Weddings
From the first crate through the door to the last dance
A wedding is the longest shift we work, often fourteen hours from load-in to load-out. Here is how that day runs, who is in the room, and what we need from you and your venue.
The day, hour by hour
A Saturday with a four o'clock ceremony
Times shift with your ceremony and your venue's rules. The order of things doesn't.
- 10:30 am
Kitchen load-in
Our van backs up to the venue with everything cooked, prepped or ready to finish. The kitchen crew sets up ovens, hot boxes and the plating line.
- 1:00 pm
The room is set
Servers lay cloths, napkins, plates, cutlery and glassware to your floor plan, and put out the place cards your coordinator hands us.
- 3:00 pm
Captain's walk-through
Your captain walks the room with the venue manager and your coordinator or a family member: entrances, the head table, the cake, the timing of speeches.
- 4:30 pm
Cocktail hour
Canapés go round on trays while the bartenders open the bar with your liquor. Photos happen; nobody goes hungry waiting for them.
- 6:00 pm
Dinner is served
Plated courses land at every seat together, platters go down the tables, or the buffet is called table by table. The head table is always first.
- 7:30 pm
Speeches and cake
We hold the next course for the speeches, then cut and plate the cake from your baker and pour coffee and tea.
- 8:30 pm
The floor opens
Dinner is cleared quietly around the dancing. The bar keeps pouring and the servers keep tables tidy.
- 10:30 pm
Late lunch
Rye, cold cuts, kielbasa and pickles go out for the dance floor, or late-night fries if you'd rather.
- 12:30 am
Last dance, then load-out
The bar closes when your permit says it does. We pack, take out our garbage and leave the venue kitchen clean, usually within the hour.
For booked couples
The tasting evening
Once your deposit is in, you and two guests of your choosing come to our kitchen on Marlowe Street for an evening at the pass. We cook two or three options for each course, plated exactly as they will be on the day, and you decide over dinner.
- Held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, booked about four months before the wedding
- Included for the couple plus two; extra guests are $45 each
- Your captain joins for the last half hour to go through the day's timeline
- Family-style and buffet couples taste from the platters, the way guests will
How many of us you'll see
Every wedding has one captain who runs the room and is your single point of contact on the day. Servers scale with the service style; bartenders with the guest count. The kitchen crew works behind the scenes and isn't counted here.
| Guests | Captain | Servers, plated | Servers, family-style | Servers, buffet | Bartenders |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 100 | 1 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| 150 | 1 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 2 |
| 200 | 1 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 3 |
| 250 | 1 + assistant | 25 | 17 | 10 | 3 |
Hourly rates for each role are on Service & pricing.
Who arranges what
You and your venue
- The hall, barn or garden, with a kitchen or a covered space for ours
- Tables and chairs, from the venue or a rental company
- The liquor and the event's liquor permit; our bartenders serve it
- The wedding cake; we can suggest bakers we work with
- Flowers, décor, chair covers, tents and a dance floor
- The final guest count, dietary list and floor plan, 14 days before
Linden & Rye
- The menu, the cooking and every member of the floor and kitchen crew
- Plates, cutlery, wine and water glasses, and coffee cups
- Floor-length cloths and napkins in ivory or charcoal for guest tables
- Platters, chafing dishes and the bar tools
- Cutting and plating your cake, and pouring coffee and tea
- Clearing, washing up and taking our garbage away
Most Saturdays from June to September go by early winter
Tell us your date, venue and guest count. We reply within two working days with availability and a first estimate.