Do Wedding Venues Allow Outside Catering?

When planning your wedding, choosing your own caterer can be an exciting way to personalise your day, offering a broader range of dishes and canapes that truly reflect your tastes and preferences. It can also be a more budget-friendly option, helping you manage costs without compromising on quality. 

However, not all venues allow outside catering. To help you navigate this crucial decision, our experts share insights and tips on working with venues and ensuring your catering dreams come to life. So, do wedding venues let you use external caterers?

It depends on the venue as to whether or not they’ll let you use outside caterers. Venues like community halls, converted manor houses or mills, and dry event spaces will likely say yes. However, venues with their own culinary team and food packages are the most likely to say no. Some may be open to you using outside caterers for breakfast or the cocktail hour, but not the main meal for example.

Read on to learn which venues are most/least likely to allow outside caterers, what actually counts as outside catering, and how to compromise with your venue to get the best of both worlds.

What Counts as Outside Catering?

Outside catering is any food (or sometimes drinks) that are prepared outside the venue, but served on location. Popular outside caterers include food vans, grazing table catering, and pop-up kitchens. Outside catering may also be referred to as:

• External catering
• Off-Site catering
• Mobile catering
• Event catering
• On-Location catering
• Off-Premises catering

These terms are often used interchangeably, depending on the context and region.

Which Wedding Venues Allow Outside Catering?

For couples who want to tailor every aspect of their wedding, including the menu, finding a venue that allows outside catering is essential. These venues are usually ones without a big onsite kitchen or dedicated catering team, and can sometimes be the most cost-effective venue choice. Great examples include:

• Community/village halls
• Social clubs
• Churches
• Outdoor spaces (barns, gardens)
• Heritage sites (manor houses, mills)
• Pub function rooms
• Dry hire venues – i.e. venues that only provide a space, with no added extras

Smaller venues, like community halls and barns, often lack large kitchens or professional equipment, making it easier to bring in on self-contained outside caterers. Allowing outside catering can also reduce costs for the venue and offer a more affordable option for your wedding day compared to venues with mandatory in-house services.

If you’re looking for more information regarding cost-effective catering options for your special day, you might find our recent blog helpful – How Much Does Wedding Catering Cost?

Which Wedding Venues DON’T Allow Outside Catering?

The wedding venues that typically don’t allow outside catering companies to provide food are those that have their own kitchens or catering team on-site, or those that have a set external provider (or few) that they exclusively use for catering. These are usually the more costly venues, such as:

• Hotels 
• Resorts
• Some halls and stately homes
• Food-centric venues, usually known for their catering 

They don’t do this to cause frustration, rather, keeping everything in-house allows them to maintain quality control, seamlessly integrate food into the schedule of your day, and keep pricing consistent across their wedding packages.

How to Compromise with Venues That Don’t Allow Outside Catering

If your venue has said that they don’t allow outside catering, don’t worry—it’s not the end of the world! Many venues are open to finding middle ground to help you achieve your dream dining experience. Here are some tips to navigate these discussions and strike a compromise:

1. Suggest using external caterers for specific parts of your day (e.g., desserts, cocktail hour, or breakfast the morning of your wedding), but the venues’ internal catering team for the main meal.
2. Work with the venue’s catering team to tailor their offerings. This could involve asking the venue to incorporate specific cuisines, family recipes, or locally sourced ingredients into your wedding day menu.
3. Request a detailed tasting session with the in-house catering team. This is an opportunity to communicate your preferences and ensure the menu aligns with your expectations. If you’re not satisfied, use this as a chance to revisit and refine the options together.
4. Some venues maintain a list of pre-approved or trusted external vendors they are willing to collaborate with. Check if any of these caterers can meet your needs, providing a balance between the venue’s policies and your vision.

Remember, communication is key, so try not to get frustrated during this process – venues will want to work with you to make your special day memorable.

Good luck!

Outside Caterers in Sheffield & The Peaks

If you’re looking for professional outside caterers for your special day, we’d love to help. With extensive experience in weddings, parties, corporate events, and much more, we’ve helped hundreds of customers plan their dream wedding day food. 

At Savery Grazing, we specialise in creating stunning grazing tables, platters, and bespoke menus that cater to a wide range of tastes and dietary requirements. Get in touch with our team today!

Jasmine Savery

Founder & Director

Hi! I'm Jasmine, and I launched Savery Grazing in 2022. I’ve always had a passion for food, with a particular love for how social it can be. Follow along as I share my favourite tips, tricks, and delicious recipes with you.

Hi! I'm Jasmine, and I launched Savery Grazing in 2022. I’ve always had a passion for food, with a particular love for how social it can be. Follow along as I share my favourite tips, tricks, and delicious recipes with you.