OCCASIONS CATERERS

and so ready to jump in and help. From the time we walked into the building for the tasting, myself and the couple getting married were treated like royalty. We were greeted with drinks and escorted to a room beautifully set up for the tasting. The food was delicious and innovative and every course was plated beautifully. No detail was overlooked. I also cannot say enough good things about the staff at Occasions. We worked with Suzanne and she is the most professional, hard-working person. You could tell she wanted every detail to be perfect. The staff on the day of the wedding was also incredible. As a planner, I am usually triple checking everything and putting out fires. I can honestly say, I had zero worries when it came to catering and rentals - the Occasions staff was on top of everything. This wedding went off without a hitch and I can honestly say it was in large part to the work and dedication of the Occasions team. I cannot say enough good things about them. Thank you!!!

personalized menu they created for us! They were so patient and flexible and we couldn't have been happier with how the food turned out (this was high on our important aspect of the day list). We went with a Southern Comfort theme for dinner and people still rave about the fried chicken and shrimp and grits. Everything was so delicious from the pasta station and raw bar they created at our cocktail hour, to the comfort food we needed to soak up our libations at dinner, to the pie spread we indulged in at dessert, to the suprise late night snacks. We highly recommend them for any event - they will leave a lasting impression!

o die for. So many delicious and unique options. Everyone raved and continue to rave about it! Thank you to the event planners, culinary staff, bartenders and servers for working hard to make our wedding day seamless and memorable.

oked! The food was AMAZING, as was the wine, and Joel and the rest of the staff were a delight to work with. They were also incredibly accommodating when we tried the salmon entree, but didn't like the side it was originally served with. They were so easy to work with to choose a different side to be served with that entree. They also had a extensive selection of hors d'oeurves to choose from that were a all a hit for our guests...from mini chicken & biscuits to fresh figs & chevre in an endive leaf! Although a guest favorite was the braised beef on a polenta cakes, I was partial to the ahi tuna on risotto cakes - YUM! ALSO! My husband is not a fan of tomato or eggplant and he LOVED their fresh mozzarella and grilled vegetable stack we chose to have instead of your typical salad, which was served with pesto & roasted tomato jam...drool. We were also told by multiple guests that they've never experienced such wonderful servers at a wedding. To the point where guests remembered their servers name (Specifically Liz!) and raved about their service and attentiveness. To top it all off, after the event was over, they left my husband and I a gift box filled with personalized cookies, macaroons, and mini bottles of champagne. Could a couple feel any more spoiled and special? :) I would highly recommend Joel and the rest of the team at Occasions Catering!

ing was expertly crafted. My primary request was for an elaborate dessert spread, and they didn't hold back. They served seven different types of dessert. Aside from providing an excellent meal, Joel and Sydney helped us pick beautiful linens, dishes and silverware, and chairs. The event staff were also great, and they worked very well with the venue and other vendors. Joel and Sydney are an excellent team.

w home to Maryland last week, to get a bunch of wedding planning done. Our wedding planner, scheduled three caterer tastings for the week. The first two went off without a hitch. We arrived as scheduled to Occasions catering in Washington, DC at 12 noon, for our tasting. Their entrance was very impressive, with dinnerware, chairs and linens on display, but when we arrived nobody greeted us and we felt totally out of place. Our wedding planner took us into the tasting room. Fifteen minutes after our scheduled tasting Shawna, from Occasions, finally acknowledged us. She came in to the room to say hello but didn’t make eye contact with anyone and then promptly left the room. A few minutes later she called our wedding planner out of the room. Despite the numerous emails confirming our appt. and a phone call from our planner to Shawna the night before our scheduled appointment, Occasions dropped the ball and was not at all prepared for us. The reason Shawna asked our planner to speak outside of the tasting room was because they needed us out of that room for another potential client. So they made us leave their tasting room and put us in their display room where they made a mock up tasting room. Fourtyfive minutes after our tasting was due to start they brought a plate of hors devours that were cold, even though they were supposed to be warm. Based on the fact they were not what we had requested and there were not enough for each of us to try, it was clear these were left over from the people who were scheduled for the tasting room we were hurried out of. Shawna tried to tell us they were the correct serving temperature. Finally at 12:45pm they came in with two “display” plates (for 4 people) of meals saying our actual meals would be coming out. By then my husband was getting very upset with the poor service and attitude we had been receiving from Shawna & Occasions. We said we were going to leave and forego our tasting of the main meal. Shawna said she understood and would go get us desserts to take home. She left the room and within a couple of minutes the waiter came in with our entrees, talk about lack of communication! We told him to pack them up and we would take them home and that we were done. Shawna came back with desserts to take. Some were still frozen and parfaits were thrown together for us (again clearly left overs from the other peoples tasting). Carlos came back with our entrees and we left. We drove straight home to put everything in the refrigerator before going to our next scheduled appointment. When we got home we opened the “care packages” to see what we got and we were blown away by the awful smell. The meat was still raw and God only knows why the fish smelled so bad, needless to say, all of the meals went down the garbage disposal. Occasions is supposed to be in the service (catering) business. When Occasion's tells me "what do you expect? we are not a restaurant” That is absurd! A catering business needs to be a restaurant that works remotely from it’s kitchen, yet they could not even prepare and serve food in their own building! When someone tries to serve me food that was clearly taken from another persons table I am disgusted. When someone gives me undercooked meat & very bad smelling fish. I am sickened.

stions, had great suggestions and didn't make us feel like we were being upsold on any items we didn't need. We had pasta, main course options and a cheese course - our tasting was delicious, and on the day of our wedding, we really didn't have to worry about anything. The entire staff was clearly ready to go, knew what to do and could anticipate our needs. They were overall wonderful!

asting of appetizers, entrees and desserts they plan on serving and allow you to tailor the menu later on if necessary. Very responsive and great to work with, we were pleased!

s perfect for our black tie wedding.

the level of service that provided at the cocktail hour and reception. The food was so good that there was nota morsel of food left. I really loved that they provided us our own waiter that made sure that we had food and drinks.

h was much appreciated. Wait staff was very attentive and pleasant, and the project managers were professional and responded to all of my questions in timely, helpful manner. I will say that they are very expensive and there were a few last minute expenses that were a surprise. Overall, you receive high-value service in return, but you do pay for it.

al event, are top notch! We interviewed five caterers and Occasions was the only company who made us feel at ease, and truly heard what we wanted. Megan and Emily came up with a wonderful brunch menu at competitive pricing for the high caliber that they are. Once we decided that Occasions was the caterer we wanted to go with, we had a fun and delicious tasting! The tables were set up just like they would be at our wedding, there was a waiter in a tux who met us at the door with beverages, and as we met with Megan and Emily to work out the details of our wedding, we were brought an amazing spread of food to try! The entire process was so easy and took a huge stress away from us as we had full confidence in Occasions. The day of our wedding, an attendant was assigned to us as soon as we walked back down the aisle, who made sure that we had food and drink whenever we needed it! The staff was professional, kind, and so helpful the entire day!!

re so attentive and responsive to all of our needs during the planning process. When it came to our wedding day, they were always one step ahead of everything, making sure me and my fiance were taken care of. Our guests gushed over how tasty the food was -- and how elegantly it was presented on the plate. I would recommend Occasions to anyone getting married or in need of a caterer in the DC area!

ervice be above and beyond perfect. And WOW! Occasions did not disappoint. The staff is incredible (thank you Joel, Susan, Kate & Robin) - they don't miss a single detail. They make sure that your wedding happens magically around you and you just enjoy your day. I really can't say enough how wonderful they were.