Private Chef vs Catering Company for Your Wedding

Private Chef or Catering Company?

When you start planning your wedding food, you’ll likely consider two options: a catering company or a private chef. Both can deliver excellent food — but the experience is fundamentally different. Understanding that difference helps you choose the right option for your wedding.

The Key Differences

You Know Who’s Cooking

With a catering company, you book the company. The chef who cooks on your wedding day is whoever’s on the rota. You might meet a salesperson during planning, but the person actually in the kitchen could be someone you’ve never spoken to.

With a private chef, you book the person. From the first conversation through menu planning, tasting, and the wedding day itself — it’s the same chef. You build a relationship, they understand your taste, and there are no surprises on the day.

Truly Bespoke Menus

Catering companies typically work from set packages. You choose Package A, B, or C, with limited substitutions. It’s efficient for them, but it means your wedding menu looks similar to dozens of other weddings they’ve catered.

A private chef starts with a blank page. What do you love? What don’t you eat? What’s the setting? What’s the season? The menu is built entirely around you — not around what’s easiest to mass-produce.

Ingredient Quality

Large catering operations source for cost efficiency. They need consistent, predictable supply chains that work across dozens of events per month. That often means national suppliers and standardised ingredients.

A private chef sources for quality. We buy day-boat fish from Parkstone Fisheries in Poole, organic vegetables from Four Acre Farm in Ringwood, and fully traceable meat from Fordingbridge. The ingredients are selected specifically for your wedding, often sourced the day before.

The Tasting Experience

Most catering companies offer tastings at their premises — a formal appointment where you sample pre-made dishes.

We offer a tasting session that’s an experience in itself — a relaxed evening where we cook for you, talk through each dish, and refine the menu together. It’s one of the highlights of the wedding planning process, and it’s complimentary for wedding bookings.

Pricing Transparency

Catering companies often layer costs: per-person food charge, staffing, travel, equipment hire, service charge, VAT. The headline price and the final invoice can look very different.

Our pricing is straightforward: £85 to £100 per person for wedding catering, with everything included. No hidden costs for transport, staff, crockery, or service charges. The quote you receive is the price you pay.

What a Private Chef Wedding Looks Like

Here’s what to expect when you choose a private chef for your Dorset wedding:

Before the day:

• Detailed menu planning conversation
• Complimentary tasting session
• Coordination with your wedding planner and venue
• Dietary requirements mapped for every guest

On the day:

• Canape reception as guests arrive
• Multi-course wedding breakfast, served at the table
• Evening food options if required
• Personalised printed menus at every place setting
• Full kitchen clean-down

We specialise in boutique weddings of up to 60 guests — intimate enough to feel personal, large enough to celebrate properly.

When a Catering Company Makes Sense

To be fair, there are scenarios where a catering company is the better choice:

• Very large weddings (100+ guests) — a single chef has practical limits
• Multiple simultaneous food stations — large-scale buffet or festival-style service
• Venue-tied catering — some venues require their in-house caterer

For weddings under 60 guests where you want exceptional, personalised food — a private chef delivers a noticeably better experience.

Real Wedding Feedback

Our wedding clients consistently tell us the food was the talking point of the day. With a 5.0 Google rating from over 350 reviews, the quality speaks for itself. Here’s what recent wedding clients have said:

“Mark catered our wedding and the food was the talking point of the entire day. Every single guest commented. He made our day absolutely perfect.” — Emma & David

How to Get Started

Planning your wedding food should be exciting, not stressful. Get in touch to start a conversation about your wedding — tell us the date, venue, guest numbers, and any initial ideas. We’ll come back with a menu suggestion and a clear quote.

Based in Bournemouth, we cater weddings across Dorset and Hampshire — from coastal venues in Sandbanks and Weymouth to countryside settings in the New Forest and Blandford Forum.

Visit our weddings page for more details.