Thank you for considering us for your wedding! We love surprising guests with delicious “wedding food” and making sure the day goes smoothly for you. We focus on weddings of under 150 guests, providing custom menus utilizing seasonal and organic food, professional service, and rentals (everything you need to make the reception happen).

This is likely the first time you’ve planned an event this big and we realize that planning can be a little overwhelming so we’ve included a bunch of information below, but feel free to call us if reading is not your thing.

Wedding FAQs

About Food & Beverage

What is your specialty?
My friend/family member or I have a dietary restriction (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free) or food allergy. Will FIG be able to provide food to accommodate?
Do you shop at the farmers market?
Can I bring my own booze?
Do you have sample menus?
Do you really only cater weddings up to 150 guests?

About Service

Will you be at my wedding?
Who will be the staff at my wedding?
Will you set-up my escort cards, centerpieces, favors, etc.?

About Rentals

There is no kitchen at my venue. Where will FIG prepare the food?
My venue has nothing. No tables, chairs, china, flatware, glassware, nothing. Is this something you can help out with?
Why are rentals so expensive?
I want a specific chair, table, or linen I found online. Do you have it?

Next steps ...

I still don't have a venue. Are there any great places you recommend?
Sounds great! Can you send me your packages?
Speaking of budget, how much does a wedding cost?
Do you offer tastings?
Do you provide flowers, tiered cakes, dresses, or other wedding essentials?

About Food & Beverage

What is your specialty?
A wedding is one of the most important days of your life and our job is to make sure you're eating delicious food. We will talk to you about types of food that you, your fiance, and your guests enjoy and develop a menu based on that information. While our style is seasonal comfort food with ethnic twists, we have experience in American bistro, fine French, seafood, Caribbean, Thai, Mexican, and more.

My friend/family member or I have a dietary restriction (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free) or food allergy. Will FIG be able to provide food to accommodate?
Yes, of course. Because we make almost all of our food in-house (including breads, crackers, and ice cream) we know what goes into it and can let you know ... or keep it out. We appreciate foods that are naturally vegan - like fresh veggies and fruits, whole grains, and legumes, but have also been known to make a mean homemade bbq seitan or tofu for those craving a meat-substitute.

Do you shop at the farmers market?
Unfortunately we have less time to actually visit the farmers markets than we once did, but fortunately we have a bevy of farmers that we've developed relationships with who will deliver right to our door, including Montalbano Farms (Sandwich, IL), Ellis Family Farm (Benton Harbor, MI), and Nichols Farm & Orchard (Marengo, IL). FIG sources our meat and poultry locally from Slagel Family Farm (Fairbury, IL), Gunthorp Farms (Lagrange, IN), and Mint Creek (Stelle, IL). We also serve only sustainably sourced seafood, and we're especially fond of Rushing Waters trout from Palmyra, WI.

With a limited growing season and lovable foods that we just can't find here (like avocados and salmon), we do find it necessary to work with distributors, but we are always sourcing better alternatives like wild caught salmon, organic produce, and fair trade coffee and chocolate.

Can I bring my own booze?
Some venues allow you to bring in your own alcohol, but require the caterer to serve it. You're welcome to provide your own alcohol when the venue allows and can accommodate delivery and pickup/take home. In these cases, FIG will provide a mixer package including non-alcoholic beverages/mixers and garnishes, bar set up, ice, and insurance. Or, let us help you out with the booze. FIG provides bar packages with alcohol at a variety of price points. Like our food philosophy, FIG Catering sources sustainably and organically produced wines, micro-brewed beers from local breweries, and craft distilled spirits from responsible producers. We believe the quality of your beverages should match the quality of your food. Ask your FIG contact for bar pricing and our liquor menu.

Do you have sample menus?
Yes, we have three menus below that illustrate different styles of service/different seasons, but keep in mind that this is just a small example of what we do.

| stations |
| buffet dinner |
| plated dinner |

Do you really only cater weddings up to 150 guests?
This may seem like an odd question to have under the food category, but, honestly, that's why we keep our weddings small. Cooking food for a large number of guests, off-site, using local ingredients is difficult, but we feel like we're able to keep our food quality higher by limiting the amount of guests we serve. We would love to be able to help couples out with their 200+ person weddings, but we're For Intimate Gatherings for a reason.

About Service

Will you be at my wedding?
From initial phone call or e-mail, through proposal development, tasting, and wedding day, your FIG contact will be there. Also one of FIG's chef-owners will be in the back preparing your meal on your wedding day. We only take one wedding per day - yours - so you can be sure it's at the top of our list.

Who will be the staff at my wedding?
We train and hire all of our own service staff to serve and bartend at events so we can ensure they are the best.

Will you set-up my escort cards, centerpieces, favors, etc.?
Yes, we're happy to help out with set-up of these items before your reception, but keep in mind that we are not florists or event designers. If flowers need to be arranged or serious design work needs to be done, contact a florist or wedding planner. Here are some great ones.

About Rentals

There is no kitchen at my venue. Where will FIG prepare the food?
Providing that your venue does not have restrictions on open flames or limited electricity, your food will be cooked fresh, on-site, even if your venue does not have a traditional kitchen with equipment. We rent tables to prep, ovens, and burners, or a grill and tent to cook outside.

My venue has nothing. No tables, chairs, china, flatware, glassware, nothing. Is this something you can help out with?
Yes, most of the venues where we cater are in the same situation. We are a full service caterer and will rent any equipment you need for your event, including plates, utensils, glassware, tables, chairs, linens, furniture, and more. For buffet or station meals, FIG provides eclectic platters for displaying food, rather than using chafing dishes.

Why are rentals so expensive?
We outsource all rentals and pass them along to you without additional mark-up. Because of the cost of storing, maintaining, and transporting large equipment in Chicago, rental prices are often very high (about one quarter of the total catering budget).

I want a specific chair, table, or linen I found online. Do you have it?
We're in Chicago and can find just about everything from vintage plate ware to wooden farm tables to modern furniture. Specialty rentals will increase your costs 2x or more so keep that in mind when looking at initial rental prices based on basic rentals.

Next steps ...

I still don't have a venue. Are there any great places you recommend?
Yes, we work at new venues all of the time and have a bunch of favorites depending on your style. Check out our full list of recommended vendors, including venues, here.

Sounds great! Can you send me your packages?
Every wedding is unique, and accordingly, we create all custom menu proposals. Also, every venue has different rental needs, requirements and other considerations that may influence the options we can offer you or the cost. Your menu options will vary depending on the date and what's seasonally available, plus your preferences. Please call or e-mail us to discuss you plans - some important information to think about includes your date, venue, guest count, the style of service you're interested in, the kinds of foods you and your fiance like and want to see served at the wedding, or dislike, and your budget for catering.

Speaking of budget, how much does a wedding cost?
We are not unsympathetic to this question. We know that weddings are a significant expense and try to answer as honestly as possible, but many factors contribute to wedding costs and so it's not always easy for us to give a pat answer. Our wedding coordinator, tackles this answer nearly every day and wrote a blog a couple years ago about the factors she considered when planning her wedding. Factors like style of service, menu, bar, rentals, and staff all contribute to the catering costs of a wedding and are important to consider when planning your affair. The average FIG wedding is about $115 per person, which includes the food, basic rentals, non-alcoholic beverages and service staff for a 6-hour event.

We love this online cost estimator because it asks relevant questions and offers a pretty realistic "educated guess."

Do you offer tastings?
Once you've secured a venue and have received a proposal from FIG, we'd be happy to set up a tasting with you. Tastings are typically complimentary within a reasonable variety of tasting options for a limited number of guests. Ask your FIG contact for available dates, times, and details.

Do you provide flowers, tiered cakes, dresses, or other wedding essentials?
No, but we know people who do. Call them.

(Photo: Copyright 2008 briankinyon.com)

    Or hear it straight from some of our fabulous clients:  

"FIG Catering is fantastic. Professional, creative, smart, and truly wonderful people to work with...And the food is so very yummy."
Tara Urban
In This Instance