You know we love a fashion Friday, but a foodie Friday? HEAVEN! We’ve dug deep and today we’re bringing you 18 incredible wedding caterers from around Australia and NZ – each accompanied with the most drool-worthy pics of dishes with WOW-factor. From cocktail slinging campers through to asado barbecue specialists and farm-to-table feasts bursting with flavour, there’s a culinary creative below sure to pique your fancy.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a foodie, may we suggest, if you’re going to invest your time and energy into any one aspect of the wedding planning process let it be this. So very often this is one part of your big day that will undoubtedly endure for guests (alongside your cute as heck vows and speeches, ofc). Serving a signature cocktail alongside canapes cooked over coals, or a triple-cheese toastie as a late night snack will leave you feeling like the absolute legend that you undoubtedly are.
If you’re after more assistance with this whole planning shebang, be sure to check out our Top 15 Country Wedding Venues, and Top 15 Cake Makers To Follow On Instagram posts. Or better yet, get your hands on our brand-new Wedding Planning Guide – hit this link to find you’re closest stockist. Now, we shall let these delish photos, snapped by some of our fave photographers (scroll down for creds), do the rest of the talking. Make sure you have snacks on hand… you’ve been warned.
Fourside Food Design & Events
Fourside Events do all the things. From handheld canapés through to full vegan menus, they nail whatever task is set. Collaborating with the best of the best among Melb’s foodie elite, you know that only the freshest morsels will be delivered to your guests. You can even take a squiz at past real wedding menus here. Not only do they take pride in tailoring menus to keep guests completely nourished, but they also only source from a carefully curated list of local suppliers and growers who provide topnotch seasonal produce. As if you need anymore convincing, but they shared their dream wedding menu with us recently and it included hot jam dougnuts and triple cheese toasties as a late-night snack… Sound like something you’d be into? (Obvs!), then reach out here.
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Excuse My French
This is no ordinary mobile bar service, although if you’re after a straightforward bevvy service, of course they offer that too. Skilled mixologists will collaborate closely with you to create the bar experience of your dreams for your dream day. Champagne tower a must? Perhaps a signature welcome cocktail with infused native ingredients (you fancy thang)? Not a problem, these guys have you covered – they’re also set up to take on intimate ceremonies or grand receptions and everything in between. Get in touch here.
Location: Sydney, NSW
Fennel & Co
Delicious, wholesome food that looks incredible, tastes even better and is expertly served – that’s the name of the game for this talented husband-and-wife-run catering company. From the Italian banquet option, which features the likes of braised wagyu beef shin, with celeriac puree, gremolata and jus, to the Korean fried chicken bao and Szechaun duck dumpling canapes (um… yum!), the extensive menus serve up a whole range of mouthwatering morsels sure to get you booking in a tasting stat. See the team in action at a few of fave real weddings here.
Location: Newcastle & The Hunter Valley, NSW
The Wandering Waterhole
The Wandering Waterhole serves bevvies from one of two refurbed vintage horse floats. Not only are you securing some straight-up vibe with the olive and navy floats (and the fabulous humans within them), but you’re ensuring smooth acquisition for your guests. These guys are also BYO, which means you can snag all your favourite drinks to serve your guests at the best prices possible. This is what we call a win-win situation. Get in contact here.
Location: Central Coast, NSW
Terra Firma Dining
As you may have guessed from the images above, this ain’t your run of the mill catering company. Terra Firma Dining offer an immersive outdoor cooking experience where guests are treated to an open fire pit installation with delicious local produce slowly roasting over hot coals. This humble style of dining embraces back-to-basic cooking techniques, using only fire and the best local ingredients. Some signature dishes include fire cheese fry pan, cooked suckling pig on the asado cross and the slow-cooked black angus ribeye rack. If you’re loving this idea for your wedding, have a squiz at the full menus here.
Location: Sunshine Coast, QLD
Sabre Catering & Events
Located in Hobart but available everywhere, Sabre are as wholesome as it gets. They’re committed to supporting local producers and growers as well as offering a service that is both intuitive and bespoke. Expect dishes like wallaby tartare, Tasmanian carrots baked in huon apple juice, and lemon and kunzea panna cotta. YUM. They value the sentiment of sharing a feast, and are passionate about good food and good times. Amen! Pop on over here for a little extra info and to get in touch.
Location: Hobart, TAS
Happy Camper Pizza
Based in Melbourne, but happy to travel around the country, Happy Camper Pizza is a family-run business, owned by a couple of pizza lovers, Remi and Sonia. The have a few different truck styles (from bedford to airstream) and there’s also the option to add gelato, grazing boards, canapés, salads and more to your wedding day menu. This here truck is quite literally your one-stop shop on the day, slinging delicious pies to all your loved ones, who will undoubtedly retain fond foodie memories just like the guests at Hope & Rhys’s wedding. Dare you not to lick the screen while scrolling this menu.
Location: Melbourne, VIC
Hubert & Dan
Guests rave about Hubert & Dan‘s use of premimum Tassie produce throughout their menus, bursting with colour and flavour. The name of the game for these catering superstars is to impress guests with generous and beautifully presented courses, ensuring full bellies at the end of the big day. Sweet-tooths, there’s something for you, too – they also offer to make wedding cakes, doughnut towers or dessert canapés. Head here to see Kaddy & David’s intimate day, which they expertly catered.
Location: Launceston, TAS
The Vintage Bar Co
A bespoke bar service housed in a cute AF 1950s caravan named Frankie. Sign us up! As well as Frankie, The Vintage Bar Co also boast a few other players in their repeirtoire – Fern, Flow and Fran are mobile bars designed to fit into spots Frankie may not. So whatever the size of your celebration, there’s a bar service to suit. You have the option of BYO, bar tab or a per-head price, then you simply choose your tipple – select from refreshing cocktails, fine wines and craft beers and let the boys behind The Vintage Bar Co help you plan the perfect menu. They kinda know their stuff. All that’s left to do is grab a drink and enjoy. Get in touch here.
Location: Brisbane, QLD
Radish Events
A team of food lovers and waste warriors, this BCorp-certified biz is a leader in the sustainable catering industry. More of the good stuff, less of the bad. More high quality, fresh, seasonal and local ingredients. Less ‘bulking agents’ and less plastic, is the catchcry of these legends. The team source all their ingredients ethically and make everything they possibly can in-house. Their menus are influenced by what is seasonal and available at the markets and as a result, their food is as tasty as it gets. And options. There are options, guys. Radish offer up buffet, canapé, share plate, grazing table and plated experience menus as well as their iconic food stations (think poke bowls and pasta and taco bars). Big yum. Questions? Get in contact here.
Location: Sydney, NSW
The Luxury Table
Whether you’re after feasting boxes, luxury picnics or fully-styled grazing tables, The Luxury Table make sure all the finer deets are taken care of. With a focus on quality, the team use locally sourced and sustainable produce wherever possible, and present the region’s finest in a manner that will WOW. They are big believers that stylised grazing tables create conversation and bring people together (hard agree!), and by using different props, linen drapes, candles, custom florals, fruit displays, stone off-cuts and more, they create dream tablescapes, perfect for elopements, intimate weddings or full-blown parties. Reach out here.
Location: Byron Bay, NSW
A Chef’s Pocket
Peruvian chefs Andres and Franco, both born in Lima, spent years working in kitchens around the world before landing in Byron Bay and starting local catering company A Chef’s Pocket. Embracing fresh Peruvian flavours and culture, the chefs deliver some pretty drool-worthy dishes including ceviche, empanadas and chalaca mussels. If you think your tummy can handle it, click through here to take a glimpse at A Chef’s Pocket’s delectable offerings.
Location: Byron Bay, NSW
Base Food By Fire
New Zealand peeps, or those planning a destination wedding across the ditch, you are in luck! And we are a bit jel. Base Food By Fire has three elite catering sevices on offer – woodfire pizza (made from the freshest ingredients), a Bedford bar truck slinging bevvies, and the showstopping asado barbecue menu. For extra wow factor, you can add whole cuts, such as whole hog, smoked low and slow all day. Served grazing-style accompanied with epic sides, there’s a reason the asado barbecue is their most popular package. Base Food By Fire caters to parties of 50-plus and we recommend getting in contact ASAP as these guys book out quick.
Location: Christchurch, NZ
Garnish Creative Catering
Garnish are the OG grazing table and shared feast specialists. Their tables full of seasonal produce and homestyle dishes are iconic here at the HM office and we count ourselves amongst their biggest fans – their spinach and mozzarella arancini are the stuff dreams are made of, just FYI. You simply can’t go wrong with their passion for homegrown and locally sourced food. Catch them in action via Victoria & Todd’s wedding here and get in contact right here.
Location: Berry, NSW
Paddock to Plate Catering Co.
Based in Sydney’ Northern Beaches but willing to travel all over Oz, these caterers love a good shindig out on a rural property, and are leaders in farm/barn-style weddings. They love bringing the region their working in to the forefront when selecting food, too, sourcing ingredients from local farms where possible. Cooking on spits and fire pits over native wood is also part of the parcel. Plus, even if you’re getting married on a property without a kitchen, it’s no drama as they can bring all their own equipment and set up a temporary kitchen at an additional cost. Sound like a winner? See them in action at Emily & Jessie’s wedding.
Location: Sydney, NSW
Gathar
If you love flicking through menus and want the option of a myriad of cuisines for your big day, Gathar could very well be your dream caterer. This Australia-wide collective offers five-star dining experiences to over 30 Aussie locations. Consisting of caterers, chefs and grazing stylists, you tell Gathar what you want and they’ll curate an entire culinary experience for you and your guests. Intimate elopement feast or formal sit-down for 200, they’ve got the goods. Cruise their website here and find menus like Yia Yia’s Greek Feast or the Deluxe Canape Journey – foodies will be in heaven. Once you’ve decided on your feast, get in contact here.
Location: Australia-wide
Heyder & Shears
These foodies love to bring their signature pizazz to any and all weddings from jazzy cocktail party receptions to backyard shindigs. Their food is a literal chef’s kiss and their menus are tailored to a T. The newly created grilled mackerel with fish liver cream, beach mustard and grilled asparagus (above) is an absolute stunner – you can see more of their scrummy dishes here. These good people are also of the opinion that a good caterer is invested in the entire guest experience so they are dedicated to ensuring every detail is met and exceeded. Catch them in action via Angie & Chris’s Fremantle wedding here.
Location: Perth, WA
Refresh Catering
Falling under the Nudo Events portfolio, this in-house catering team services some of Melbourne’s coolest wedding venues, crafting delicious experiences tailored to suit. These guys do everything from roaming canapes with cocktails, sit-down share feasts to gourmet grazing. And they do it darn well at that! The team recently told us their chicken maryland was a fast fave among diners, but looking at this gallery of their delish dishes, it’s a struggle to choose just one. Shoot off an enquiry here.
Location: Melbourne, VIC
CREDITS Photos (from top) Sophie Sullivan Photography, Rolan John Photo, Esteban Le Tessa, Muse Photography, Damien Milan, Valeria Ramirez, Sophie Sullivan Photography, Miranda Stokkel, Jon Gazzignato, Lu & Lo, Outback Impressions, Nicole Gourley Photography, Maple and June, Corinna & Dylan, Sofia Flinn, Shot By Tom, Tyler Brown Photography, Art of Grace Studios
