Catering to your guests

Pre-plan and prepare to dazzle! Tips from Restaurant Makeover's David Adjey

1. Sample the real goods (before the big day). A tasting of the dinner menu is often requested by brides to be... It is more accurate, however, to attend another event at the same location, where you can taste an example plate.

2. Be mindful of the two hour rule. Long dinners at a wedding are exhausting for your guests. By combining two main dishes (steak and lobster) you'll save time and create an impressive presentation.

David Adjey is a world renowned chef who has created menus for some of Toronto's most prestigious restaurants, including Nectar. He has crafted custom menus for over 5,000 weddings and has a new book, de|constructing the dish that just came out this fall, 2007.

3. Let the season be your guide. Pick you menu based on your wedding month. Example: don't serve tomatoes during the winter season.

4. Avoid cutlery confusion. Is the place setting seen in the 'tasting' the same one used for 120 guests at your wedding? Make sure to ask.

5. Sorbet away a delay. The advantage of having sorbets on the menu is that it provides a time break for the kitchen to plate the next dishes - your food presentation is much more beautiful and you can colour code the sorbets to your wedding theme.

6. Remember that the kitchen and ballroom go hand-in-hand. Choosing the kitchen with the ballroom is very important. There's no value in seating 200 guests for dinner if the kitchen cannot accommodate them.

7. Help your guests chew easy. Ask the chef what equipment he has that is different from other venues in order to ensure your meal is fresh and moist. Example: moist chicken vs. tough chicken.

8. Add star appeal with a celebrity chef. You can hire a celebrity chef who knows how to create something special, unique, colourful and impressive for all your guests.

9. Save time with a pre-plated first course. Normally, dinner start times are delayed. Choose a pre-plated first course in order for your dinner guests to receive their dinner on time and have your first dish survive the wait.