Wedding Tasting Events

If you book a wedding reception here at the Hawthorne Hotel, you will want to know all about this really important event.

Karen Cotton, Director of Catering

Our Group Wedding Tastings take place four times each year, with the menu focusing on the season of your Wedding date. The next one is scheduled for April 17, and if your wedding is coming up during the summer you should have already received an invitation.  It is definitely an event you do not want to miss!

This tasting evening begins with a reception offering passed sparkling wine, as well as stationed and passed hors d’oeuvres. During the reception, you will have the opportunity to walk around the Ballroom and view all the tables set with a variety of linens, as well as view the beautiful floral centerpieces from Flowers by Darlene.

You will then be seated for a four-course dinner with wine served at the table.. A catering representative will be at your table to answer questions about your wedding. Everyone will sample appetizers and salads before being invited up to the dinner buffet.  At the beginning of the buffet you will see sample plates of food displayed, so that you can envision how we will plate your entrees.

While your event will not be served buffet-style, utilizing a buffet for this tasting will allow you to taste a minimum of six different entrees as well as different accompaniments and vegetable options—you are encouraged to try as many as you like.

Following dinner, dessert and coffee will be served.  In addition to dessert, several of our most popular wedding cakes from Montilio’s will be available on a station for you to try.

While many wedding venues offer a tasting appointment for their couples, we believe our wedding tasting event sets us apart, because our couples can try so many different things, interact with other couples, view a variety of table linens, and flower arrangements, and try our wines -- all in one evening.

If your wedding is booked for October, November or December, the tasting for that one will be in July.  We always send out the invitations at least one month in advance.  Tentatively right now that tasting is scheduled for July 17 -- however, we will let you know definitely in the beginning of June.  Watch your e-mail.

We know from experience that our couples really appreciate the extra effort we make to host a spectacular wedding "tasting" event, so we hope you will make sure your plans include coming here to the Hawthorne Hotel for the appropriate tasting.

If for some reason you anticipate not being able to attend the tasting you would normally be invited to, be sure to check in with your catering sales manager -- perhaps you can attend the one just prior -- for example, if you know you are going to be gone for the month of July this year, and your wedding falls in the last quarter of the year, perhaps you can attend the April 17 event instead?

We hope to see you here.

Juli