Planning

8 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Caterer For Your Wedding

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Catering is an integral part of any ceremony especially a Nigerian wedding. In all you do, ensure your catering is topnotch or assign a trusted person to do so.

 

Here are a few relevant questions you need to ask before hiring any caterer.

1. Are you booked on my wedding date?

If the caterer is not available on your date, it’s a no-NO.

2. Have you ever worked at my venue before?

Some venues only allow approved caterers to work on their premises.  Whether or not that’s the case, it’s a good idea to find a caterer who is comfortable at your venue, though not a deal-breaker.

3.  Can I take a look at a sample menu?

Start by telling the caterer about your wedding – your style, the guest count, how you visualize the food, etc. and ask to see a menu from a wedding that’s similar. You’ll get a sense if you and the caterer are on the same page in terms of style.

4. Do you allow couples to customize their menus at all?

If you have specific requests or dietary restrictions, it’s important to find a caterer that’s flexible. Find out if the caterer would be open to preparing family favorites, if that’s important to you.

5. Will there be a pre-wedding tasting?

If so, is there a fee involved? Having a pre-wedding tasting is an important part of the planning process. Find out how the caterer’s tastings work – are they done before or after the contract is signed? What is included?

6. Do you provide rentals like tables, chairs, linens, etc.?

If the answer is no, your venue should be able to assist you with finding a rental company to work with.

7. What’s your typical ratio of servers to guests?

This depends on if you’d having a buffet or sit-down dinner. Usually sit-down dinners will have around a one server to 20 guest ratio or less, while for a buffet the guest count will be higher.

8. Who will be on site on my wedding day?

You’ll want to be sure that you meet the coordinator who will be at your wedding beforehand.

Whatever you do, make sure everything is 95% in order in the catering department.

Photo Credit: Cruise Africa, Bella Naija

News

7 Meals You Can’t Miss At A Typical Nigerian Wedding

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Nigerian meals at a wedding

The average Nigerian loves food and we cannot even argue this. For every wedding ceremony that takes place in Nigeria 70% of the guests are there for the food as much as they want to celebrate with you.

Nigerian meals are quite interesting and toothsome.

Here are meals you would surely see at most Nigerian weddings.

1. Jollof Rice

This is the king of all Nigerian meals at any occassion. How can you not have Jollof at your wedding?.Based on its name, the origins of Jollof rice can be traced to the Senegambian region that was ruled by the Jolof Empire. Somehow, Nigerians have ‘owned’ this delicacy and presented it in different amazing ways.

2. Pounded Yam

It is a delicacy prominent to the south-western part of Nigeria. Iyan , as it is called by natives, has its root among the people of Ekiti state in south western Nigeria. Pounded yam is a special food for special occasions in Nigeria such as in marriages, coronations, house warming, funeral to mention a few.

3. Fried Rice

This tastes differently from jollof rice and sometimes served side by side with jollof rice.

4. Porridge

Yam porridge is made with yam, oil, vegetables and preferably tomatoes.

Pottage is cooked in many different ways in accordance with national food cultures,customs and traditions.

5. Ofada Sauce

Ofada sauce got its name from the local rice which it is usually served with (Ofada rice), the sauce is called Ayamase.

The pairing is just splendid.

6.  Moin Moin

Moin-Moin is a Nigerian steamed bean pudding made from a mixture of washed and peeled beans, onions and fresh ground peppers.

7. Small Chops

Nigerian small  chops are finger foods served at parties.

These include spring rolls, baby puff puff, samosas, peppered gizzards, chicken kebab, asun, stick meat, mini sausage rolls, Nigerian fish rolls and a lot more.

Small chops can be quite filling too. Nigerian meals add their own quota in making a wedding colourful and spicy.

Photo Credit: Afrovibe, Omgvoice, SisiJemimah, Afrotourism, Dealdey, Kitchenbutterfly

Planning

You Should Avoid These 7 Foods A Night Before Your Wedding

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‘The wedding diet’ is as real as rain and also very important. You would not want an about-to-be-married you running down the aisle as a result of stomach upset or the like.

In a bid to avoid any drama between you and your stomach, you should be mindful of the meals you have a few days or a night before your wedding

Here are 7 meals you should stay away from ahead of your big day:

1. Junk Food

Apart from trying to banish food-induced baby bumps, you never can tell when junk food might upset your stomach. It is better to be safe than sorry.

2. Beans

Bacteria goes to work breaking down the food and causing serious amounts of gas and bloating when you eat beans. It’s wise to stay off this a night before your wedding.

3. Artificial Sweeteners

These can be referred to as ‘proxy’ sweeteners and are a no – no. Most times, they contain sugar alcohol, which can cause bloating. It’s best to cut down on sugar altogether.

4.  Salt

Salt causes the body to retain water and bloat around the mid-section. You may want to avoid meals with too much salt at this time.

5. Diary Products

Dairy is made up of an enzyme called lactase, which is responsible for lactose intolerance in 75% of the world’s population. The digestive system struggles to break down dairy, and indigestion causes gas and bloating. If you don’t want to feel stuffed on your day, avoid dairy products.

6. Soda

Carbon dioxide is the root cause of the bubbles found in soda, beer and champagne. Taking fizzy/soda drinks means ingesting those gases, which cause bloating and expansion around your mid-section.

7. Gum

No one would have guessed, right? A lot of chewing gums use sugar alcohols in production. As with artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols cause bloating – furthermore, single stick of gum can pack five calories and up to six grams of sugar.

You may be tempted to want to take some of these before your big day but you definitely do not want to feel any sort of discomfort on your wedding day. Replace fizzy drinks with water and avoid the rest of the above for a couple of days and you will be just fine!

Photo Credit: Cherbs.org