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Food & Beverage
Micro Wedding Catering & Food
Micro wedding catering is where small wins. With 2–50 guests you can book the restaurant back room, the private chef, the tasting menu, food that doesn't work at 150. We match you to the right option for your venue and budget, present two or three real choices with per-head numbers, and coordinate the rest. You approve and pay the restaurant or caterer directly.
The elevated dinner
Our receptions usually center on dinner, not a dance party. When there are 20 of you, the meal IS the party. A long table, a real menu, people talking across it, that's the format most of our couples end up with, and it's the one nobody regrets.
Good food matters. Nobody remembers the chair covers. Everybody remembers dinner.
Private dining, tasting menus, private chefs, caterers, food trucks, we figure out what works for your venue and your budget. We present options with real numbers. You pick. You pay the restaurant or caterer directly, at their real price.
Your options at this size
Four formats that work at 2–50 guests, with real California venues and caterers behind each one.
Restaurant private dining
A back room, or the whole restaurant, at a place you'd normally fight for a reservation. Real kitchens, real menus, real service. Works beautifully for 10–40 guests. Wayfare Tavern's Juniper Bar, La Mar's City Room, Seventh & Dolores in Carmel, these are rooms built for exactly this.
On-site venue catering
When the venue has a kitchen or a preferred caterer, we work within that. Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch does this as well as anywhere, farm-to-table at the source, wine from the property. You decide the menu and the venue executes it.
Private chef at a home or estate
A chef comes to you. They bring the equipment, the ingredients, and the staff. The food is as good as any restaurant, sometimes better. Ideal if your venue is a private home, an estate rental, or a property without on-site catering. Bonus: you can often bring your own wine.
Casual, food trucks, family-style
Not everyone wants a seated tasting menu. Food trucks and family-style catering are real options, festive, relaxed, and often the most fun at 20 guests. Platters down the middle, everyone passing and pouring. Caterers in farm country do it brilliantly.
Dessert is already sorted, the cake is included in every package →
How the food & beverage consultation works
1
We figure out what works for your venue and headcount
Based on your guest count, your venue, and your style, we put together 2–3 food & beverage options with real per-head numbers. We present options. You pick.
2
You pay the restaurant or caterer directly
The bill goes straight from the restaurant or caterer to you. We stay looped in on every vendor conversation and handle the logistics from there.
3
We coordinate the rest
Timeline, dietary needs, cake handoff, service timing, we handle all of that so dinner runs itself. Your coordinator cues the kitchen so every part of the evening lands on time.
On billing: Venue fees and food & beverage are billed separately from your OLW package, we match you to the right option and coordinate everything, but the cost goes directly to the restaurant or caterer. You pay them at their price.
Real micro wedding dinners & receptions
What does micro wedding catering cost?
Most couples spend around $1,000 per guest all-in, and the majority of that goes to food & beverage. The OLW package fee is flat; your venue, food, and photographer are what scale with your choices.
The two most affordable routes: a private house with a private chef (you bring your own wine) or a City Hall ceremony followed by a restaurant dinner. Both work beautifully at 10–25 guests.
FAQ
Food & beverage questions
Is food & beverage included in your packages?
Food & Beverage is one of the Big Three. We match and coordinate it, but the venue or caterer bills you directly. The bill goes straight from them to you. We figure out what works for your venue and headcount and present 2–3 options with real numbers. You pick, and we coordinate the timeline, the cake handoff, and dietary needs.
What does micro wedding catering cost?
It depends entirely on format. A restaurant private room often prices as a food-and-beverage minimum, which can be one of the best values in wedding dining. Most couples spend around $1,000 per guest all-in, and the majority of that goes to food & beverage. Bring your budget to the consult so we can match you to what fits.
Why is food better at a small wedding?
At 150 guests, food comes from a banquet operation built for volume. At 20 guests, you can book the chef-driven restaurant, the winery's private chef, the caterer sourcing from a farm up the road. Nobody remembers the chair covers. Everybody remembers dinner.
Can you handle dietary restrictions?
Yes, and small guest counts handle them gracefully. We collect requirements ahead of time and make sure the kitchen has them. With 25 guests, a vegan cousin and a gluten-free best friend get treated as individual people, not assembly-line exceptions.
Packages
Choose your experience
Every package includes a personal planner, day-of coordination, and your own planning portal, one place where your timeline, vendors, and decisions live from day one to your wedding day.
Simple & Beautiful
From $4,500
Elopement · Minimony · Micro Wedding
You make the choices that matter. We build the shortlists and coordinate every vendor.
- Personal florals included
- Officiant included
- Wedding cake included
- Hair & Makeup for 1
- Day-of coordinator
- Planning portal
Elopement · up to 10 guests$4,500
Minimony · 11–25 guests$5,700
Loved
A Full Celebration
From $6,000
Elopement · Minimony · Micro Wedding
A fuller celebration, more vendors, more planning support, every detail coordinated for you.
- Personal florals included
- Officiant included
- Wedding cake included
- Hair & Makeup for 1
- Day-of coordinator
- Planning portal
- 5+ planning meetings & extended day-of (8 hrs)
- Outside vendor management & custom timeline
Elopement · up to 10 guests$6,000
Minimony · 11–25 guests$7,500
Micro Wedding · 26–50 guests$9,500
Venue, food & beverage, and photography are billed to you directly at their real price , we shortlist the right ones and coordinate. The bill goes straight from each to you.
Let's plan the best meal you'll ever host
Book a free consult, we'll suggest the format, the places, and make sure dinner runs itself.
Free consultation · No obligation · We reply within 24 hours