Dodging Weather Disaster at Catered Events

Happy wedding day bride-to-be! It’s a gorgeous, sunny spring day outside and…wait, no. Oh, no. Is that a rain cloud? Panic swells inside of you (and the bride-to-be.) As the bride (or hopefully the wedding or venue coordinator) is rushing to change the placement of the dance floor, reception, and ceremony, you should be calm and collected. There are a few things you can do on your own to prepare for any impromptu weather situations.

For Umbrella Weather:
While you as a vendor know all- to-well that it is better to have a tent than not, many couples are opting for a tent-free wedding these days; some even with no backup plan for inclement weather. Should this be the case you can swoop in as the prepared caterer you are with your genius idea for rescuing your menu from its watery doom.

Option one: Purchase inexpensive white (plastic) table clothes and table clips. In the event of a random storm you can quickly cover the food that is laid out already with these at least semi-rain resistant covers. Simply place over food and secure with table clips.

Option two: Invest in personal popup tents. Simple, white popup tents can help you cover any outdoor prep areas and your staff so you can keep things moving if you’re still in the prep stages.

For Paper Fan Weather:
Besides rain, unexpected extreme heat may be the worst weather condition to stumble upon. You’ll probably find yourself encountering this issue mostly in the spring or in the fall. While this will affect the bride and her guests, it will most likely affect you and your staff the most. After all you are the ones wearing heavy chef coats, slaving over a hot stove.

Option one: Keep sealed (baggie’d) cold clothes in a cooler for your staff. No one wants to eat food served to them by an extremely sweaty man clearly sweating through his dress shirt. Cold clothes will help refresh your staff and keep you all from having heat strokes.

Option two: Like the rain, personal popup tents can help keep your staff cool and the food you’re preparing cool without involving too much effort, like stringing out extension cords for fans.

And for those involved with an icing covered food…
Option three: Bring ice chests to put the cake/cupcakes/pies/chocolates or anything else that can melt and will be served later in the evening. Even if they chests are empty and you don’t have ice they will help keep the items cooler than simply sitting outside. This will also make their transportation easy if you can find a tiny space in an on-property building.

We always suggest you contact the venue of the event you are catering yourself to confirm a rain (or extreme heat) plan. If you’ve worked with this venue before you may not need to do this. However, we highly suggest it for event spaces you’ve never seen or never worked with before. This will help limit the stress for both you, the bride, and the venue.