East Sussex · England
Wedding Paella Catering in Ripe
Hot, generous and cooked in front of everyone: paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food for events in Ripe and across East Sussex.
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
- Garden and marquee weddings
- Weddings with mixed diets
Live wedding paella catering in Ripe
Wedding paella catering for your wedding in Ripe
Evening paella is a favourite: it’s hot, filling and quick to serve, so the party keeps going. Whether it is big weddings with every diet and blessings and vow renewals, we’ll put together a menu of a paella wedding breakfast, evening paella and canapé tapas for your guests.
Rural weddings around Ripe have a magic of their own, and paella cooking in the open air adds to it. Plan access and cover in case of rain. Every guest is catered for, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal included, with each paella cooked in its own pan.
- Area
- Ripe (BN8)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Diets
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal
- Also available
- Canapés, desserts, sangria and staff
- Quotes
- Contact us for a quote
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
What happens on the day
We take care of the food from set-up to service, so you are free to enjoy your wedding. If you’ve chosen tapas or canapés, they go out first as the rice is cooking. Golden-hour photos in Ripe at midsummer come around 9:15pm, so we can time the evening paella around your photos. Sunset is around 8:50pm in late May and 7:05pm 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.
Before we arrive
- Arrange a covered spot for wet weather
- Tell us when you want to eat
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
Get a quote
To get a price, use our quote form. Tell us about your wedding in Ripe, and we’ll put together a menu and price.
Read more
Other catering in Ripe
Catering for every guest
Most events have a mix of diets. To cater well for them:
- Choose pan-side or table service
- Add a dietary question to your RSVP cards
- Give us separate day and evening numbers
- Ask about your date as soon as you have one
Evening guests can be served from fresh pans later on, normally timed after the first dance.
Canapé tapas with the drinks reception keep guests going during photos.
Where we can cook in Ripe
We cook in large pans over gas burners, so the cooking area needs a little planning. Here’s what we look for:
- A separate open-sided gazebo if the meal is in a marquee
- A level, firm spot for the burners and pans
- Access for unloading near the cooking spot
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before booking.
Menu ideas
- Evening paella
- Dessert
- Canapé tapas
- Sangria & bar staff
- Paella wedding breakfast
- Table tapas
Paella compared with other options
Buffets can mean food sitting for a while. Paella is served hot from the pan. Comparing caterers? Look at what each quote includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
Why Ripe hosts choose us
- We cover Ripe and the whole of East Sussex
- Every diet catered for, pan by pan
- Hot food served quickly from the pan
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
See Our pricing And What paella catering costs.
A closer look at the menu
Canapé tapas
Canapés keep guests happy between the ceremony and the meal, without spoiling appetites.
Desserts
Spanish desserts from churros to crema catalana, or your cake as dessert.
For event organisers in Ripe
Planning an event for a club, school or charity in Ripe? Live paella feeds a crowd quickly and suits most diets. Tell us about the event and we’ll suggest a menu.
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Tell us what your venue needs and we will work to it.
What wedding paella catering costs
Live paella pricing is straightforward once we know the basics:
- How many guests are eating
- Your choice of paellas
- Whether you need crockery
- How many courses
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. Ask us for a quote.
Details that help
When you contact us, it helps to tell us:
- A photo of the cooking space, if it’s a garden or field
- Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and allergy numbers
- Expected numbers
- The courses you’d like
Each quote is tailored to your event. Tell us your date and guest numbers, and we will confirm whether we are available that day.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Doing it yourself saves money, but the host ends up stuck at the stove. With live paella catering, you get the theatre without the work.
If you do cook yourself, test the pan and burner together beforehand, have hot stock ready, and leave the rice alone once it is in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
Common questions in Ripe
Do you cater in the South Downs National Park?
Yes. Some venues there have rules about vehicles, ground and cooking, so check with yours. We will work to whatever the site needs.
Is Ripe too small for live paella?
Not at all. We cater in villages and hamlets as well as towns. Tell us about lanes, gates and parking.
Do you provide drinks?
Sangria, yes. For other drinks, we can provide bar staff to serve what you buy.
Do you provide plates and cutlery?
Yes, if you need them. Tell us what your venue provides and we will include the rest in the quote.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
We can cook a gluten-free paella in its own pan. Tell us about any coeliac guests when you book so we can plan it carefully.
Do you offer tastings?
Tell us you’d like a tasting when you enquire, and we’ll explain how it works.
Can you cater for children?
Yes. Children often love a simple chicken paella. Include children in your numbers.
Can you cater the whole day?
Any part of the day, or all of it, from the drinks reception to the evening.
Weddings in Ripe: venues, ceremonies and travel
Ripe is about 5 miles west of Hailsham, in East Sussex. Whether your wedding is in the middle of Ripe or on the outskirts, wedding paella catering works the same way: paella cooked live, every diet catered for and a clear quote. We cater in 289 places in East Sussex, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is Brighton, about 12 miles away.
Nearby historic houses include Charleston Farmhouse (2.3 miles south-west) and Firle Place (2.9 miles south-west). If your reception is at a historic house or estate, ask early about its rules on caterers and live cooking. If you’re marrying at a church near Ripe, such as The Parish Church of St John the Baptist, a reception in a garden, marquee or hired venue nearby keeps the day flowing: we can be cooking during the photos, so the meal is ready when you arrive. With the South Downs National Park within about 5 miles, there are country venues, barns and gardens nearby. Check vehicle access and cooking rules with the venue.
Wherever your wedding is in BN8, we can cook for your guests, from busy streets to quiet lanes. That could mean a wedding in a garden on Carriage Mews, Channers Lane and Church Lane. For weddings just outside Ripe, we cover Selmeston (2 miles south), Wickstreet (2 miles south-east), Laughton (2 miles north), Golden Cross (2 miles north-east) and Berwick (2 miles south). Further out, we also cater in Eastbourne (8 miles south-east), Bexhill-on-Sea (14 miles east), Seaford (7 miles south), Lewes (6 miles west), Hailsham (5 miles east) and Crowborough (13 miles north).
A little further out are Hellingly Hospital Railway (5.1 miles east) and Museum of Agricultural Bygones (3 miles north-west). Open spaces near Ripe include Firle Beacon.
- Local pubs include Lamb Inn (within half a mile north-west)
- 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