We hired Simply Catered to cater our 75-person wedding on August 23, 2025. Unfortunately, they were the only vendor that caused us stress and disappointment. While Bethany (the owner) initially came across as flexible and budget-friendly, her lack of professionalism, communication, and accountability left us frustrated before, during, and after our wedding. Our first call with Bethany was positive. She offered an extensive menu, promised to work within our budget, and gave a discount for paying in full upfront. However, in the months that followed, her communication was consistently slow. We often had to send second reminder emails, and when she did reply, she blamed her admin staff. This felt unprofessional. Because her communication raised concerns, we requested an in-person consultation instead of a phone call. My mother drove 45 minutes to meet her at her restaurant, where Bethany reassured us about key details like dietary restrictions, water service, and plated meals. That meeting gave us more confidence--at least temporarily. Days before our wedding, I noticed errors in the meal spreadsheet. Bethany dismissed responsibility and told me to fix it myself, offering no apology. I told her I would print the corrected spreadsheet when she arrived at our house on the wedding day. She confirmed. This was her opportunity to tell us she was never planning to actually come to our wedding- she chose not to disclose this. Wedding Day: At 11 a.m., two servers arrived with no food or equipment, saying the truck would arrive in "20 minutes". Hours later, we called Bethany directly, who said the U-Haul would be there at 2 p.m. There was clearly a massive disconnect between Bethany and her staff. Her staff were kind but had clearly not been prepared. They didn't know it was a plated meal (and were about to serve family-style until corrected), dietary restrictions weren't honored, kids' meals weren't prepared, water service never happened, and vendors went unfed. We paid for 4 servers but only 3 arrived. My father had to step in multiple times during the reception to remind staff to serve water, only to find them smoking. The food was served room temperature and nothing like what we tasted beforehand. Her cooks set up their Blackstone grill in our driveway, leaving behind significant grease stains which will be difficult (if not impossible) to remove. Most importantly, Bethany never disclosed she would not attend the wedding herself. On multiple calls, emails, and even during our in-person meeting, she frequently implied she would be present. To only find out on the wedding day that she would not be there felt dishonest and intentionally misleading. When I emailed Bethany afterward, she deflected responsibility again, claiming she had gone over details with her staff. Clearly, this was not the case. She also pointed out that her contract states she doesn't attend all events, but this was never disclosed in our many conversations and emails. She had every opportunity to be transparent and chose not to. While our wedding day overall was beautiful, Simply Catered was a major source of stress. The lack of accountability, misleading communication, and poor execution were unacceptable. Reading other reviews, it seems our experience is not unique, and Bethany often responds with excuses rather than accountability. If you value clear communication, professionalism, and reliable service from your vendors, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. read more
