Our Perfect Day: The Details, Part III

The Food and Room Set-Up
Vendor: Thomas Caterers of Distinction
Grade: A+

When it came to the caterer we did not have a choice. Our location specified which caterer we had to use. At first I was a little nervous about this, I will not lie. But after our first meeting with Dee from Thomas Caterers my fear immediately diminished. The nice part about having to utilize a specific caterer was that we didn't have to research one and since they were exclusive to our location they knew what did and did not work inside of our venue.

I was even more impressed after our tasting. The food was delicious! During our meetings I decided that I wanted to do a 'Snack Table' and a 'Candy/Dessert Table.' We took care of all the candy and snacks while Thomas Caterers took care of all the desserts.

Thomas Caterers handled the food, table linens, chair covers, flatware, place settings, appetizer service, bar service, etc. Looking back on everything, the caterer had a lot of responsibility when it came to the reception.

Here was the set up-
Cocktail hour: Guests were sent up to the 3rd floor balcony of the Scottish Rite Cathedral for cocktail hour. The balcony overlooked the ballroom so guests were able to sneak a peak of what was in store. When the guests first walked through the doors of the balcony white-gloved servers had trays of wine that they were passing around to hit the initial rush (Dee's genius suggestion). White-gloved servers also passed around four different types of hoers-devourers (you can see the different types here). Guests who did not want wine could go to the back two corners of the balcony where bars were set up for additional beverage service. The escort card table was set up on the balcony so guests could find their cards while enjoying appetizers and drinks. After cocktail hour the guests were directed downstairs to the ball room for the start of the reception.

Now on to the pictures:

The salad-

Strawberry Fields Salad
It was YUMMY!!!! I did manage to eat all of my salad. This was the only food picture but it was a darn good one! You can read about the rest of the food line-up here.

This was the view the guests had from cocktail hour. The wood-work inside the SRC was phenomenal!

Another view from up top.

Here is what the guests saw right before they entered the ballroom.

Table set up with low floral arrangement.

You can see the balcony that circles around the entire ballroom. Our guests had full range of the balcony during cocktail hour. Oh how I love that chandelier!

Another view of the ballroom. Side note- when it came to chairs and chair covers I chose to use the cushion covers because the dark wood chairs just matched perfectly with the wood-work through-out the ballroom.

Snack Table and Dessert Table:
Vendor: Thomas Caterers of Distinction, T.J. Maxx Homegoods Store, and Moi
Grade: A+

All the apothecary jars and vases came from T.J. Maxx Homegoods Store (I love that store). We were able to get all the glassware for the tables at a very good price. Plus, I knew that after the wedding I would decorate our house with several of the jars/vases (which I have).

Snack Table:

My wonderful MIL had the banner made. It said, "Help yourself to something salty."
From left to right: Mixed Nuts, Gold Fish, Pretzel Crisps (which are addicting and you must try if you haven't), Chex Mix, and Regular Pretzels

Dessert Table:

Warning- If you are hungry it is highly recommended that you skip this section. Pictures may cause mouths to water and stomachs to growl.

Chocolate covered Cheesecake Lollipops (obviously you didn't heed the warning.....lol)

Chocolate Mousse Ganache in a Chocolate Bowl

M&M's in white and champagne

The other banner that my MIL had made said, "Help yourself to something sweet." This picture shows everything that was on our dessert table. The table looked beautiful! Stephanie and the caterer's put the jars in the middles and then had the ganache bowls, lollipops and fortune cookies on both sides for balance.

Back row from left to right: Hershey Kisses, Mints, Champagne M&M's, White M&M's, Chocolate Mousse Ganache in a Chocolate Bowl, Chocolate covered Cheesecake Lollipops
Front Row from left to right: Chocolate covered Stawberries and Fortune Cookies (there were five different personalized messages in our fortune cookies that Hub's and I came up with)

I am still bitter that I did not get a chocolate covered strawberry but I will eventually get over it! Ha!

Review:
Thomas Caterers of Distinction did an amazing job! All of our guests loved the food and said the dessert bar was fabulous. The service we received was absolutely incredible. For example- there was a table that was short one place-setting and a chair. Before the guests could even say anything the caterer had everything fixed! I was able to eat a little bit of my meal but unfortunately wasn't able to eat as much as I would have liked before guests started talking to us. The caterer took our plates away and when we finally were able to sit back down they brought us two fresh, hot plates of food. The caterer also let us know that she had already packaged up two meals that would be sent back to the hotel for us. Talk about service!

I cannot say enough great things about this vendor! Our reception was executed with perfection thanks to the caterer, Stephanie, and the venue coordinator.

All professional pictures are by Angela Talley Photography. Please give due credit when posting any pictures. Thanks!

Up next: The Details, Part IV (this should be the last of the details/vendor reviews)

Previously Posted:
The Details, Part II
The Details, Part I
The Grand Exit
The Ceremony
Pre-Ceremony
Location 2- St. Elmo's Steakhouse
Location 1- The Canal
First Site, Part II
First Site, Part I
Gifts
Getting Dressed and a Special Visitor
The Dress and Accessories
The Hair and Makeup
Rise and Shine!
Post Rehearsal Dinner
Rehearsal Dinner
Rehearsal