There is no doubt that your wedding day has got to be the most perfect day of your life – from the most beautiful invite, to the most breathtaking venue, from the fairytale dress to the stunning lights and flowers, from amazing favours and fireworks, to utterly delicious food and drink, champagne and chocolate…

Your wedding is the most important party of your life, full of your nearest and dearest, and the only day at which you are truly king and queen for the day! So a wedding reception takes a great deal of thought. It is, after all, a real reflection of you – do you want something low key and relaxed for example, with hay bales to sit on and a BBQ to eat? Or do you want a formal banquet with a set five course wedding menu and twinkling chandeliers hanging from a designer marquee? Whatever you are trying to achieve with your wedding catering, it helps to be absolutely sure what your vision is first.

When it comes to wedding food at your wedding reception - there are a thousand ways to do it – from fish and chips followed by an ice cream van, to a Bollywood themed Indian buffet. Any whatever way you choose, great food means happy guests, and an even more memorable day.

Paying a wedding caterer to look after the menu and food at the wedding reception is the answer for many couples. And there are a huge number of catering companies specialising in wedding receptions in the UK, and when choosing a wedding reception caterer – such as Absolute Taste, "rhubarb" or Alison Price - it is very important to establish a few things straight a way. Can they work within your budget? Can they travel to where you want them to be? And would they be able to provide all the drinks too, and research possible venues?

Once you have found your wedding reception caterer it is very important to focus on the wedding menu very early on. Get your wedding caterer to suggest ideas. Talk about what suits you as a couple, and get advice on what is right for the wedding venue, the overall occasion and for your guests. And don't forget your wedding cake either – a wedding reception isn't a wedding reception without a stunning cake!

Wedding reception caterers can vary hugely in price and in product. Low key weddings may benefit from smaller, more relaxed (and likely cheaper) wedding caterers. But if budget is no issue, then nothing is impossible, and you can find luxury wedding companies who will provide ice bars laden with the finest caviar and the most superb cocktail barman serving freshly mixed martinis to your guests until the early hours.

And a wedding reception is not just about the food either of course – you also have to think about wedding reception theming, lighting, staff uniform, table centrepieces and of course what about dancing and photography? With each and every supplier remember to look for testimonials that might give you a steer on whether they really know what they are doing.

The main thing about wedding caterers is getting them to work well for you – don't feel you can't ask for a bespoke wedding menu for example. If the company's wedding menus don't offer what you are looking for, always ask if they can create one just for you. Any good kitchen and event team should be able to tailor what they do to your exact requirements, and if they don't – then you should be looking elsewhere!

As far as the chosen menu is concerned, if the produce is excellently sourced and superbly cooked, even steak and chips can be perfect for a wedding meal! As a rule, try to stick with what is seasonal. Popular choices still tend to be chicken, lamb, beef and salmon. They're generally well liked and, if your wedding reception caterers are any good, they don't have to be boring either.

And of course staff are crucial too. Smiling, happy and helpful waitresses are so much better on a glorious wedding day than grumpy serving staff who just wish they were somewhere else!

Finally, if the budget isn't quite tallying up, then remember that good wedding caterers should be able to suggest great ideas and clever ways of doing things within budget. If you want to save money, consider serving substantial canapés or bowl food instead of a starter for example, or a very luxurious chocolate wedding cake as your pudding.

Overall, the best wedding reception caterers are those who specialise in making a dream day a total reality, while you just sit back and enjoy the magic!