Kent · England
Wedding Paella Catering for Smarden events
Love Paella cooks paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food across Smarden and Kent, catering for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests.
- Vow renewals and civil ceremonies
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
- Evening food for extra guests
Live wedding paella catering in Smarden
What affects the price in Smarden
These are the factors that matter most:
- How many courses
- How many guests are eating
- Timings and hours
- Waiting and bar staff
When you compare quotes, check what each one includes: staff, crockery, sides, travel and VAT. We itemise ours.
What to tell us
Here’s what makes a quick, accurate quote possible:
- Whether the venue has crockery or staff
- Where the event is
- The courses you’d like
- A picture of the space, if you can
We need only a few details to quote: the date, where the event is, how many guests and any dietary needs. You can use our quote form.
About our wedding paella catering in Smarden
Mixed diets are easy at a paella wedding: each paella has its own pan, so vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests eat the same kind of meal as everyone else. On the menu are table tapas, canapé tapas and evening paella, and typical bookings are for wedding receptions after a small ceremony and vow renewals and civil ceremonies.
Near Smarden, weddings are frequently in fields, barns or gardens. That is exactly where live paella shines: no kitchen needed, just a level, sheltered spot. Let us know about access and ground. We cater for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and halal guests, each in a separate pan and clearly labelled.
Organising for someone else?
Wedding planners and venue coordinators are welcome to contact us directly, and we’ll keep everyone informed on the day.
If you’re planning an event on someone’s behalf, such as a wedding planner, an office manager or a festival organiser, we are happy to deal with you and the venue directly. It saves passing messages back and forth.
Is live paella right for your wedding?
Live paella is less formal than a plated meal, but with canapés, table tapas and good crockery, it still feels special. Got a budget? Let us know, and we’ll suggest a menu to match. A simple menu can still feel generous.
Why us?
- Fast service from the pan
- Events in Smarden and across Kent
- Crockery and waiting staff if you need them
- Sangria, plus bar staff for your own drinks
Read Our pricing And The cost guide.
Smarden questions
We’re having a ceremony at Church of St Michael: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a nearby garden, marquee or hall where we can cook. Live cooking generally happens at the reception venue, not the church. Tell us where the reception will be.
How far is Smarden from London?
About 42 miles from central London, and well within our area.
Do you cover Smarden?
Yes. We cover London and the South East, including Smarden and the rest of Kent. To check your date, fill in our quote form.
How long do you need on site?
That depends on your menu and numbers. We’ll agree arrival, cooking and serving times with you.
What if the timings change?
We plan for it. We time the rice to the actual running order, so it’s served at its best.
How much is live paella catering?
The price depends on numbers, menu, courses, staff and travel. Send us the details for a quote.
Can we try the food first?
Tell us you’d like a tasting when you enquire, and we’ll explain how it works.
Can paella feel formal?
It can be dressed up or kept relaxed, depending on how it is served.
Space, weather and the venue
The right spot keeps things safe and helps the paella cook evenly. We need:
- Confirmation that open cooking is allowed
- Level ground for the pans and burners
- Somewhere close to park and unload
If in doubt, send us a picture of the spot and we’ll advise before you book.
On the menu in Smarden
- Table tapas
- Sangria & bar staff
- Canapé tapas
- Dessert
- Paella wedding breakfast
- Evening paella
Places near Smarden
Also in Smarden
Perfect for your wedding in Smarden
A sharing-style meal gets guests talking across the tables, which suits a relaxed wedding.
These are some of the occasions we cater:
- Weddings with mixed diets
- Destination-style celebrations at home
- Barn and farm weddings
- Wedding receptions after a small ceremony
Couples marrying at local churches such as Church of St Michael often hold the reception nearby: the paella can be cooking while you have photos taken, so the meal is ready when you arrive.
Questions to ask before you book
- The deadline for final numbers
- How each diet is kept separate
- Space, access and power needs
- If the price includes VAT
Cook it yourself or book a caterer?
A DIY paella party works for small groups. For big numbers or lots of diets, a caterer makes life easier, and keeps vegetarian and allergy-safe pans separate.
You can cook paella for a crowd yourself, but it takes practice. A big pan needs a burner that heats it evenly, and getting the rice right at scale is tricky. Our guide to cooking paella for a crowd explains how.
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. In Smarden, midsummer sunset is about 9:15pm, and by late September it is nearer 7:00pm, so an evening paella for evening guests is normally served in daylight in high summer. For autumn and winter weddings, when it is dark by about 3:50pm in December, plan lighting for the cooking area.
- You tell us your date, venue, guest numbers and how you picture the day.
- Together we plan each course and confirm the price.
- We fit our timings around your speeches, photos and venue.
- We cook live on the day and serve every course on cue.
- We pack down our cooking area, with staff staying as long as agreed.
How to prepare
- Keep the cooking spot clear of fences, hedges and branches
- Have a gazebo or cover ready if rain is likely
- Ensure we can park close by to unload
Getting a price
Tell us your date, venue or postcode and roughly how many guests, along with any dietary needs, and we will reply with a menu suggestion and a quote. Just fill in our quote form.
Read more
Diets, allergies and planning
Nearly every event has some special diets. To plan for them:
- Enquire early for peak dates
- Share your running order, including speeches
- Count day and evening guests separately
- Connect us with your coordinator
If things run late, and we’ll adjust the cooking so it is still served fresh.
Sangria and bar staff can be added.
Smarden weddings: local tips
Smarden is about 8 miles west of Ashford, in Kent. We bring wedding paella catering to gardens, halls and venues around Smarden and nearby villages. We cater in 922 places in Kent, from the larger towns to small villages. You can also see our page for Canterbury, about 19 miles away.
For guests travelling by train, Pluckley station is about 2.6 miles away. The High Weald National Landscape is within about 8 miles of Smarden, with plenty of rural wedding settings. Check vehicle access and cooking rules with the venue.
Wedding paella catering in TN27 is planned around your venue. Local streets include The Street, The Acorns and Water Lane; a wedding at home on any of them works well with live paella. If your venue is just outside Smarden, we also cover Biddenden Green (1 mile north-east), Smarden Bell (1 mile north-west), Monk's Hill (1 mile south-west), Swift's Green (1 mile north-west) and Standen (2 miles south-west). Within a short drive, we also cover Maidstone (11 miles north-west), Ashford (8 miles east), Sittingbourne (13 miles north), Faversham (14 miles north-east), Kings Hill (15 miles north-west) and Davington (14 miles north-east).
A little further out are Romden Castle (1 mile east) and Benenden Hospital (5.3 miles south-west).
- Nearby, you will find The Chequers Inn (less than half a mile south)
- 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