Wokingham · England
Wedding paella catering in California, Wokingham
Planning wedding paella catering in California? We arrive with the pans, burners and fresh ingredients and cook in front of your guests.
- Evening wedding food
- Parties after a register office wedding
- Spanish-themed and destination-style weddings
Live wedding paella catering in California
Wedding paella catering in California, made fresh on the day
We can add sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff, so the catering fits the way you want your day to feel. Typical bookings include garden and marquee weddings and evening food for extra guests, with canapé tapas, evening paella and a paella wedding breakfast.
A wedding in a small place like California often means a field, a barn or a family garden. That’s exactly where live paella shines: no kitchen, just a level, sheltered spot. Let us know about access and ground. The paella is served straight from the pan, so every plate is hot, and service is quick once it’s ready.
What happens on the day
Watching it cook is half the fun. Onion, garlic, peppers and tomato go in first, then the stock and saffron, then the rice, which cooks without stirring while your guests chat. Golden-hour photos in California at midsummer come around 9:25pm, so we can time the evening paella around your photos. In late May, sunset is about 8:55pm, and in late September about 7:05pm.
- We check availability for your date.
- You pick the courses and dishes.
- We confirm the plan with your coordinator.
- Guests watch the paella cook during the reception.
- We serve, then pack down.
How to prepare
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
- Let us know the timings for the day
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
Get a quote
We need only a few details to quote: date, location, guest numbers and diets. You can send us your details through our quote form.
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Is live paella right for your wedding?
If you’re weighing up paella against a traditional menu, think about your venue, your guests’ diets and the feel of the day. Live paella frequently compares well with a sit-down meal, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
Why choose Love Paella in California
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
- Events in California and across Wokingham
- Separate pans for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests
- Food that becomes part of the entertainment
Take a look at How we price Or What paella catering costs.
DIY paella versus live catering
Plenty of people try cooking paella for their own party. The usual problems are a pan too big for the burner, too much rice and stirring once the rice is in. If you’d rather enjoy the party, let us cook.
For a small group, cooking yourself can work well. For larger numbers, mixed diets or a wedding, a caterer takes the pressure off, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
For event organisers in California
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in California? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Give us the details and we will suggest a plan.
For big numbers, we plan pans and serving points to keep queues short, so guests are fed quickly. Let us know how long the food break is.
Dietary needs and planning tips
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Here’s how:
- Ask about your date as soon as you have one
- Put us in touch with your venue
- Check the venue’s rules for outside caterers
- Send us the running order and speech times
If things run late, and we’ll adjust the cooking so it’s still served fresh.
Canapés during the photos keep hunger at bay.
Nearby places to California
More for events in California
California weddings: local tips
California is about 3 miles south-west of Wokingham, in Wokingham. We cook at weddings in homes, gardens and venues in California. California is one of 35 places in Wokingham we cover. Our nearest city page is Reading, about 7 miles away.
Planning photos in Shepperlands Farm Nature Reserve? It is worth checking the park’s rules first. For guests travelling by train, the nearest station is Crowthorne station, about 2.4 miles east.
Wedding paella catering in RG40 is planned around your venue. Local streets include Warren Lane, White Horse Lane and Fernbank; a wedding at home on any of them works well with live paella. Nearby, we also cater weddings in Arborfield Garrison (1 mile west), Finchampstead (1 mile south-east), Barkham (1 mile north), Langley Common (1 mile north-west) and Eversley (1 mile south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Reading (7 miles north-west), Wokingham (3 miles north-east), Woodley (5 miles north), Earley (5 miles north-west), Crowthorne (3 miles east) and Lower Earley (4 miles north-west).
A little further out are Beaumys Castle (4.7 miles west) and Wokingham Hospital (2.6 miles north-east). The countryside around California includes Horseshoe Lake and Holt Copse & Joel Park.
- Local schools include Bohunt School Wokingham (1 mile west)
- Nearby, you will find The Queen's Oak pub (0.7 miles south-east)
Dishes our guests love
Table tapas
A tapas starter gets tables talking before the paella arrives.
Evening paella
A second round of paella for the evening, quick to serve and filling.
California questions
Is California close to London?
About 35 miles from central London, and we cover it as standard.
Do you come out to small places like California?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
What happens if it rains?
A covered, ventilated spot keeps us cooking in the rain. We will make a plan B with you.
How do you work out quantities?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a sensible margin. Give us accurate numbers for the best result.
How soon do we need to book?
As early as you can, especially for summer weekends. Even if it is short notice, it’s worth asking.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can, if you tell us in advance. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Do you cook it at the event?
Yes. Every paella is cooked from scratch on site, where your guests can watch.
Do you take everything away?
We take our equipment and leave the cooking area tidy. Ask us about table clearing if you need it.
Events we cater in California
Paella can work for the wedding breakfast, the evening, or both, so it is flexible.
In California and nearby, we cater all sorts of events. Popular bookings include:
- Weddings in a marquee or garden
- Parties after a register office wedding
- Destination-style celebrations at home
- Evening wedding food
Horseshoe Lake nearby makes a lovely backdrop for photos, and the countryside around California suits an outdoor reception.
Before booking anyone
- What the price includes, item by item
- How long the team stays
- How each diet is kept separate
- Whether travel is included
Planning the cooking area
We’ll agree the cooking spot with you before the day. It needs to meet a few simple requirements:
- A separate open-sided gazebo if the meal is in a marquee
- Somewhere close to park and unload
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
What we offer
- Paella wedding breakfast
- Canapé tapas
- Table tapas
- Evening paella
- Dessert
- Sangria & bar staff
- Cooked live in giant pans at your event
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal options
- Paella, tapas, canapés and desserts
- Sangria, bar staff, crockery and waiting staff