Classic Catering

lfredo. All the food was very warm and delicious! Most tender prime rib I’ve had served at a wedding with 150+ people. We are still talking about how perfect everything was! Sandy was readily available every time I communicated with her which is very important when those pre-wedding jitters begin! I would recommend Classic to anyone planning a special event.

se, and provided ok-not-great food. They employ hard-working staff with minimal English so communication was an issue. We would not recommend them. Background and Contract This was an upscale wedding held at a bucolic rural residence in Waterford VA on Memorial Day Weekend 2026. There were 160 guests. Customer has hosted three previous weddings, including one only eight months prior, and has experienced numerous upscale weddings. The setup was on open property, on grassy farmland. The wedding celebration included a pre-ceremony activity (no/minimal food/drink with a few chairs), a wedding ceremony (chairs in rows under a tent), a post-ceremony cocktail reception (servers offering passed drinks, passed hors d’oeuvres outdoors, open bar, table with light refreshments/dips), dinner (servers, tables/chairs under a tent plus buffet serving table with steam serving equipment), dancing/dessert (dessert bar with servers), after dinner campfire (arranged by the venue) with “s’mores” (marshmallows/chocolate bars/graham crackers) (to be set up by servers). Classic Catering was selected as the catering service because they had experience at the venue, and because online reviews seemed favorable. The written contract included: 1. Servers and bartenders, event supervisor 2. Food including hors d’oeuvres, light refreshments, dinner, dessert 3. Setup of all chairs and tables for dinner, chairs for ceremony, plus bar and cocktail area, dessert area, s’mores station 4. Cleanup/takedown of food, trash, chairs, tables. The contract also included some special touches: 5. Appetizers served to the bride and groom so they would have them immediately after the ceremony (during a special seclusion time) 6. Extra plates during dinner for people who want a second helping of food 7. Passed cocktails and hors d’oeuvres after the ceremony. Servers were instructed to approach guests and circulate so that all guests desiring food/drink could be served without waiting in a line for food/bar/drink. Basic Agreements and Promises by Caterer 1. Customer hired a wedding planner. They provided a timeline and setup specifications to Caterer. Communications to caterer were crystal clear. 2. Customer/coordinator held a walk-through specifically for the caterer a few weeks before the wedding. Caterer did not attend (claiming an emergency), and only called to cancel one hour before the appointment time. 3. Customer/coordinator sent a detailed timetable for the event. There was no question what was supposed to happen when. Dessert was set up at 8:15; the timetable clearly specified 9:00PM 4. It is challenging to provide a hot meal for 160 people eating under a tent in a farm field. This requires food selection and preparation to remain fresh, hot, and appetizing on steam trays, with food being kept hot for a long time. All of this was known and discussed in advance, and caterer was expected to plan accordingly. 5. Customer/wedding coordinator sent several texts, emails, and voice mails providing instructions, including special updates the day before and day of because of rain the day before, but no rain the day of the wedding. As can be seen below, these instructions were either not received, not passed along, or disregarded. For example, the wedding coordinator texted Sandy (sales representative from Classic Catering) at 10AM to say we were going back to the original set up for the cocktail hour and dessert. The onsite catering staff never got that message, had no clue, and this caused delay and rework. 6. Caterer promised to have supervisors on site to instruct staff. On wedding day, the supervisor demonstrated lack of experience and inadequate English. Communication, proactive management, and responsiveness were lacking. Experience on Wedding Day 1. In the days before the ceremony and that day, there was rain in the area. It was evident that the ground would be wet and muddy. Catering staff used a truck that could not drive across the fields, and so they had to unload far from the wedding area. This caused delays and tired workers before the wedding activities even started. 7. Caterer provided inexperienced staff who did not speak English. Basic hospitality skills were lacking. 2. Catering staff contracted to set up chairs and tables for the ceremony and the dinner. This is a major effort that requires many hands, and only the caterer has this number of personnel. Catering staff seemed unaware that they were responsible. The staff had no setup instructions, though these had been provided to the caterer. The staff did not speak English so they were hesitant and unresponsive. The wedding coordinator and her helper wound up moving tables and chairs and performing much/most of the setup, along with the bartender (one of the few catering staff who spoke English). The bartender organized the setting up of the ceremony chairs after only he understood the request from the wedding coordinator. 3. Early in the day, well prior to the start of photography and guest arrival, the venue owner tried calling the contact person (Sandy) to alert her to problems immediately evident. Sandy never answered her phone and did not return the call at any time during the wedding. This is inexcusable for a hospitality professional. 4. There were no appetizers served to the bride and groom immediately after the ceremony. This was specified in the contract. The wedding coordinator reminded, and it still did not happen. 5. The spinach/artichoke dip (hors d’oeuvres/appetizers during cocktail hour) and the large apple pies (dessert) were purchased from Costco. This was an embarrassment for an upscale wedding (Catering by Costco). The caterer said afterward that the dip was made in their kitchen, not by Costco. 6. Cocktail/ hors d’oeuvres service was inadequate. Cocktails were placed on a cart with two servers standing next to the cart, forcing guests to come to the cart. The instructions were specifically to walk and pass cocktails to guests as the guests entered the cocktail area. Hors d’oeuvres came out and were offered to guests standing next to the entrance from the kitchen. The instructions were specifically to fan out and reach guests standing farther from the kitchen entrance. The contract specifically instructed our directions in bold print, so it’s evident that the contract was not read or not instructed to the on-site servers. 7. Dinner buffet was not ready according to the schedule. We had to delay the start of dinner. 8. Bar tenders at dinner turned guests away as guests arrived, saying the bar was not yet open. There were no instructions to do this, and this reduced the level of warmth and hospitality of the dinner portion. Mother of the bride had to walk over and tell them to open the bar after guests came to her complaining. 9. Insufficient number of servers at the buffet. This slowed dinner service. 10. Menu was agreed to in advance, and the selected dishes were provided. The food quality was poor to adequate. a. Salads placed on tables were good and attractively arranged. Salad dressings were separated in containers and tasty. The contract specified the salad ingredients, such as sugar snap peas, slivered almonds which were not on the salad b. Vegetable medley was pedestrian, with little taste. c. Brussels sprouts were grey colored, with little taste. d. New potatoes were good. e. Pasta choices were unappetizing. Pasta alla vodka and tortellini in cream sauce had little taste. Penne aglio e olio did not look like the dish should look (it looked more like an alfredo sauce with cheese) and had little taste. These are typically pastas that are eaten in quantity because they are so delicious, and few guests chose to take second helpings. There were lots of leftovers, a sure sign that the guests were not interested in the food. f. The two fish choices (halibut and salmon) were good and these saved the meal. 11. There were no extra plates during dinner for people who desired a second helping of food. This was specified in the contract, discussed specifically with Sandy before the wedding, and reminded by the wedding planner. It still did not happen. Caterer said afterward that they provided sufficient number of plates. 12. Dessert station was set up in a U-shape in a corner which was hard to access, causing guests to line up and for the line to move slowly. There was only one server trying to scoop very frozen ice cream to the long line of guests which slowed service. Had the caterer read and thought about the timeline as professionals, they would have known to plan and schedule leaving out the ice cream for a few minutes to become semi defrosted and ready for service at 9:00PM. Meanwhile there should have been nine other servers available to help, yet none appeared to be serving guests. What were the other 9 servers doing during tis time? 13. Catering staff were unaware of their duty to cleanup/takedown of food, trash, chairs, tables. Wedding coordinator had to inform them after 11 pm. No supervisor was on duty and making this happen. 14. Venue owner put away the cocktail tables because Catering staff did not do this. 15. Catering supervisor insisted on taking cash tips for distribution to Catering staff. Catering supervisor took one cash envelope from the wedding coordinator forcefully even though the wedding coordinator was instructed to distribute the cash (and not the catering supervisor). This resulted in an argument and a threat to bring the groom over to settle the argument, after which the Catering supervisor relented. Conclusion Customer has recommended to venue owner that Classic Catering should not be recommended. This event could have and should have been professional and perfect. A professional wedding coordinator was involved in planning, communication, and supervision. Bride and groom are professional managers with significant experience and communication/ organizational skills. Customer has hosted and arranged other weddings, so customer a) has a clear conception of the quality of food and service to be provided, and b) clearly planned and communicated expectations, timelines, and services to be provided. As further evidence of Classic’s lack of professionalism, no contact has occurred since the event, other than us providing this review and caterer responding. Typically, and industry standard practice, is for the catering company to follow up with the customer in the days following the event. An email, text message or phone call to ask how things went, is the customer satisfied, hope you were pleased, etc. No such communication occurred. Based on the facts presented above, it goes without saying that Classic Catering provided inadequate service in clear violation of contract and of professional standards. Classic Catering failed to plan, failed to communicate, failed to hire qualified staff, failed to provide proper supervision, failed to execute activities agreed to per contract. We are fortunate that others jumped in to perform services that Classic should have done.

punctual and the communication was very prompt. I would absolutely use this service again for an event.

is a true wedding pro, knows all the right questions to ask to get you exactly what you want (even if you don’t quite know what you want). Sandy and the chef team are also extremely accommodating with food options. My husband and I are pescatarians, with lots of vegan and gluten free friends. Sandy ensured there were main dish, side, and appetizer options for truly everyone—she even had the chef put together a vegan paella dish, which people loved. We did passed apps and buffet, and it was flawlessly executed, more than enough food, and guests commented how good the food was. When I said I wanted ice cream, Sandy procured ice cream sandwiches. Truly outstanding on all fronts. Not only did we feel assured by Sandy throughout the planning process, but we also knew we could always shoot Sandy a message and she’d get right back to us. On the day of the wedding, the staff were so courteous, made sure we were well taken care of, and did a beautiful job setting up. When it came time to clean up, we didn’t have to worry about a thing. We are so grateful to Sandy and her team and highly, highly recommend Classic Catering to all DMV weddings. 

dy was super communicative throughout planning and on the wedding day everyone was on top of it. Service was efficient, food was delicious, the couple were happy, and so was the groom's mom, whose backyard we were hosting in. I'll happily work with them again and refer them to our couples!

s of the passed appetizers and their in-house tableware and silverware took the complexity out of the logistics.

t interested in. Sandy the owner is very nice and wants to make sure you have the perfect catering experience and your vision of the tablescapes comes to life. The team we had the day of our wedding was fantastic. They were punctual, organized, and knew exactly what needed to be done. They seamlessly transitioned through each phase of the wedding, a fact many of our guests commented on after the fact. We utilized 3 of their ‘active stations’, allowing guests to customize their dining experience with slider, pizza, and pasta selections. We and all of our guests loved the food. I would highly recommend them for your event!

your dreams and vision come to life. The entire staff worked hard and diligently to make our rehearsal dinner, cocktail hour and reception absolutely perfect. The food was delicious, fresh and perfectly prepared. You will never regret hiring Classic Catering as your caterer!

d we are absolutely thrilled that we used them! They made the entire process seamless for us from the tasting to choosing our menu, and helping us to plan the set-up and flow of the reception. The food was outstanding! Our guests could not stop raving about it! Sandy went above and beyond to make this event our daughters dream. All of the servers were professional friendly and accommodating. On top of all this they packed our van up and we could just drive away. This was one of the best choices we made for our wedding day!

lso moved incredibly quickly to help flip our ceremony hall into the reception hall during our cocktail hour -- no easy feat! We highly recommend!

ng us to make sure every detail was well thought out. The food options were great, and our guests just loved all the food and drinks throughout the night! The entire team the day of ensured all the details were executed beautifully and did an incredible job being on top of everything. We highly recommend the Classic Catering team!

k she does. We were so happy with our food/beverage package and the overall service. We got so many compliments on our food! Thank you, Classic!!

s. The food was amazing and everyone raved about it. Naomi was wonderful on the day of the wedding and I could sit back and know everything was taken care of.

d Gruyère dip that I could bathe in, the cutest little grilled cheese and tomato soup shooters for passed hors D’Oeuvres that are to die for, and a chicken piccata that rivals some of the best I’ve ever had. We dealt exclusively with Sandy, and I cannot get over how wonderful she was to work with. From our introductory call, my now husband and I knew we wanted to work with her. Sandy is funny, personable, generous, and knowledgeable. She’s creative and attentive and easy to work with. She asked a handful of initial questions, took a few minor facts about me and my now husband, and listened to our rambling gibberish about the foods we gravitate toward and created the perfectly tailored menu. She went above and beyond to make sure my husband and I got what we wanted. She was incredibly flexible and accommodating and made herself available whenever we had questions or needed to make alterations. These guys were great and I would love to work with them again!

the fence about choosing Classic Catering, don’t hesitate for a second longer. It was by far the best decision we made in planning our wedding. Not only was the food insanely good, but the food display during cocktail hour was out of this world. Sandy and Norma are beasts at their job, steered us in the right direction the entire time, and were so attentive to our needs. The staff on the day of, from bartenders to waiting staff were also a dream. There is absolutely no exaggeration in this review. They delivered from start to finish and we have guests still contacting us for the catering company’s info. I actually wish they have a restaurant we can order from so we can enjoy their food all the time. THANK YOU CLASSIC CATERING for MAKING our wedding day impeccable!!

classic catering team pulled it off without a hitch! The team came many hours earlier that they were originally supposed to set up and make sure all the food was exactly as we wanted! All the food from apps, to entrees to the desserts were amazing! Guests were particularly impressed by the unique passed apps ( cute mini tomato bisque shooters!) and the ice cream float station. Sandy was a hoot to work with and the team is superaccommodating and will work with you on just about everything! Norma and her team did a fantastic job supervising my event and I highly highly recommend classic catering !!!

nge caterers two months before our wedding with over 200 guests. Sandy was so quick to jump to our rescue! When I say I was a complete wreck when we first spoke, it's an understatement! By the time we were off the phone, I was smiling and relaxing, I was confident the show would go on, and boy did it! Norma and Sasha were so great with all of our needs, last minute changes, venue walkthroughs, etc etc etc. From the moment I arrived at the venue, everyone was so sweet! I of course was a nervous wreck but even while setting up and greeting guests with drinks, they took ime to make sure I had water, a snack, and lots of compliments. The food was amazing and looked even better. People commented a ton about the food. Dulce was at the lead that day and was such a joy! I planned a surprise private dinner for just the hubs and I. Dulce made it happen perfectly!!! Seriously, I cannot say enough how grateful I am for everyone at Classic Catering!

nu, just as we wanted. The day of, Alejandra and her team did a FABULOUS job. It was miraculous how they were able to be there for our every need, but not at all in the way. Beyond their normal duties, they also helped us set up a photo booth, restocked our soda cooler, orderly re-packed all the leftovers, and left our place SPOTLESS. By the time we found Classic Catering, we had already hired a bar tender. Alejandra and her team worked fluidly with our outsourced bar tender and were happy to provide extra ice and cups when our bar tender ran out. We and our guests loved the food, beautiful displays, and adorable mini desserts. We can’t speak more highly of them, it was just as we envisioned.

s smooth. Thank you so much CC team!!

be honest, months because I always have a lot of questions). Sandy helped us to create a very summery dinner menu that we got lots of compliments on -- the hors d'oeuvres were SO good too! And Norma provided the best experience for our wedding guests, serving food promptly, working with a difficult venue with extreme professionalism, and being just all around helpful, sweet and kind. We are so grateful we got to work with them and that they helped to make our day so special. 15/10 would recommend.

nens, silverware, drink ware, and plates to pull off the whole look. If you want mouth watering food with ZERO compliments from the guest book classic. There team was a sweethearts and made sure everyone was taken care of all night long.

The food was delicious, including countless vegetarian options and some unique items to celebrate our culture. Guests raved about many of the different items. Norma made sure we sampled everything from cocktail hour during photos and that we tried everything we wanted to during the reception. We had just a brief communication lapse while I was still planning some details and didn't know who was who among the company, but Sandy and Norma made sure everything was covered and planned by the date.

gave great suggestions and recommendations and made planning easier for us. The food was delicious and the drinks were made wonderfully! Norma was incredible on the day of and she made sure that we had plenty to eat and drink throughout the entire reception. I always hear people say they did not get the chance to eat at their wedding, as the bride/groom, but that was not the case here because Norma is amazing and persistent. The timing, staff, flavor, and portion sizes were all great. We have no complaints and we would definitely book them again!

eater. The event coordinator, whose name I don’t remember unfortunately, was amazing and made sure that my husband and I were taken care of during the cocktail hour when we came in late and wanted some apps. The bar tender was excellent, all of my guests enjoyed talking to him. Highly recommend!

we had envisioned and more. We couldn’t imagine such a special day without her doing everything and more to make sure we could focus on each other. Please trust me when I say if you are reading this review that you found the one. Thanks Sandy for making Camila and I’s wedding a forever memory with your exquisite work and detail. Side Note: The Mini Grill Cheeses were awesome!!

edding. We had a few minor issues with decorations outside of catering just days before our wedding. And Sandy came to the rescue and had everything we needed to make our day incredible. I highly recommend Classic Catering and would use them again in a heart beat.

to change their venue due to a power outage and Sandy was so kind to understand our dilemma. In the end it worked out perfectly. All of our guests commented on amazing the food was. We had such a nice variety due to Sandy’s suggestions. They are a perfect choice when deciding on a caterer for any event. We will definitely be using them again!!

be completely honest, Deborah and Sandy are the ones who made our catering wedding dreams possible when I thought they weren't. They were so easy to work with and their kindness will forever mean the world to us. The food was also delicious and so well prepared. From the tasting to the actual day, we couldn't have asked for more delicious food. Our wedding was a little over eight months ago and people are STILL talking about how good the food was at our wedding. Thanks again to Classic Catering team!

nd food. If your getting married in the area of Virginia pick them!!!

onalism and great attention to detail. We had a buffet style dinner and had requested many gluten free options, since I am gluten free. The food was great! The best part was that Norma greeted us after the ceremony with drinks and appetizers- exactly what we needed! We loved working with Classic Catering and highly recommend them to other couples looking for a great catering experience!

it is hard to put in words, but here goes. First. Sandy is amazing, personable and will work with you on planning and budget in a way that provides extreme value while providing the wedding and it’s guests with a memorable experience. Second, staff were professional, cordial, hard working and proactive. Third, food was excellent. As the father of the bride, people were coming up to me and asking the name of the caterer for their wedding. (Ask for Norma as the crew leader). Last… can’t recommend more highly.

our expectations; we enjoyed the food and got a lot of compliments from guests as well. Sandy was also super helpful in designing our tablescapes and really helped bring our vision to life.

’m only giving it a 4 star though since we had a very hard time talking to their sales person, it was so bad that we actually didn’t have a lot of expectations from your company until our wedding day itself. But overall, both the staffs and food were amazing!

ond in service. We had so many compliments from our guests regarding the quality of the food and the attentiveness of the staff. TheTeam Leader was on top of all the details and made adjustments to make the evening go smoothly. I can’t say enough about this company, and I highly recommend them to cater any wedding reception.

y, like we had known her for years! The spread and options she provided us were amazing and far exceeded our expectations for our platedselections! Although our wedding was held in Mechaniscville, MD, and their business in VA, the good was as delicious as it was at the taste testing! I don’t know how they do it but we had so many compliments on how great the food was. The wait staff team was phenomenal and worked so hard to feed 175 guests. This truly is the caterer you want to take care of any special event!!

ter wanted. The food was outstanding. Guests went out of their way to let us know the food was the best they ever had at a wedding reception. The staff was kind, attentive and absolutely pleasant to work with.

while checking in with us during planning and occasionally that weekend in a professional, pragmatic way. We (and our guests) also loved the food, which they tailored to our needs and tasted delicious. You will thank us later for sending you Sandy and Norma's way.