Wedding catering in Richmond is not booked in a single decision — it is a sequence of them, and each one gets harder if the one before it slipped. Here is the timeline we see work, based on catering weddings across Richmond, Twickenham, Kingston and the wider South West London area since 2008.
12–10 months out: venue first, caterer second
Your venue decides more about catering than your caterer does. Before signing, confirm whether external caterers are allowed at all, whether there is a fee for using one, what time we can load in, and whether there is any kitchen access. Venues with no kitchen are entirely workable — we serve from professional warm holding in silver or copper chafing units — but it changes the menu plan.
10–8 months out: shortlist and rough numbers
Shortlist two or three caterers and give each the same brief: date, venue, rough guest count, and whether it is a single day or a multi-day celebration. At this stage you are comparing approach, not haggling over pounds. Our per-head tiers are public — Bronze £25, Silver £35, Gold £45, Platinum £60 — so you can build a realistic budget line before any conversation.
8–6 months out: tasting
A tasting menu is available by arrangement. Tastings are chargeable rather than free, so book them once you have narrowed to a genuine shortlist. Come with the guest profile in mind: how many older relatives, how many children, how much spice tolerance across the room. You can request one via book a tasting.
6–4 months out: lock the menu shape
Choose the tier, not yet every dish. Bronze covers 1 starter, 2 mains and 1 side; Silver 2/3/2; Gold 3/4/3; Platinum 4/5/4. If your menu goes beyond the allowance, we quote it as a bespoke package and show you the figure before anything is agreed. This is also the point to raise every dietary requirement you know about — see our vegetarian and vegan menus and gluten-free options.
4–3 months out: confirm and pay the deposit
Booking terms are 50% deposit to hold the date and 50% balance. We do not run credit accounts. If your venue needs supplier paperwork, ask us then — public liability documentation is available on request.
8–6 weeks out: venue walk-through and service plan
Agree load-in time, table length for the buffet, power, and who clears down and by when. For 150 guests or more, two serving lines rather than one is usually the difference between a 30-minute service and an hour.
3–2 weeks out: final numbers
Final guest count and final dietary list. This is the number we cook to, so it needs to be the real one, not the optimistic one.
The week of
Confirm the timing food must be on the table, re-confirm venue access, and share a contact who will actually be reachable on the day — not the couple. Our catering service runs from 11am onwards by prior booking, so daytime weddings are straightforward when planned in.
Multi-day celebrations
If you are planning Mehndi, Nikah and Walima, treat them as three briefs and plan them together — costs are broken down on our Nikah, Mehndi and Walima page.
Next steps: browse the full catering menu, check package prices per head, build a quote with your date and guest count, or send an enquiry. We cater across Richmond, Twickenham, Kingston upon Thames and every area we serve.
Written by the Jaflong Tandoori catering team, family-run in Richmond since 2008 and led by owner Syed Bashar. Last reviewed September 2026.