Nelson's Catering & Fundraising

Wedding Catering Made Easy

4.2

Verified reviews from real couples

Nelson's did an amazing job for our wedding on 10/18/25. The staff was wonderful. Ashley was so helpful during the planning process and always replied to my emails in a timely manner. Our guests loved the food and we received so many complements about the food. I would recommend using Nelson's for your wedding. The buffet style set up was wonderful, they had everything ready on time for dinner and they followed our timeline. They were professional and so friendly throughout the night. Highly recommend their services.

Justin H.

5.0

food was fantastic and cleanup was easy.

Sandra B.

5.0

Ashley Dillon

EVENT COORDINATOR

Typically responds within 24h

Exceptional BBQ Dining In Wakarusa, IN, you'll find Nelson's Catering & Fundraising, a team of wedding caterers who can craft an unforgettable dining experience for your special day. They specialize in delicious BBQ meals that all your guests will absolutely love. Whether you're hosting a small pre-wedding festivity or a grand celebration, these Indiana wedding caterers have the skills to craft an unforgettable meal for you. Choose Experienced Wedding Caterers This expert team has years of experience in the hospitality industry. They have successfully executed thousands of weddings and events, giving them the expertise to bring yours to the next level. And wait... There's more! From full-service wedding catering to a quick and simple pick-up, Nelson's Catering & Fundraising offers a range of options to suit your needs. By Your Side, Every Step of The Way If you're planning an event with over 100 guests, the full-service catering option is the ideal choice for you. The dedicated team will help you select the perfect menu and service options for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion, ensuring everything runs smoothly. And the best part? From the first call to cleanup, Nelson's Catering & Fundraising takes care of the details, allowing you to make the most of your wedding.

59+ years in business

Speaks English

Large team (21+ members)

Details

Cuisine

American

Food & Catering

Buffet

Catering Delivery & Setup

Any questions?

Meet the team

Ashley Dillon

Event Coordinator

With over 20 years of experience in the wedding industry, Ashley Dillon brings a thoughtful blend of professionalism, creativity, and steady guidance to every celebration. Having worked alongside hundreds of couples, Ashley understands that no two weddings are the same and believes each one deserves a personal, detail-driven approach. She is passionate about creating a seamless, stress-free experience from start to finish, allowing couples to truly relax and enjoy their day. From the first conversation to the final toast, Ashley’s calm expertise ensures every moment is handled with care and confidence.

4.2

out of 5.0

21 reviews

Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.

Search reviews

Justin H

Highlighted review.

10/27/2025

Nelson's did an amazing job for our wedding on 10/18/25. The staff was wonderful. Ashley was so helpful during the planning process and always replied to my emails in a timely mann...

er. Our guests loved the food and we received so many complements about the food. I would recommend using Nelson's for your wedding. The buffet style set up was wonderful, they had everything ready on time for dinner and they followed our timeline. They were professional and so friendly throughout the night. Highly recommend their services.

Sandra B

7/01/2023

food was fantastic and cleanup was easy.

Response from Nelson's Catering & Fundraising on 07/05/2023

Thanks Sandra! Glad you enjoyed everything.

Any questions?

Megan M

8/04/2021

Brides and grooms, do yourself a favor and do not allow Nelson’s anywhere near your wedding. Krista Griffey and the entire staff are absolutely horrible. From rude and downright di...

srespectful bartenders, to staffing an entire catering team with minors, to refusing the bride a drink at her own wedding, to refusing to move the bar inside due to pop up thunderstorms even after all of the bride and groom’s parents offered to pay for it, the entire experience with Nelson’s was completely unprofessional and simply embarrassing. When rain delayed the wedding by 20-30 minutes, catering staff rushed 200 guests through a buffet line in less than 20 minutes because they were minors and had to leave by 7:30 “due to minor labor laws,” they said. Research labor laws in the State of Indiana for a Saturday in July and read for yourself how absolutely full of it this staff and this company is. What wedding ever starts on time, and what type of professional catering company staffs an entire wedding with ONLY minors? What bride keeps her ID on her throughout her wedding, that she signed the contract for? They won’t ask for an ID to make sure you’re of legal age to sign an almost $10k contract, but god forbid you don’t show your ID every single time you want a drink at your own wedding. Yes, it’s the law to check an ID before serving alcohol - but someone’s age doesn’t change in the 30 minutes it took them to finish the first drink you served them. The bartenders were the most awful bartenders we have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Constantly rolled their eyes at guests and the bridal party, even refused water to several guests. The bar was completely cleaned up and shut down 30 minutes prior to the contracted time, without a last call, even after the timeline change due to rain was cleared with someone named Delilah from Nelson’s. They dropped multiple bottles that shattered glass all over the venue, and they even left several open liquor bottles behind, not fully cleaning up after themselves. Refuse service to a 25 year old bride, but leave OPEN liquor bottles ON THE GROUND where children can easily get ahold of them? Absolutely absurd. To make matters worse, multiple Nelson’s staff members on-site stated that the plethora of miscommunications between management and coordinators and the catering/bar staff are not new issues, and that this was not the first time a situation like this has happened at a wedding. How embarrassing. Attempts to reconcile the situation with Nelson’s management have largely gone ignored. When not ignored, all complaints and concerns have been quickly dismissed. Nelson’s truly believes they did absolutely nothing wrong. For that, I feel ashamed for them. Please, please, please, if you’re getting married or know someone who is, do yourself or your loved one the biggest favor in the world and DO NOT allow Nelson’s anywhere near your wedding.

Alyssa I

10/27/2018

Everything went so smoothly. Very reasonably priced, especially for the quality of food. We got so many compliments on how good the food was. Jennifer was our salesperson and she w...

as so friendly and helpful.

Taylor F

8/09/2018

The food was delicious and the staff was very helpful.

Bonnie S

8/06/2017

Everyone raved about the food at our wedding because Nelson's BBQ was just delicious. We did a whole hog roast, and it did not disappoint! The pork was so tender, and we were told...

by multiple guests that the mac and cheese was the best they've ever had. Corn on the cob was so sweet and delicious as well. The staff was amazing and super professional. They stayed to clean up everything and were absolutely accommodating. The whole process from getting a quote, picking up food for tasting, to the actual wedding day was easy and stress free. Highly recommended!

Nicole B

7/05/2017

Nelson's was the catering option we had from our venue. However, we would have picked Nelson's even if there were other options. They have two different catering lines that you c...

an order from. They have a traditional catering menu that is reasonably priced, ours was just under $14/person. They do charge extra based on some of your choices however. In our case, we paid an additional $5/person for prime rib. Everyone at our reception absolutely loved all of the food from the appetizers down to the cheesecakes for dessert. My favorite was their chicken parmesan. The other option is their Elegance in Thyme catering line which has their more fancy food options and is at a higher price point. We did not go with this line simply due to price. We did a tasting of foods from both catering lines and all of it was delicious. We would have been happy with the food regardless of which line we chose. We also used Nelson's for our rehearsal dinner. We went with their traditional port-a-pit chicken and everyone loved it. It was also very reasonable on price. Another selling point, is you take home all of the leftovers from any event you have with Nelson's rehearsal dinner or wedding reception. A downside to that, is some of the food has not tasted the same, such as the prime rib. I do not care for it now that it is not in its original liquid. Once you have Nelson's picked as your caterer, you will be assigned to a person at Nelson's that you can direct all of your questions to that works directly with your wedding venue. I was assigned to Jennifer Hoke who works directly with the Farmhouse Weddings. She was wonderful to work with and was very patient with me as I made numerous menu changes. I would recommend Nelson's to any friend looking for affordable catering that doesn't skimp on flavor.

Brian C

9/19/2016

I've worked there for 1 day cause the person I worked under for gave a lie told me that she would txt me to let me know of what time to come in on the next morning and she never di...

d not only can't believe that they don't have a pay check for me either.They supposed to be serving and honor God well they don't that's a big lie thanks .

Courtney M

8/24/2016

We couldn't have chosen a better company to cater our wedding! Not only was the food delicious, but the service was phenomenal! The staff come around and three people finished plat...

es away and made sure nothing else was needed and that the food was delicious. The food was even ready early and was no issue to Nelsons staff! They also pack everything that is left over for you, even down to the salad and the dressings! You also wouldn't even know they were there had you not ate the food, being that they cleaned up after themselves so well! I highly recommend using them for any catering needs!

Sarah D

10/20/2015

We chose Nelson's Elegance in Thyme menu because we were forced to with our reception venue(Spohn Ballroom. The food was excellent and we got many complements on it. With that said...

, I felt like the food and alcohol were slightly over priced, and the person who is in charge of helping you plan your event and catering menu is a bit pushy and is not always the most friendly.

Tara W

12/04/2014

The food was great (our guests raved about it). The bartender was not very accommodating (i.e. would not provide a keg per our request). She also forgot the Amaretto we requested, ...

but did go buy some. Lastly, some of the table clothes they provided were stained. When you're paying that kind of money, you expect everything to look nice.My contact at Nelson's was great. She answered all of my questions, no matter what. Fortunately, we were able to hide most of them. Overall, we were happy with them. There were just a few things that we thought could have been better.

Shalesta N

10/29/2013

I love Nelson's chicken! I look forward to getting it every year! So glad we used them for our wedding. Everyone loved the food. The appetizers were a little pricey.

Janean D

10/20/2013

The food was tasty, hot, and fresh. I would use them for any catering that I would need in the future. They did forget the beverages I paid for though, so they sent someone to my r...

eception with them.

Nicole M

8/12/2013

Amazing food at an affordable price!

Jacquie B

7/09/2013

The food was great but the person we worked with was not. She did not listen to anything we wanted. We gave her a layout if how we wanted the tables and buffet all set in the room ...

and when we got there the morning of the reception we had to rearrange everything. And she forgot our chair covers and the champagne toast! We were so disappointed in the service we got

Bethany L

6/22/2013

As always, Nelson's delivered! Everyone was so excited to find out who was catering our wedding & we enjoyed left overs for a few weeks to come! The cateres were wonderful & atte...

nded to the head table so well. They even packaged up to go meals for a few guests who had to leave early due to not feeling well. They also packaged up to go meals for the bride & groom

Brittany S

10/25/2012

They have more to offer than the signature chicken. Redskin mashed potatoes are amazing! Definitely recommend them for any catering event.

Jessica E

8/02/2012

We used Nelson's Catering for our rehearsal dinner. Everyone loved it! They provide everything you need to please the crowd!

kristin c

11/09/2011

The staff were so helpful, the food is WONDERFUL and the atmosphere at the hall is very cozy!

Lindsay G

11/06/2010

I would definitely recommend this caterer for anyone wanting an economical, more laid back atmosphere. They were great, easy to work with, and very accomodating. One thing I was ...

concerned about was the sytrofoam plates and cups = I bought my own (more environmentally conscius) and saved some money too! The food is VERY good!

Carmen L F

9/30/2010

OMG, I have never heard so many compliments of wedding food as I heard on my wedding day about Nelson's. Their set-up was fabulous. Their chicken AMAZING and the roast beef to DIE ...

FOR. Their Pit-Tatoes are like no other. I was completely blown away. (I went to school for culinary arts too). I have had their "Port-a-pit" fundraiser chicken and it is nothing compared to their catering. I would recommend this to ANYONE who wants really good food.

Service area & Contact info

607 Nelsons Parkway, Wakarusa, IN

Open map

Travel area: No travel restrictions

Additional charges may apply

(574) 862-2184

Want to book a visit?

Start the convo

*=Required

Use this secure form to reach out and share your wedding vision.

Nelson's Catering & Fundraising

Ashley Dillon

Event Coordinator

Typically responds within 24h

Nelson's Catering & Fundraising's photos

Why use The Knot to message vendors?

Messaging our verified vendors on The Knot is free, safe and secure.
Conveniently track vendor messages and planning details all in one place.
Our mobile apps make it easy to stay in touch with vendors while you're on‑the‑go.
For personalized pricing and package details, sending the vendor a message is the fastest way to get info.

Nelson's Catering & Fundraising

About this vendor

Service area & Contact info

Wedding vendors in Wakarusa

Why use The Knot to message vendors?