Occasions Caterers

We had a wonderful experience working with Occasions and very highly recommend them. Their food is inventive and delicious (I work in the food industry and the quality of food at our wedding was a top priority). Occasions' chef even created a signature hors d'oeuvres especially for us, based on our request. Moreover, the service was impeccable. As the bride & groom, you don't expect to eat much at your wedding, but there was a waiter next to us all night..ready with hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and water at all times. The staff at Occasions are experts in their industry and you can trust that they will do a great job and take care of every detail.

Dan and I had tasting trials with several area caterers who were all five-star reviewed, and we were starting to become resigned to having “catered” food; you know, the not-quite-great, somewhat bland, standard wedding fair. On the advice of our Wedding Planner, we decided to try just one more before making a decision. We couldn’t have been more blown away. Everything we tasted was marvelous; full of interesting and complex flavors, a true step above the ordinary. Best of all, what we tasted at the trial, we got at the wedding. The food was wonderful and the service was top notch. They even assigned a staff member specifically to us who would be nearby throughout the evening to make sure we had everything we needed. Everyone was professional and friendly and quietly attentive. All of our guests were taken care of and we can’t say enough good things about the food. Occasions truly stands out.

Amazing, amazing, amazing! I cannot say enough great things about working Occasions! Working with Kate was such a pleasure. She was there for my fiance and I when our wedding venue POC went MIA and was terrific in helping us create a menu that reflected our personalities. The food was delicious and we are still receiving compliments. Additionally the cake was to die for and beautifully decorated. Excellent service, wonderful food, great value!

I would recommend Occasions to everyone and will continue to use them for special events!

Occasions Caterers are outstanding. My daughters wedding was held at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg in the gardens and under a tent. An outside venue is not easy for caterers, yet our food was beautifully presented and tasted wonderful. We had quite an extensive passed and stationary hors d'oeuvres menu, including french fries made on site, and everything could not have looked or tasted better. The wait staff were fabulous, making sure hors d'oeuvres kept coming and working their way throughout the gardens. They even made sure that the wedding party and family members were served hors d'oeuvres and drinks as they posed for the wedding pictures. Dinner was served hot, delicious and quite quickly to each table. Jayne Havens of Occasions was simply a joy to work with. She was always responsive and accommodating, cheerfully going through my many changes to the menu. Our guests continue to rave about how good the food was and how beautiful it looked. We were truly impressed with our experience with Occasions and would highly recommend them for your wedding.

Catering was the biggest battle for me of all the vendors I had to choose. I was torn between trying to stick to a budget and trying to find a catering company that could deliver exceptional food and service. In the end, I had my options narrowed down to a budget-friendly untested caterer, a mid-priced caterer that didn't have the best service, and Occasions. While Occasions was the highest priced of my finalists, they were by no means the highest priced of the caterers we had talked to and Megan was exceptional to work with. It was the service in the early phases of interviewing caterers that was the most striking to me and ultimately cemented my decision to go with Occasions. As I was talking to Megan during our first few consultations, she was very helpful in offering suggestions of where we could scale back and where we could make the biggest impact with a little extra. I was impressed with her quick responses to e-mail and her understanding of my budget and how to make it work.
What really solidified my decision was the tasting. Megan had sample table settings prepared, the food was superb, and they even made us a "doggie bag" for my dad who was unable to attend. When I declined one of the appetizers because I don't eat cheese, Megan subtly slipped away and the rest of my dishes came out cheese free (even at the wedding). The day of the wedding everything was executed flawlessly as far as I could tell. The only thing I noticed was that some of the tables were flipped around from my seating chart, but everyone was seated with the right people which is all that really mattered. Overall, everything was great and I would definitely recommend Occasions!

The food was delicious! Everyone was professional and kind. They offered suggestions that turned out perfect and were able to make my fiance and my favorites deserts in miniature version to pass around after dinner. Just lovely

They were excellent- truly did a remarkable job with the food and were very flexible to adjusting the menu or changing items at my request. Truly a class act.

We had a great experience with Occassions! Their service was impeccable and the food was outstanding! They somehow did the impossible by preparing 125 servings of medium rare tenderloin for our guests and the crab stuffed shrimp was really good too! Our guests couldn't stop raving about how amazing the service and food were!

I could not be more pleased with Occasions and Alison Fisher, our contact there.

Planning Process -- Alison Fisher was my contact from beginning to end. I was planning my wedding from out of town and did not have a wedding planner. I needed a caterer (and contact) I could trust and who would be responsive (much of the time by email). She more than met these requirements and was super pleasant to work with (even when it came to sticky details like budget). In addition, she (and Occasions) had done a ton of events at our venue (Meridian House) and were able to give useful insights on how to run our event.

Food and Cake -- The food was phenomenal -- every single thing they served was great. I had several guests send me emails after the wedding specifically commenting on the quality of the food. We also had Occasions prepare our cake, which was a relatively simple cake decorated with fresh flowers. The cake far exceeded my expectations -- it was absolutely beautiful and I thought delicious. Furthermore, it got great reviews from our guests. I would say, however, if you are really focused on your cake design (e.g. you want some creative design, etc) it might make sense to use a separate vendor for this. However, if what you are looking for is a tasty, beautiful cake they will exceed your expectations.

Staff/Service -- The staff and service on the night of the wedding was great. The best I've ever experienced at a catered event. Our guests actually commented on how great it was -- some of them asked me at the end of the night if I had any way of providing specific feedback on the waiters and bartenders because they had been so impressed about the quality of the service. The waiters circulating all night long to make sure guests had a fresh drink, got enough food, etc. You could not have gotten better service at a top end restaurant.

Budget- I obtained proposals from four of the major DC caterers that were approved at our venue and found Occasions pricing to be very competitive. I have to say, having no experience in catering an event, when I started planning my wedding I was shocked how pricey catering can be. Therefore, I was very focused on managing the catering costs and not going over budget. I also wanted to understand upfront what the total costs would be (rentals, sales tax, staffing charges, etc. etc.). Alison and Occasions absolutely understood this concern and worked with me through out the process to find ways to manage the costs while still putting together an elegant event -- honestly, I'm not sure how it could have been any nicer.

I would recommend Occasions without reservation -- you will not be disappointed.

I cannot say enough good things about Occasions. Not only did they stay within our budget but the customer service was second to none. Megan and Emily (our account executives) were so attentive and responsive to all of our needs during the planning process. When it came to our wedding day, they were always one step ahead of everything, making sure me and my fiance were taken care of. Our guests gushed over how tasty the food was -- and how elegantly it was presented on the plate. I would recommend Occasions to anyone getting married or in need of a caterer in the DC area!

Occasions did a terrific job at our recent wedding and I'd recommend them without qualification to anyone. The food was dynamite - by far the best I'd ever had at any wedding, and I've gotten countless comments from our guests to the same effect. Beyond the food, Alison Fisher (and her assistant, Hannah) was a first-rate account executive; I reached out 4-5 of the top caterers in DC and found Alison, by far, to be the most responsive, flexible, and willing to work with our budget. She even took the time to walk me through some hypothetical meals and budgets very early in our planning process, when I called trying to get a ballpark sense of what our catering costs would look like so I could determine whether we could afford the venue we were considering AND the cost of catering it. She was the reason we selected Occasions, and I'd recommend seeking her out specifically. From the wait staff to the bartenders, all of the other staff were great, too.

We decided early in our wedding planning that we wanted our guests to have a delicious meal at our reception. Occasions was perfect and everyone raved about the food, especially the butternut squash risotto. We solicited bids from four caterers in the DC area and narrowed it down to two for the tasting. What truly stood out for Occasions was the service. When we walked through the door for the tasting we were greeted by our catering manager, Jane Havens, and a waiter in a tuxedo with a tray of sparkling wine and water. It told us how our guests would be greeted as the arrived at the reception. Jane was truly a delight to work with. She worked within our budget, listened carefully to our preferences, and was quick to respond to emails and phone messages. At the reception, Jane devoted one of the waiters just to me and my husband. He had a tray of hors d'oeurves waiting for us when we arrived after photos at the church, prepared a plate for each of us for dinner, and was quietly at our side periodically to see if we needed drinks. Occasions in a word is fabulous and Jane Havens is the best catering manager to work with.

Amazing! The food at our wedding was spectacular! Every comment I got was that this felt like amazing restaurant food, not like catering - even from my discerning "foodie" friends. Joel was great to work with – he knows events forward and backward and every suggestion he gave turned out to be 100% the right decision. They were very flexible with requests and with the bar options. The service was impeccable and the equipment was gorgeous. They are worth the money because they deliver perfection.

Choosing a caterer was a tough one for Chris and I, but we finally decided to go with Occasions Caterers and we definitely made the right decision! Our wedding night was magical due to the quality of their food and spectacular service! It was more than we could have ever asked for. Between their synchronized service, undivided attention to the bride and groom and amazing reception and dinner food - we definitely scored a 5 star caterer.

We worked with Megan Finnegan and Emily Petro at Occasions. Both ladies were awesome to work with! Megan was so accommodating, she even let us come in for a second tasting of the entree because she knew the food portion of the wedding was very important to us and she wanted us to get it right! She was always sharing ideas and helped us pick the right menu for the wedding.

Occasions did a wonderful job and we would recommend them...

My husband and I could not have been happier with Occasions Caterers. We worked with Megan Wilby Finnegan, who was a consummate professional through the entire process, as was Emily Petro. Their attention to detail was astounding and from our tasting, through a couple menu iterations, Occasions was so responsive to our various needs.

Megan helped keep us on track for the evening, and I never once worried about what was coming next. The service under Megan and captain Evgeny was stellar. The staff passed hors d'oeuvres during the cocktail hour and when dinner was served, every table's food came out on time and at the same time. No one was left waiting for their food. And the wine was refilled regularly.

We had a delicious intermezzo between first and second courses and instead of a wedding cake, we chose to offer a dessert and coffee bar (with cordials). Both were huge hits. Our guests enjoyed visually and gastronomically pleasing desserts and the numerous children at the wedding enjoyed puffs of cotton candy. A surprise for everyone and so fun.

You couldn't ask for a more professional caterer. The food was elegantly presented, delicious, and the service was outstanding.

Hiring Occasions was one of the best decisions we made in planning our wedding this summer. We worked with Joel Wolke, who was incredibly responsive, helpful, creative and professional from our first meeting almost a year before the wedding to the big day itself. Joel and his team took our ideas about what we wanted to serve at the wedding and came up with a delicious menu that our guests raved about. We thought there was no way that the food at the wedding could be as good as the food we had at our tasting, but we were blown away by how tasty everything was, and we are still getting tons of compliments about the food months after the wedding. The service staff that Occasions provided was also top notch. Throughout the evening, my husband and I would have a new glass of Champagne, or a glass of water in our hand every time we turned around. They also made sure each guest was served at the same time, and noted which place settings had special dietary restrictions so those people were served vegan meals without having to even ask for them. The chivari chairs, linens and china that we got through Occasions was also beautiful. Lastly, our wedding happened to be on the day of Hurricane Irene, but Joel and his team didn't miss a beat. They were so flexible with last minute seating rearrangements due to several last minute cancellations. They even sent us home with a beautiful basket of Champagne, personalized cookies, cheese and cake to enjoy as a late night snack. I would recommend them to any bride looking for a caterer in the DC area!

Everything - and I mean everything - was done right. Visually, the table linens were crisp and beautiful, every table and chair was where it needed to be, and can I tell you about the food!!! Holy cow, that food was amazing! We knew the minute we showed up to do a tasting that Occasions knew what they were doing. As soon as we signed a contract to work with them, I had complete confidence that they were going to do a perfect job. A wonderful server even came out into the gardens to find us during post-ceremony photos to be sure we got some of the great appetizers (mini crabcakes, mini turkey reubens, spinach and feta french toast, etc.) that were going around.

Our lemonade and iced tea stand was a hit (totally drained by night's end), and the cake was gorgeous. I wanted a simple vanilla cake with smooth buttercream vanilla icing, paired with a spread of fresh fruit, and Occasions delivered perfectly. I even got a chance to eat a FULL MEAL at the reception, as well as a FULL PIECE of cake!

I would recommend Occasions, and Jayne and Ruthie in particular, to everyone and anyone looking for a caterer for any event. They know what they're doing and you will not have a worry at all with them at the helm.

Our guests loved their food! Their personnel were all very responsible and professional. We highly recommend them!

As the father of the bride i was very impressed with Matt Sipala, his professionalism, attention to detail and calm during the visit to our site, the fantastic tasting and the beautiful wedding reception itself was amazing. Occasions handled every detail perfectly, the food was delicious and varied, the tables,linens and china were beautiful and the overall effect was breath taking. My daughter and new husband were extremely happy and our younger daughter said Matt and Occasions are her go to guys when her big day comes along. Matt, thank you again for a superior job . Jim Bingnear

I had a good feeling about Occasions from my first phone conversation with Matt Sipala. My wedding was being held at a unique venue that wasn't your typical ballroom. I had met with two other caterers and the customer service I received was above and beyond what we expected. My husband and I decided to do a cocktail reception and was told by another our wedding budget was not large enough to have an individual tasting. Occasions didn't even bat an eyelash. Matt quickly scheduled our tasting which turned into a fun afternoon lunch of awesome food. As soon as we walked out the door, bellies full, we knew we had picked a good one. On the day of the staff was very professional and the furniture they provided was exceptional (and A LOT less expensive than our actual rental company!). Thank you Matt and Occasions for kicking butt on our wedding day!

I approached Occasions Catering and Windows Catering concerning my daughter’s wedding. Both had great reputations according to reviews. I had been to a wedding catered by Occasions and thought the food was fabulous and service was superb, so I chose them as a possibility. I chose Windows as possibility too because we had a daytime event at a venue that Windows was doing the nighttime event at, so I thought we can save money by sharing such things as chairs and tables.

Right off the bat, Joel Wolke at Occasions was very responsive and understood what we wanted and when things got lost in communication via e-mail, he simply wasn’t afraid to get on the phone and to talk through it. The person at Windows didn’t seem to ever grasp what we were aiming for after several attempts via e-mail and phone calls with me and with my daughter. So even though Windows would have been cheaper, it wasn’t worth the savings.

Occasions did a fantastic job from the passed hors d’oeuvres to the served espresso, grappa and limoncello after the dessert. I didn’t have to worry about a thing!

I have to put this in the review in case Joel reads this because we’re pretty persnickety about asparagus. The grilled asparagus was exquisite! Hats off to Occasions for those who planned, prepared and served the food and beverages at my daughter’s wedding. Thank you.

Couldn't have been happier!! Thanks for everything!

I loved all my vendors, but Occasions, especially Joel and Audrey, really deserve the credit for making our wedding run completely smoothly. Every little thing was handled quickly and seemingly effortlessly. The planning experience with Joel was fantastic, very professional and thorough. The most common comment about our wedding was that the food was the best they'd ever had at a wedding! We were able to take the leftovers home with us, which we relished for days. I still crave the fried chicken and braised short ribs. The service and thoughtfulness was really what set them apart, though. A wonderful woman named Robin followed us around all evening with water and our beverage of choice. They sent us on our way with a tray of champagne, cookies, cheese and other goodies. Above and beyond, this crew. Oh, and they use local ingredients as much as possible and are certified green. They were the best decision we made for our wedding. Can't recommend enough!

Occasions Caterers was the best vendor choice I made for my wedding. Our account representative, Megan Wilby Finnegan, was phenomenal: responsive, professional, and accommodating. The food was excellent; guests are still talking about the meal. The passed desserts after dinner were also a huge hit! I appreciated all the care that went into making our wedding event feel special, from choosing the linens to constructing a menu to having a dedicated server for each table as well as the bride and groom.

I have nothing but rave review for Occasions. The food was amazing, and many guests commented on how much they enjoyed the food. We had some very specific requests for the menu - Spanish food - and my Spanish family mentioned their paella was very well done. Susan was great to work with - answered many questions, checked in frequently, was extremely professional, and helped to ensure that the wedding day went off without a hitch. There was nothing about working with Occasions that didn't go well. I would highly recommend them.

Occasions provided an amazing service. Amanda and Kate worked with us to create exactly the right feel for our wedding. We had miniature comfort food appetizers -- sliders, grilled cheese, etc. -- and crab cakes at our sit-down dinner. And for dessert we had individual strawberry rhubarb pies that were just amazing. Guests raved that everything was delicious. Occasions was also very helpful with respect to the logistics of the event and worked with us to make sure the timing and layout were appropriate for our plans. Throughout the process, Amanda and Kate always provided quick, professional, and creative responses as the question required. I would highly recommend them to anyone.

We worked with Jayne and she was fantastic and came up with great ideas for our particular needs. The food was perfect, setting looked elegant, room looked immaculate. great job all around from our first interactions with her to the tasting and ultimately a perfect job done on the wedding night. Will use them exclusively in the future for any catering needs that we may have. We also use the "french service" which was recommended by Jayne and it was a huge hit with our guests. Kudos to the entire organization.

Occasions provided both wonderful food and service at my recent wedding. They were very attentive to all of my requests, and we recieved many compliments from our guests on both the quality of their meals and the service. They also created a beautiful wedding cake for us and provided an ice cream bar which was probably the most popular part of our entire wedding!

We could not have been more pleased with Occasions. At the wedding the food and service were both top-notch and many guests commented about both. Everyone we worked with (initially Amanda and then Joel and Susan were our main contacts) was professional, pleasant, and very competent. They also made my cake (a simple design), which was lovely and tasty. Highly recommended!

INCREDIBLE food and service and presentation were impeccable.

Occasions was great in that we could provide our own alcohol without a corkage fee. They provided one attendant for my husband and I at the reception that was basically our own personal waitress. We had some difficulty with their cake provider in that the price was increased due to mild personalization of the cake and therefore increased the price rather than sticking to the base package price. Our catering manager was very efficient and made sure my guests were satisfied. The food was great, and the linens and chairs came out lovely.

Occasions provided anmazing food and service. I could not have dreamt of a better caterer! I had a specific menu in mind and they were really able to accommodate me! Thanks so much to the chef and staff.

You know how wedding food is often so-so? Well Occasions' food is not like that. Oh no. It is DELICIOUS. I agree with all the other glowing reviews: hiring Occasions was one of the best decisions we made. The food was utterly divine - simple, fresh, yummy - not just at the tasting, but on the day of our wedding too. Plus, the service was phenomenal.

We worked with Amanda, and I can't speak highly enough of her. She was sweet, helpful, professional, responsive, and on top of every detail. On the evening of our wedding, we were assigned an attentive, kind server who looked after my husband and I, plus our parents, making sure we got to try all the canapes and always had a drink. For example, after I was dancing for a bit, our server would offer me a glass of water.
Little touches like that, and the sheer attention to detail, are what makes this company so special. I was blown away by them - and would recommend Occasions 100 per cent.

Hands down, the best wedding caterer in the DC area. Their personalized service, attention to detail, and responsiveness guaranteed that our guests were taken care of. On top of all that, they created the best meal I've ever had (and I'm a foodie). The dinner we had at the wedding was as good if not better than our tasting (which is not always the case). And I found that the more detail and information I could give them ahead of time, the better things went the day of. They loved it as it allowed them to do what they do best - create the party of a lifetime.

We brought Occasions on to the team to be our caterer for our wedding. I called our contact in mid October or November and she returned my call and we had the contract signed no more than mid-December. The whole night there was a server following me around to make sure I had ample beverages and food. I was visiting with all our guests while they were eating (at about 9) and didn't return to my table until 12 where I found a plate that had been kept warm for me. All our guests commented on how delicious and amazing the entire meal from appetizers to pass desserts was. The first quote that was given to us was a little out of our reach so our contact readjusted some things and brought the price down.

I highly recommend Occasions for your big event!

I'm so glad that we went with Occasions. We worked with Amanda and she was phenomenal. We had a hard time deciding between Festive Foods and Occasions, but Amanda was just so much more on top of things and was incredibly responsive to e-mails and calls that in the end, the decision wasn't actually that hard. We had a really great tasting (wow it was a lot of food!) and when we decided to change one of our entrees, they let us come again to try the new entree, along with all the sides that we had already decided on. Food is really important to us (we based our honeymoon completely around food!) and wedding food is so often dry because it's mass produced and reheated on site. We were worried that although the tasting was great, that the quality wouldn't hold up on the night of the wedding, but it was spectacular. The chicken and the fish were cooked perfectly, the flavors were great, and the presentation was wonderful. And again, I just can't speak highly enough of Amanda - she is wonderful to work with.

Occasions was wonderful. Their food is delicious and inspired. Not one of cheapest in the area. But this is a case where you "get what you pay for." Our coordinator was responsive and professional. We were very pleased.

Occasions catering was nearly perfect in their food, service and presentation at our wedding. They planned and executed the menu perfectly. The salmon and steak options were both excellent. The timed presentation of the food was professional. A special treat was our cake, which we are saving to enjoy again on our anniversary!

Occasions was awesome, Megan and Meg were great to work with during the preparations for our wedding, and the service the day of our reception was spectacular. We were so happy with the job they did - I highly recommend them! The food was wonderful!

We loved Occasions! Megan Wilby and her team were awesome.

We got several comments at the wedding abut how good the food and service was. Everything ran so smoothly! The staff was amazing and such a pleasure to have at the wedding.

Also, they had great linens and choices for decor.

Very highly recommend!

I was thoroughly impressed by the level of service I received from Occasions. Everything turned out amazing...from the food to the presentation. I would definitely use them again!!

The food was great. But, they did not serve the hors d'oeuvres as well as they should have. Many people did not manage to get any or got only one or two. And, there were a couple other small things that they got wrong. The rest of the food was top notch.

Recommended by Bonnie Schwarz, Occasions was everything we could have hoped for. The staff was amazing, and dealt with so many of the details, including lighting, three separate locations in the house and a last minute shift indoors due to weather. The food was impeccable ... we went through three full tasting menus after narrowing down the menu from dozens of options based on what we described, and the final result, and service, couldn't be beaten ... From the soup and salad courses through desert and a late night buffet with snacks and munchies, every plate was perfect and every bite was wonderful.