Isle of Wight · England
Wedding paella catering in Merstone, Isle of Wight
Love Paella cooks paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food in Merstone and nearby, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Weddings with lots of dietary needs
- Garden and marquee weddings
- Civil partnerships and vow renewals
Wedding paella catering near Merstone
Occasions we cook for in Merstone
It fills the gap between ceremony and meal: watch the pans.
Here are some of the events we cook for around Merstone:
- Relaxed sharing-style wedding breakfasts
- Rustic barn weddings
- Blessings and vow renewals
- Evening wedding food
For outdoor photos, Alverstone Mead is close by, and the countryside around Merstone suits an outdoor reception.
Questions to ask before booking
- How each diet is kept separate
- Who provides the crockery
- The wet-weather plan
- How late numbers can change
Wedding paella catering in Merstone, made fresh on the day
A paella wedding makes mixed diets simple: each paella has its own pan, so vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests eat the same kind of meal as everyone else. We are frequently asked to cater farm and barn venues and weddings with a Spanish theme, with table tapas, a paella wedding breakfast and Spanish desserts.
There is something special about a country wedding near Merstone, and paella cooking in the open air adds to it. Plan access and cover in case of rain. Timings are planned around your event, whether that’s speeches, a lunch break or a festival schedule.
- Location
- Merstone (PO30)
- Area hub
- Isle of Wight
- Dietary options
- Gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, halal
- Add-ons
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Contact us for a quote
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Live paella or other catering?
A buffet can leave food sitting out. Paella goes straight from pan to plate. Cost depends on guest numbers, the menu and the courses, plus any staff, crockery and travel. Every event gets its own quote.
Why choose Love Paella in Merstone
- Cooking your guests will gather round to watch
- Fast service from the pan
- Plates, cutlery and waiting staff available
- Everything cooked fresh at your event
Take a look at How we price Or The cost guide.
Planning the cooking area
If a space is not suitable, we’ll tell you. What matters most:
- A safe distance from anything that could catch
- An open-sided catering gazebo next to the marquee
- Good ventilation: outdoors, or an open-sided cover
Merstone is a more remote spot, so tell us early and we will plan the journey.
If you are unsure, send a picture of the space and we will say what we think.
Popular choices
- Table tapas
- Dessert
- Evening paella
- Paella wedding breakfast
- Canapé tapas
- Sangria & bar staff
Common questions in Merstone
Do you come out to small places like Merstone?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
What about events near the coast?
Yes, as long as we can shelter from the wind. Sea breezes cool the pan, so a windbreak, building or gazebo helps.
How do you work out quantities?
Quantities depend on numbers, timing and courses, with a little extra built in. Accurate numbers help.
How much space do you need?
A level space for the pans, burners and a serving table, outdoors or in a marquee or well-ventilated area, plus the venue’s agreement to cooking.
Do you cater for suppliers?
Yes. Add your suppliers to the final numbers.
Can you cater the whole day?
Any part of the day, or all of it, from canapés to evening food.
Can you do sangria?
Yes, sangria. For other drinks, we can provide bar staff to serve what you buy.
How long do you need on site?
We get there in good time to set up. The rice itself takes about 20 minutes, and we time it to your schedule.
Prices and what affects them
We will give you a clear, itemised quote. The main things that affect it are:
- The paellas you choose
- Parking and unloading
- The length of service
- Guest numbers
Travel, parking and access can affect the price, so it helps to tell us about your venue. The full price is confirmed before you book.
What we need to know
For a quote, it helps to have:
- Your date and when you want to eat
- Expected numbers
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Anything your venue supplies
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, plus any dietary needs, and we’ll reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. To get started, use our quote form.
The process
On the day, we set up the burners and pans and start cooking the sofrito and stock. Once the rice goes in, it takes about 20 minutes, so we time everything to your schedule. Golden-hour photos in Merstone at midsummer come around 9:20pm, which helps us time evening food around your photos. Sunset is around 8:55pm in late May and 7:10pm in late September.
- Tell us your date, venue and numbers.
- We plan your menu course by course.
- Timings are agreed with your venue.
- On the day, we cook and serve each course.
- We pack down, and staff stay as agreed.
How to prepare
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Confirm the venue is happy with live cooking
- Send us final numbers and dietary needs in good time
Get a quote
Most quotes start with a few simple details: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can use our quote form.
Read more
Also near Merstone
What else we do in Merstone
What’s in the pans
Desserts
Churros with chocolate, crema catalana or tarta de Santiago, or your cake as dessert.
Table tapas
Tapas set out on every table to share, from bravas to croquetas and Manchego.
Weddings in Merstone: venues, ceremonies and travel
Merstone is about 3 miles south-east of Newport, in the Isle of Wight. Across the PO30 area, we can bring the pans to you. We cover 125 places in the Isle of Wight, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Southampton, about 19 miles away.
Put the station on your invitation: Shanklin station is about 3.8 miles away. Historic houses near Merstone include Arreton Manor (1.1 miles north) and Haseley Manor (1.3 miles east). If your reception is at a historic house or estate, ask early about its rules on caterers and live cooking. With the coast within about 5 miles, a seafood paella suits a seaside-style wedding. Coastal wind needs a sheltered cooking spot.
Anywhere in PO30, we can bring wedding paella catering to you. Whether your wedding is on Merstone Lane, Chapel Lane and Newlands or anywhere nearby, we’ll bring the pans to you. Close by, we cover weddings in Arreton (1 mile north-east), Rookley (1 mile south-west), Hale Common (1 mile south-east), Rookley Green (1 mile south-west) and Blackwater (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cater in Newport (3 miles north-west), Ryde (6 miles north-east), Cowes (7 miles north), Sandown (4 miles east), Shanklin (4 miles south-east) and Ventnor (5 miles south-east). If your wedding is somewhere remote, let us know early and we’ll plan the trip.
Well-known places in the area include Whitecroft Hospital (2.2 miles west) and Carisbrooke Castle (3.1 miles north-west). Green spaces nearby include Stenbury Down and Alverstone Mead.
Planning for every diet
Good planning keeps every guest safe and happy. Here’s how:
- Decide whether guests queue at the pans or are served at the tables
- Give us separate day and evening numbers
- Ask whether your venue allows outside caterers
- Enquire early for peak dates
If things run late, and we’ll adjust the cooking so the paella is served at its best.
Finish with Spanish desserts or your cake.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
DIY catering keeps costs down, but the host spends the party cooking. Booking us means you get the show without the stress.
Weighing up DIY against a caterer? Think about numbers, diets and how much you want to enjoy the day. We’re happy to give you a quote to compare.
- 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