We recently had Hardings Caterers provide the food and service at our wedding, and while our overall experience was mixed, it's important for us to share both the highlights and the areas where we felt let down.

Firstly I want to make it clear that this review is no way related to our venue, this is purely a Hardings review. 

The staff on our wedding day were truly exceptional. From the waiters to the servers, kitchen staff, and our catering manager, Adam, everyone went above and beyond to make our day special. They were attentive, professional, and incredibly warm, ensuring that every detail was taken care of seamlessly. They made our guests feel welcome and were there whenever we needed them, making the atmosphere exactly what we hoped for. Both of us used to work in events and several of our friends that attended the wedding are caterers, and we were all very impressed! Gorgeous food, lovely staff, pure perfection. We cannot thank them enough for their dedication and hard work, which truly made a difference on our big day.

Unfortunately our experience with senior management during the lead up to the wedding was far less positive. Over the course of 8 or 9 months, we had 3 different catering managers, which led to communication issues and huge delays. While we know that staff transitions are a part of any business, this added to a massive amount of stress for us. For example, our food menu tasting took place only 9 days before the actual wedding, meaning we were forced to choose our food choices for the guests weeks before without actually sampling any of the food, adding unnecessary stress to the planning process. I think we'd all agree that no couple would choose to try the food that close to their big day when no major changes could be made. 

Despite the hurdles we faced, when we raised our concerns with the management and suggested some form of acknowledgment for the difficulties, we felt ignored and dismissed. It seemed like they did not take our concerns seriously, and the overall response left us feeling undervalued as clients. 

In the end, we found ourselves with no choice but to proceed as planned, despite the lack of accommodation or consideration from management. It was disappointing to feel that our loyalty and patience throughout this process went unrecognised, and it seemed to feel like they knew we were too close to our wedding day to properly explore other options and took advantage of that.

To anyone considering Hardings, know that Adam and the team on the ground will absolutely take care of you on your big day. Their dedication was a standout, and we truly cannot praise them enough. However, if you value a smooth planning process when things don't quite go to plan and value feeling heard by those at the top, this may be something to consider. 

Our experience serves as a reminder that great service should extend beyond just the event day, it’s about the entire journey.

The best wedding food I have ever had (which several of the guests agree with). There were lots of dietary requirements and none of them were a problem at all. Really friendly and professional staff. Everyone ran extremely smoothly and they made sure my husband and I were kept in the loop

Everyone at our wedding said how great the food was. We had a BBQ buffet that was a mix between a formal sit down meal and a help yourself buffet style. It went down a storm and the food was very high quality. The service and presentation was also very good. Communication throughout was slightly up and down, although there were some staff changes and I think this affected things. Despite this someone was always available to answer our questions or get back to us when needed.