Aspiring Catering

Aspiring did a fantastic job of catering (and essentially managing) our wedding earlier this year. The food was outstanding, timing impeccable and nothing was a bother on the day. We are traditionally very disorganised, which Im sure added an extra layer of complexity, but Aspiring managed that without trouble. Highly recommended for all your catering needs!
Apr 28th, 2023

We got married in early April 2023 at Rippon, with Aspiring Catering. Sarah, Lucy and the team looked after us brilliantly from the early stages of planning to the big day. I always felt they were looking after us, and truly had our backs, throughout the whole planning process. They made everything both easier and more exciting, and made us feel like our event was really special. Sarah remembered small details that were uniquely important to us, and made sure they went smoothly on the day. Lucys food was outstanding, many guests said the best theyve ever had at a wedding. Wholeheartedly recommend Aspiring - wish we could do it all over again.
Apr 21st, 2023

We used Aspiring Catering for our wedding at Rippon earlier this month and would highly recommend them to any couple planning a wedding in Wanaka (especially at Rippon). After our first planning meeting with Lucy and Sarah last August I knew we were in good hands. They were so organised and it reassured me that they knew Rippon so well. They were also able to give us recommendations for other vendors in the area. We were able to change some of the menu slightly to our tastes (although it all sounded delicious) and we could see a timeline of exactly how our day was going to run. Getting closer to the day, we had further planning meetings where we were able to change things around if needed and get any of our questions answered. We both found Lucy and Sarah (and the rest of the team via email) very approachable and helpful. On the day itself they were amazing! Our guests loved the food, the bar and wait service was great and everything ran so smoothly. We could not find a fault in the service provided! I just wish we could go back and do it all again! Thanks so much to the whole team for everything you did to make our wedding day so special. A & L
Apr 28th, 2023

We used Aspiring for our wedding in April. The good - Basically everything on the wedding day itself. The food was fantastic, the service was great, and everything was run incredibly well. Feedback from some guests was that it was the best food at a wedding they'd had. The staff were polite and attentive, drinks were never left empty, and the food was plentiful and delicious. The bad - There was a distinct contrast between the service on the day and at any other points. In the lead up to the wedding, we were left at time feeling annoying, like us asking questions and wanting to tailor our wedding to the way we wanted it was a hinderance and we were being unreasonable. We had some issues where there were significant cost increases and a limited flexibility to address this. After the wedding, we were communicating with Aspiring over some things that, after the fact, we found out didn't go quite right, and Aspiring took a very long time to reply and was pretty defensive. They also took three weeks to refund our bond and made an (albeit small) deduction that was not raised with us at all. So overall, brilliant on the day, but we were left somewhat disappointed with Aspiring's communication and flexibility in the lead-up and after the wedding.
Apr 24th, 2023

We genuinely believe Aspiring Catering is the gold standard for catering in Central Otago. Having been lucky enough to have come across Lucy in the early days of Aspiring Catering when she catered a family event in Wanaka, booking Aspiring for our wedding in Wanaka and at Glendhu Station was an absolute no brainer. From our first meeting to get an idea of what we wanted, through to the big day the team at Aspiring were an absolute delight to work with. From the calls with Lucy and Megan planning the menu and the timeline for the day, to a day executed with military precision by the wonderful Sarah nothing was an issue for the team. We very much felt like we were part of the Aspiring family and were so well looked after. The team are and were absolute professionals and made sure every detail was accounted for on the day. This is all before we get to the food. Being foodies and big on entertaining large crowds, a big focus for us was nailing the food for the reception and gee whiz did Aspiring deliver something special. Catering to a rather multicultural crowd, the food was top notch and there was something for everyone. Lucy is a bomb in the kitchen and her lamb is a must have. The full complement of food delivered on the day still has our guests talking about it long after the wedding. Our only regret was being so busy ourselves on the day that we didnt fully get to savour it all! If youre looking for a caterer for any event in the Central Otago region, look no further. These guys are the bees knees and something more. We dont know how you can top the service we got, and we are stoked to count them as mates going forward. Thanks Lucy, Megan, Sarah and the whole Aspiring team for playing such a massive role in making our wedding such an unforgettable day. - Tessa & Chanuka -
Apr 20th, 2023