Venue allowing outside caterers!!!

Hi I can't help with your choice of venues I'm afraid.

But just wanted to say that we wanted outside catering too but again struggled with venues allowing it.

we then found one venue who was willing to compromise, we're having the venues own catering for the wedding breakfast then just their basic buffet for the evening. We are then allowed to bring in outside caribbean caterers to top up the evening buffet. Technically this will cost us more, but not having caribbean food for us was a deal breaker.

so my point is you may be able to negotiate/compromise with the venues xx

good luck xx

Thanks Fruity, that is something for us to think about. Really can't see the logic in some venues being so restrictive if the catering company have all the right insurances and certificates!?

Hi Cece,

some venues have a list of approved caterers and often you might have one or two who cater for Caribbean weddings on the list.

Also, if you aren't looking at a package look for venues which do Dry hire. It means you'll have to do everything yourself but you get more freedom to have the vendors you want.

it's tough when they are so rigid. Good luck!

Have you looked at Rodbaston Hall in Penkridge?

I went to a wedding there last year and you arrange your own caterers, bar etc. The grounds are lovely as well for photos.

Sorry just noticed on their website that you have to use their recommended caterers. Shame, this must have been a recent change.

Sandon Hall allow outside caterers if you use their marquee. Also noticed Pimhill Barn in Shrewsbury - that also allows outside caterers.

Good luck!

It is possible but you have to look outside the box - we have a barn in Cambridgeshire its not advertised as a wedding venue (not licensed for weddings) but allows us to do what we want (dry hire as mentioned) it's a farm shop but just checking around you can find them. Have you tried National trust places? Some in Scotland allow anything you like.

Thanks for your suggestions ladies,

Leelee85 - i will definitely go through the list of recommended suppliers more thoroughly and see if they can do Caribbean catering, the venues we have looked at so far all are in partnership with a company called Jenkins and their food looks beautiful but not what we want. It's all too British! (if that makes sense- don't mean to offend anyone!)

Can i also just clarify that you mean DRY and not DIY? If so i have never heard of dry hire before but that is definitely an option and doing everything myself shouldn't be a problem as i am very fussy and want everything to look just how i want it! haha and to be as personalised as possible.

mrsh2b89 - yes i looked at Rodbaston Hall a couple of years ago when my sister was getting married (not looked for myself) and although it was beautiful once you got to the house, i wasn't overly keen on the entrance and drive up to the property. Again maybe me being over fussy and i need to learn to compromise on what its more important!

Thanks for the suggestions on Sandon Hall and Pimhill Barn, i will definitely look into those.

Scottish_Sarah - thank you, i think you are right i do need to look outside the box a bit more, in fairness i have only really started the search and have been hit by a couple of brick walls in connection to the catering issue at typical wedding reception venues and was feeling a little frustrated by the level of restrictions in place as we can't be the only people who want a nice fancy reception venue but don't want run of the mill catering. Not being a wedding venue itself shouldn't be a problem either as we will be having a church ceremony so will not need to be licensed for weddings.

Thanks feeling a little bit more upbeat.

Try this website: http://independent-weddings.co.uk/

Looks like it has some hidden gems on there! x

RoseArcana- Thank you! - quite right looks like there are some hidden gems on the list. Fingers crossed x

Hope you find 'the one' ? x

Haha me too x (knowing my bad luck when i do it will be out of budget,? haha !)

Dry hire but could also be considered DIY hire since you'd be doing it all yourself. Essentially no packages just the hire of the venue. You bring in everything yourself.

With our venue they provide 15 round tables and thats it. We had to choose caterers from their preferred list but They had 2 Caribbean caterers for us to chose from. and in fact we chose the venue partly because one of those caterers was one we already knew of.

For us, because we are having quite a large wedding (150 day and up to 300 in total guests) dry hire is the cheaper option. Package deals for that many people dont work out too cheap haha.

Fingers crossed you find what you are looking for :-)

Leelee85, thanks for that, knowing the lingo is half the battle sometime so i know what to ask for.

Hey,

Was just wondering if you found a venue to accommodate as I am looking for pretty much the same thing as you in the same area, & as you said finding it slightly frustrating. Some good ideas on here though

Hi, I know your post was ages ago now, but did you manage to find a venue you loved in the end? I’m currently looking for exactly the same thing too, but struggling! Thanks

What area are you looking for? I know a couple around the Somerset area. Let me know if that would be of any use! X

Ooh I'd like to know!

We are in Bristol and really struggling as we want to have cultural food too.

How much did people pay for independent caterers? We are thinking of 150 guests.

I wanted to have it at my workplace but they insist on using their catering team and it's ridiculously expensive/they can't offer the menu we want.

Ahh, I'm a Bristol girl too!

Our wedding is at Gants Mill in Bruton - Greg (owner) has caterers he has worked with so will recommend, but there is no obligation to use them, he doesn't charge corkage or commission, so you can go entirely your own way.

We found a caterer based in Stanton Drew, who had the most exciting menu, and was actually the cheapest we found! We've had a tasting, and I'm so excited for our wedding breakfast. Check out 'The Full Spoon'.

Our quote came in at approx. £2600 for approx. 100 guests. We are having a starter and main all on sharing platters. We're thinking of getting an ice cream van for dessert!

Venue-wise, we also checked out Fernhill Farm (near Chew Magna) and Pennard Hill Farm (near Glastonbury). We liked both of these, but just fell in love with the gardens at Gants Mill, and the owner Greg, who just seems like he is going to make everything so easy!

Hope this helps a bit! X

Could you please share the name of the Cambridgeshire venue?

I'm looking for dry hire / venues that allow external caterers in Cambridge near the University please.

What venue in Cambridge was this please?