A bride and groom appeared not to be too thrilled about the catering at their wedding, so much so that the pair initiated a legal fight against a BC catering company.
According to the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal dispute, Daniel Folino and Maria Vriniotis hired WW Catering to handle their wedding.
According to the newlyweds, the catering company breached the agreement because the food was of poor quality and had inconsistent portions.
They also allege that the catering staff consumed ice cream from a third-party vendor hired by the newlyweds, which cost the bride and groom more money. They claimed a total of $2,500.
In defence against these claims, the BC catering company claimed that the food was presented as agreed, and there were no prior agreements about portion sizes. They also acknowledged that some staff consumed ice cream but added that it gave the applicants a $500 goodwill discount to account for the ice cream and complaints about the food presentation. It denied that the newlyweds were entitled to any further compensation.
An agreement between the two parties was signed on February 23, 2022. The wedding was scheduled for May 13, 2023. The contract stated that the BC catering company would provide food to wedding guests and vendors based on a menu selected by the bride and groom.
The food and beverage order was finalized on April 27, 2023, and a three-course meal was selected. The appetizers included a pear and arugula salad and pesto cream gnocchi. For the mains, guests would have the choice of steak, salmon, or chicken. (What about the vegetarians?!)
In total, 180 people were expected at the party, plus seven vendors, for $148 per person.
The newlyweds argued that the portion sizes were incorrect and not of the same quality or appearance as those in the 2022 tasting. The catering company disagreed and said its offerings were consistent with those in the 2022 tasting.
“I turn to the gnocchi,” the tribunal says in its decision.
“The applicants provided a photo of gnocchi with a vegetable medley that they say they took at the 2022 tasting. They also provided a photo of three plates of gnocchi served on the event date, taken by their wedding coordinator, BB. BB provided a statement in evidence which says that the gnocchi dish was plated inconsistently in terms of its portion size and that the plating was ‘sloppy.’ I agree the three dishes in the photograph do not match in size, with one being a noticeably larger portion than the other two,” the tribunal decision adds.
According to the catering company, the gnocchi would never look like it did in 2022 because the newlyweds chose to remove the veggies from that version and serve it as an appetizer instead. The tribunal sided with the catering company on this argument.
While the tribunal agreed that three of the gnocchi dishes were not uniform in size, there wasn’t enough evidence about how many plates had the issue.
As mentioned before, the catering company did pay $500 to the bride and groom as an act of goodwill for their complaints, and in the end, the tribunal determined this was enough compensation for the complaints the newlyweds brought forward.
Read the full decision, which is posted online here.