. The key here is to anticipate this scenario and provide enough buffet areas where your guest can get food. For example, if you have 200 expected guests, have a two-way buffet instead of just one. It will help avoid the formation of long lines in the buffet area.

Spaghetti with Aligue and Lemon Sauce Pasta
by Hizon's Catering

Lauriat style on the other hand is like a combination of the Sit down and buffet services. With this type of service, your guests will also have the option to choose the food they would like to put on their plates and at the same time they won’t experience the hassle of standing-in-line to get the food. A possible problem that may occur with this type of service is that the food per table may not be enough for the guests if not properly monitored by the waiters. Make sure that the waiters in-charge per table will be attentive to the needs of the guests.

Cocktail style is the cheapest of all the banquet services because it only serves cocktail or bite-size food items. If your event falls on a lunch or dinner, this option may not be your best bet. But if you should insist on this, make sure that you advise your guests beforehand so that they will not expect a heavy meal during your reception.

Beef Cheek and Crispy Tripe Kare-Kare by Hizon's Catering

5. Number of Guests – Having a lot of food wastage or having insufficient food is a no-no in weddings. Make sure you know the number of guests attending your reception. An estimated number is okay for a buffet style banquet but a plate banquet would need a specific number of guests.

6. The Theme of the Wedding – Knowing the theme of your wedding can help you decide on the menu. A Zen or Japanese-inspired wedding would go for Japanese food like tempura, sushi, sashimi and Japanese tea. On the other hand, if you’re wedding is classic Filipino, Filipino cuisine will be a perfect match.

7. Catered vs. Do-It-Yourself – If you have enough resources, cooking equipment, and people to help you prepare the food then this may work for you. But if not, then it is best that you consider getting some professional help.

For more wedding guides, download Hizon's Catering free e-book today. 

Wedding Table Setup by Hizon's Catering

Wedding Table Setup by Hizon's Catering

About Hizon's Catering:
Hizon’s Catering has been in the wedding catering industry since 1987. What first began as a small family business grew into one of the best catering businesses in the country today. With an average of 1,588 weddings a year, Hizon’s catering has prepared an e-book to help soon-to-weds plan their own weddings. With owners who love merry occasions and sumptuous dishes, Hizon’s Catering dedicates itself to taking the stress of their client’s shoulders and make sure that the planning is as enjoyable as the event itself.

Contact Hizon’s Catering today for your wedding needs or drop by at their upcoming schedules of food tastings.

The Wedding Caterer: From Impression to Perfection

A Juan Carlo Wedding Dish

Some wedding menu are designed to impress – either through their elaborate presentations or highfalutin descriptions – yet fall short on taste and substance.

And this is the very pitfall Juan Carlo the Caterer wants to stay away from. As its owner Engr. Alex Michael del Rosario shares, “We want to build our name for perfection, not just impression.”

Such aim is not impossible for Juan Carlo the Caterer as Engr. del Rosario has already laid much of the needed foundation right from the start. 

Learn more about Juan Carlo, The Wedding Caterer...

Max's Facebook Photo Contest 2011

After the success of Max's Chicken-All-You-Can Part 2 Promo, Max's Restaurant has another offering to its avid fans. Max's Chicken-All-You-Can Facebook Photo Contest is now up to fill in our hungry tummies.

Join this photo contest and get a chance to win a MAX'S PER TABLE SET C GROUP MEAL which is good for 10 people. The contest is only until July 15, 2011 (Friday) so check them now! <see mechanics below>

MAX’S PER TABLE SET C GROUP MEAL

1. This contest is open to all Max's Restaurant Facebook fans currently based in the Philippines. Be a fan now by simply visiting www.facebook.com/maxsrestaurant and liking us.
2. Joining is so easy! A fan only has to upload a photo showcasing his/her Chicken All You Can experience inside a Max's branch on the Max's Restaurant Facebook wall. Do not limit yourselves with shots of Max's Chicken bones. Be as creative as you can and explore different subjects and angles of your Max's Chicken experience!
3. The fan must tag MAX'S RESTAURANT on the photo. You must tag AT LEAST 4 of your friends/loved ones on the photo for this to qualify as an official entry.
4. Write a creative photo caption to describe your picture.
5. Post as many picture entries as you can! The more photos you post, the more chances you get to win! Just make sure you don't post the same exact picture over again.
6. Five (5) facebook fans of Max’s will win one MAX’S PER TABLE SET C GROUP MEAL (good for 10 people) each via a raffle draw.
7.   Lucky winners of this promo will claim their free MAX’S PER TABLE SET C GROUP MEAL (good for 10 people) at their preferred Max’s Restaurant branch (within the Philippines).
8.   Deadline of submission of entries is on July 15,  2011 FRIDAY at exactly 12 noon (Philippine local time and date)
9.   Max's will send an FB private message to the lucky winners on how to claim their prizes.
10.   Employees of Max's Restaurant, its advertising/PR agencies, and  its  accredited service providers including their relatives up to the  second  degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from  joining the  said promo.



Related links:

Wedding Options at Max's Restaurant

Max's Restaurant's facebook account

Kasal.com- The Essential Filipino Wedding Guide

The Wedding Caterer For The Discerning Palate

When wedding guests head home after the wedding celebration, they may not remember all of the wedding details; how the bride looked in her wedding dress, the event styling at the wedding reception, the music played by the wedding singers, not even the sweet message of the groom to his wife....

But one thing they will surely remember is how the food tasted during the wedding reception. This is why soon-to-wed couples are very discerning about choosing their wedding caterers. Ordinary soon-to-wed couples are very critical when it comes to this. What more for soon-to-wed politicians, famous celebrities, and people from the alta sociedad?

Sample Wedding Entree
by Juan Carlo the Caterer

One of Philippine's leading wedding catering services provider, Juan Carlo the Caterer, face such challenge on a daily basis. In their 15 years of providing quality food and quality service, they have become accustomed to serving clients with very discriminating taste. Even before starting in the business, they have already met tougher challenges which have made them what they are today.

Read more about the exceptional wedding catering service of Juan Carlo the Caterer...

Affordable Wedding Venues in Metro Manila

Church? CHECK! Wedding Flowers? CHECK! Wedding reception venue?....Hmmm

One would think that choosing a wedding reception venue would not be a problem. After all, there are so many places to choose from, right? Wrong. In reality, if you’re looking for the perfect place, there is only a number of them that can satisfy your needs and meet your wedding budget at the same time. For one, busy couples tying the knot within Metro Manila would want to have their wedding venue minutes away from their wedding church. Second, every couple would want exclusivity and elegance, to make their private wedding affair enjoyable and memorable. And most importantly, a wedding venue that won't hurt their pocket.

Fortunately, Ibarra’s Party Venues & Catering is there to be your answered prayer – from the beautiful settings down to the sumptuous food.

Read more about Ibarra's affordable wedding venues in Metro Manila...