People have told us of the glory that is the caterer tasting, but we really had no idea. In the middle of all the planning, there’s this little treat that really takes you off-guard. We expected it to be a few samples set around a table, possibly supervised by a stern proctor with a wooden ruler, who’d slap your hand if you took too much cake. Instead, we were served a full-course meal. You could even call it over-coursed: Middle Eastern platter; smoken salmon on bagels; customized omelets; pasta salad; potato & walnut pancakes; and of course, cake.

Adrienne and the Chocolate Kahlua cake

We went home bloated and sated and happy, which of course is just the kind of mood they want you to think about when it comes time to sign the dotted line. This is the first indication that picking a caterer might be fun. It’s too bad we didn’t think of it earlier—we could have been eating free dinners for months.