It’s not known as a wedding feast for nothing, and whichever way you look at it, food is likely to be a big issue at your special event.

But here again is an opportunity to do it in real style.

While venues – particularly hotels – might offer you their resident chef, the chances are you will be looking for a style of cuisine which matches specific tastes – mainly an Indian caterer that knows his aloo tikka from his aloo gobi!

That means a specialist outside caterer. Keep a few simple guidelines in mind and success will be assured.

First you need to narrow down suitable caterers, and then arrange tastings – and in this area a good wedding planner could be particularly useful. It’s vital to be realistic about numbers and go through the caterer’s prices at each stage, and ensure you’re making a like-for-like comparison wherever you go.

Will the venue or the caterer be providing waiting service staff – if so, what quality are they? Even the most sensational food can leave a sour taste if the service is inept – and boy have we all experienced that some time in our lives!

And then who’s supplying the crockery and the cutlery? Who is providing the table linen and will there be an extra charge? Well yes, the costs begin to mount up about now and out goes the style and in comes Uncle Ramesh who cooks from the back of his garage but is a dab-hand at authentic Indian cuisine! More seriously make sure you choose a caterer who is reputable and highly recommended by someone you trust.

Liquid refreshment also has a part to play, of course. And your starting point is the fun of working out how your guest list converts to drinkers, and non drinkers, of alcohol.

It’s worth knowing that a bottle of wine generally holds six glasses, and the average a wine drinker is likely to consume with a meal is three glasses. The general rule is two bottles of white per one bottle of red. A Champagne toast should mean one glass per person (unless you’re feeling generous) - therefore six persons per bottle. Also bear in mind if you’re doing a champagne reception at the start and note that children and some of the elder ladies probably won’t drink alcohol when doing your calculations. For orange juice to be placed in jugs, account for two cartons per jug and don’t forget about the replenishments.