5 Steps to Follow When Choosing Your Utah Wedding Catering: Magleby’s Catering

When it comes to wedding planning, there are seemingly endless things to take into consideration while you’re looking for vendors, and choosing a caterer is no different. What kind of catering style will you want for your wedding? Is a buffet too casual or a full-service meal too fancy? And how do you know which one to choose from based on what you need?

Take it from Magleby’s Catering, they know a thing or two about what to take into consideration when you’re in the market for Utah wedding catering. Keri Lostetter, Magleby’s Catering Coordinator, has been around the kitchen a few times, and knows what to tell couples about how to choose the best caterer for your wedding. Here are her top five things to consider when you’re in the market for a great catering service.

Go ahead, get out your wedding planning binder and get ready to take notes!

Step One: Budgeting for Catering

There are all kinds of ways to keep your budget on track when you’re looking for a caterer. According to Keri, the best way to make the most of your catering budget without sacrificing quality is to choose a buffet.

“Once you start adding plated meals or interactive stations, your costs can quickly double, not because the food itself is more expensive, but because these styles require significantly more staffing and service. A well-planned buffet can still feel elevated while helping you stay within budget.”

Narrow Down the Options

Another area where couples tend to overspend when it comes to food and service is when there are too many options. “Couples often feel pressure to offer a wide variety of options, like multiple entrées or an elaborate dessert spread, which can quickly inflate the budget. In reality, a thoughtfully curated menu with one standout entrée and a few delicious sides is often just as satisfying and far more cost-effective. Simplicity can still feel special.”

There’s nothing wrong with choosing something simple!

You can apply this idea in many other ways when it comes to catering—you can reduce catering costs while still impressing your guests and feeling fancy on your big day.

“Focus on flavor. Impress your guests with taste first! At Magleby’s, you can truly taste the difference. One smart way to save is by simplifying presentation. Petite desserts with multiple assembly steps, intricate garnishes, and extra frills can quickly drive up costs. Serving the same dessert on a beautiful platter with just one elegant garnish keeps it visually appealing, delicious, and much more budget-friendly. Simple doesn’t mean boring, it means smart!”

Prioritizing Different Catering Options

And Keri knows how to help you prioritize certain items when you’re working with a limited catering budget.

“Put your money where it matters. Focus on high-impact moments like the main meal or signature bites during cocktail hour. You can scale back on extras like passed hors d’oeuvres or late-night snacks if needed. And don’t underestimate the power of beautiful presentation, it makes even simple food feel elevated.”

Luckily, with Magelby’s Catering, they can work with any budget and still make your Utah wedding catering delicious, boujee, and enjoyable for everyone! “You don’t have to book full-service catering to enjoy Magleby’s food.”

Step Two: Choosing a Service Style

Magleby’s is known for their flexibility in catering to any budget because of their wide range of catering styles, from drop-off to full-service wait staff.

In addition to your budget, the kind of catering service you choose will depend on the kind of event you want to go for.

Your Wedding Vibe

“When deciding between plated dinners, buffets, interactive stations, or family style service, start by considering the tone, flow, and experience you want to create for your guests. Plated dinners feel elegant and structured, often best suited for more formal weddings or venues with limited space. Buffets are great for offering variety and keeping things efficient…guests can choose exactly what they want, and it tends to move quickly. Interactive stations add an element of fun and movement, encouraging guests to explore, mingle, and engage. Family style service brings a sense of comfort and community, making the table feel lively and connected.”

Venue and Guest Count

If the vibes are chill, then lean into the buffets or interactive stations! But that’s not all—your venue and guest count can also contribute to your catering style.

“For example, a small, intimate wedding at a private residence might lend itself beautifully to a family-style dinner, while a large ballroom with hundreds of guests might benefit from the organization and pace of a buffet. Interactive stations can be a great fit for outdoor venues or cocktail-style receptions where guests are more mobile.”

Here’s where it helps you to have the expertise of caterers who know a thing or two about which catering style to use for any kind of wedding—don’t be afraid to just ask what they think would work best for yours!

“Ultimately, your service style plays a big role in how the evening feels. Think about your priorities… Whether it’s elegance, efficiency, interaction, or intimacy—and choose the option that supports your vision, venue, and budget.”

Step Three: Building the Right Menu

Okay, so you’ve established a budget and decided on what kind of catering style you want at your wedding, but now you have to actually choose the food you want to serve. Will it be salmon and filet mignon? Or a taco bar with piña coladas?

Make it Reflect Your Love Story

The most important thing to consider is to make it personal—this is your wedding day, choose items that will represent your love story!

“We always encourage couples to start with what they love to eat. This is your day, and your menu should reflect your tastes, your memories, and your story as a couple. From there, we help shape it to complement the overall style and feel of your celebration. That’s what makes it so special and fun!”

So if your first date was brunch and coffee, take that as a sign to include pancakes and a cinnamon latte at your wedding!

Leaning Into the Seasons

Another thing to consider is seasonal flavors. Strawberries will be great in the summer for example, and everybody loves a good hot cocoa moment in the winter.

“This can truly elevate the entire guest experience! Seasonal ingredients not only taste better, but they’re often more affordable and easier to source at peak freshness—which is awesome. Light, vibrant dishes are perfect for spring and summer celebrations, while rich, comforting flavors are ideal for fall and winter weddings.”

“For a fun seasonal touch, small details like a s’mores bar in the fall, caramel apples, or peppermint-kissed desserts in winter add charm and cuteness around the room. Whatever your theme, the food should feel like an extension of the overall atmosphere.”

Consider Your Wedding Theme

Speaking of theme—your wedding theme is another way to figure out what food you’d like to include in your Utah wedding catering.

“Hosting a rustic ranch wedding? Think smoked meats, cornbread, and fresh garden veggies. Planning a black-tie affair? Consider elegant plated courses with refined petite plating and presentation with picks and garnishes.”

And remember—multiple options can be great, but it’s not always an absolute requirement.

“When it comes to entrée options, offering multiple choices can be a nice way to accommodate different dietary needs and preferences—but it’s not always necessary. A well-executed, streamlined menu with a thoughtfully chosen entrée (or a duo plate) can be just as successful and less logistically complex. We’ll guide you through what makes the most sense for your guest count, service style, and kitchen setup.”

Bonus: Balancing Personal Taste With Crowd-Pleasers

“Balancing personal taste with crowd-pleasers is where Magleby’s Catering comes in. If you’re craving something adventurous, we can find ways to present it alongside more familiar flavors, or introduce it as a specialty bite or late-night snack. It’s all about finding that sweet spot between you and your guests. It doesn’t have to be the main thing, but we want to throw it in because this day is about you!”

Magleby’s excels at fresh, made-from-scratch menus no matter what you’re looking for. So all of the above advice about considering your story, your venue, your vibe, and your taste—literally—they know how to turn it all into the perfect Utah wedding catering experience.

“We’re known for food that’s memorable, beautiful, and deliciously rich! We love working one-on-one with couples to create a menu that feels like home, while still being worthy of a beautiful once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

Step Four: Navigation Dietary Restrictions

Like the bonus tip from step three, it can be hard to choose Utah wedding catering that you love while still making sure all of your guests will enjoy it too—and be able to eat it. Take it from Keri, there are simple ways to make sure everyone gets fed!

“What we’ve seen is on average, only about 2% of guests have dietary restrictions, so you don’t need to overhaul your entire menu. We usually plan for a delicious vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free entrée to have on hand, but we don’t serve it to everyone. We keep these special meals ready in the back and serve them discreetly upon request—or guests will order in advance. It’s a simple and seamless way to make sure every guest feels included and well taken care of, without stressing your budget or complicating service.”

But sometimes, your menu will need to focus on those dietary restrictions, and that’s perfectly fine!

“The key is to focus on the most common dietary needs—typically vegetarian, gluten-free, and nut-free. Instead of designing completely separate menus, we recommend including a few versatile dishes that naturally meet those needs. That way, everyone can enjoy a cohesive meal without adding complexity or extra cost. For example, a flavorful vegetable risotto or gluten-free entrée can satisfy both guests with restrictions and those without.”

When to Let Your Caterer Know About Dietary Restrictions

Ideally, you’ll let your caterer know about any dietary restrictions you and your guests have as soon as possible.

“Once RSVPs are in, send over a consolidated list of any specific guest allergies or restrictions so we can plan accordingly. Clear, early communication helps us ensure every guest feels taken care of without any last-minute surprises. However, we typically don’t need final counts until two weeks before!”

Anything Can Be Accommodated

Magleby’s knows how to get creative behind the scenes to make sure that every meal can be easily accommodated to include any specific requirements. “Many of our sauces are thickened with cornstarch instead of flour, which means a large portion of our entrées are naturally gluten-free without compromising flavor or texture.”

“We also love incorporating beautifully crafted dishes like our acorn squash stuffed with roasted vegetable quinoa, which is a great meal that’s both vegan and gluten-free. It’s not just a dietary substitute; it’s a standout dish in its own right that looks stunning on the plate and delights every guest, regardless of dietary preference. Some get a little jealous at times!”

Just because your food needs to be accommodated, doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious!

And of course, Magleby’s makes it super easy to accommodate your catering menu. “Our menus are made from scratch, so we have a lot of flexibility. We’re used to accommodating everything from celiac to dairy-free to vegan diets, and we’re happy to help couples create a plan that feels seamless and inclusive for all guests.”

Step Five: Evaluating Your Caterer’s Experience

According to Keri, there are so many ways you can see if a caterer will be the right one for your wedding, but the most important one is tasting the actual food!

“You want to know exactly what you’re getting, and a tasting is the best way to experience the quality firsthand. At Magleby’s, we truly believe that if we can get couples to sit down and taste our food, they’re sold. You can really taste the difference in our ingredients, freshness, and attention to detail. It’s something that has always set us apart, and something we never compromise on.”

It’s really that simple—if it tastes great when you try it, then it will taste great on your wedding day!

Questions to Ask

“Couples should also ask about the caterer’s experience with their specific type of wedding. Venue size, guest count, service style, and menu preferences all play a big role.” Which is exactly why these are included in steps one through four!

“It’s also important to understand how the caterer handles logistics, dietary restrictions, and staffing. And always ask what’s included in the proposal or package rentals, setup, cleanup, and service, so there are no surprises later on. Everyone does their contracts differently, so it’s sometimes hard to compare apples to apples because you sometimes don’t understand who includes what. Make sure you get a detailed proposal.”

Another great thing to ask about that some couples forget about is kitchen access and logistics. “A beautiful outdoor space or barn may need a prep kitchen or additional equipment. Knowing those logistical details early can save a lot of stress later.”

Working with your caterer should feel like a collaboration. “A great caterer will take time to understand your setting and the atmosphere you’re trying to create because the food is a huge part of that! You should feel heard, supported, and excited when you talk through the menu. This is the fun part of planning!”

An Unforgettable Dining Experience

According to Keri, it’s about so much more than the food. It’s about the service, planning, presentation, and of course, deliciousness!

“When guests feel taken care of and every detail feels intentional, it elevates the entire celebration. People might not remember every flower or speech, but they will remember how the meal made them feel. That’s the magic we aim to create at every Magleby’s wedding.”

Are you hungry yet? We know we are. Feel free to check out some of these magical meals from Magleby’s anytime. Oh, and feel free to write down your answers to these five steps while you’re on the hunt for a perfect Utah wedding caterer!