Wedding Catering Timeline: From Booking to the Big Day

Planning a wedding comes with plenty of dates to remember, and your catering timeline is an important one. When should you book your caterer? When do you choose your menu? And when does that final guest count actually need to be final?

At Nelson’s Catering, we help couples throughout Central Illinois navigate the catering process from their first conversation to the last plate served. While every wedding is a little different, this timeline will give you a good idea of what to expect along the way.

8+ Months Out: Find and Book Your Wedding Caterer

Once you have your wedding date and venue—or at least a location in mind—it’s a good time to start talking with caterers. Around eight months before your wedding is common, but if you have your heart set on a popular date, reaching out earlier is always a good idea.

Whether you’re planning a wedding in Springfield, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, Effingham, Peoria or elsewhere in Central Illinois, booking your caterer early gives you the best opportunity to secure your preferred date.

You don’t need to know exactly what you want to serve yet. When you contact Nelson’s, start with the details you do know, such as your wedding date, location, estimated guest count and any ideas you already have for your reception.

From there, we’ll send you our Wedding Menu and start talking about what you’re envisioning for the day.

Once You’ve Found the Right Fit: Secure Your Date

Ready to make it official? A $500 non-refundable deposit reserves your date and is applied toward your total balance.

Once your deposit is received, your wedding is officially added to our schedule and we reserve the crew and equipment needed for your celebration.

And no, you don’t need to have every detail decided before you book. There is still plenty of time to work through your menu and reception plans.

Start Building Your Wedding Menu

Now for the fun part: the food!

Your Nelson’s coordinator will help you create a menu around your tastes, preferences and budget. This is when you’ll start thinking about decisions such as buffet vs. plated service, appetizers, bar service, china and table settings, desserts, late-night food and other additions.

Not sure which meal service is right for your reception? Our guide to buffet vs. plated wedding dinners breaks down the differences and what to consider when choosing.

Have guests with dietary needs? We offer vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options and can work with you on many other special requests.

Still working out your overall catering budget? Read our guide to wedding catering costs in Central Illinois for more on the choices that can affect your final cost.

Attend Your Wedding Tasting

Your tasting is your chance to experience the food before the big day and narrow down your menu selections.

Nelson’s hosts scheduled tasting events throughout the year. Tastings are available by reservation, so we’ll help you choose a date and location that works with your wedding planning timeline.

Come ready to taste, talk through your options and ask questions. This is one of the milestones that helps your wedding menu start to feel real!

30 Days Out: Finalize the Details

With one month to go, it’s time to bring the pieces together. This is when we’ll finalize the details of your reception, and half of your remaining balance is due.

We’ll make sure we’re on the same page about your menu, service, timeline and the catering details we’ve planned together.

14 Days Out: Confirm Your Final Guest Count

Two weeks before your wedding, your final guest count is due.

After this deadline, we may be able to accommodate an increase in your guest count, but decreases cannot be accepted. By this point, we’ve already begun planning food, staffing and equipment around your confirmed number.

This is also a good time to make sure we’ve discussed any final dietary accommodations your guests may need.

7 Days Out: Final Payment

You’re one week away! Your final balance is due seven days before your wedding.

At this point, the catering details are in place and our team is getting ready for your celebration.

Wedding Day: Enjoy It

You’ve planned, tasted, finalized and counted. Now you get to enjoy it.

Our professional, uniformed team will arrive ready to handle the catering service you’ve selected, whether that’s tending to your buffet, serving a plated dinner, refilling beverages or taking care of other food and service details throughout your reception.

You should be celebrating with your family and friends—not worrying about what’s happening at the buffet.

Ready to Start Planning?

You don’t need a finalized menu or every reception detail figured out to start the conversation. Tell us what you know, and we’ll help you take it from there.

Have a few questions first? Visit our Wedding FAQs for answers about tastings, menus, reserving your date, venues and more.

Ready to start planning your wedding catering? Contact Nelson’s Catering and tell us about your wedding.