Isle of Wight · England
Wedding paella catering in St Lawrence, Isle of Wight
Cooked live, served hot and made to share: paella catering for weddings, from canapés to the wedding breakfast and evening food for events in St Lawrence and across the Isle of Wight.
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
- Food for evening guests
- Barn and farm weddings
Planning an event in St Lawrence?
The menu, dish by dish
Evening paella
Fresh pans for evening guests, quick to serve and filling.
Paella wedding breakfast
A choice of paellas, served at the pans or to the tables.
Wedding paella catering in St Lawrence, made fresh on the day
Paella suits relaxed, sociable weddings, especially with long tables and outdoor venues. It feels generous and celebratory. We cook evening paella, table tapas and Spanish desserts, and we are regularly asked to cater weddings with lots of dietary needs and parties after a register office wedding.
A wedding in a small place like St Lawrence frequently means a field, a barn or a family garden. Live paella is made for that: 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 is ready.
- Where
- St Lawrence (PO38)
- Area hub
- Isle of Wight
- Diets
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal
- Also available
- Tapas, desserts, sangria, staff
- Price
- Quoted for your event
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Planning a paella wedding in St Lawrence
St Lawrence is about 4 miles south-west of Shanklin, in the Isle of Wight. Whether your wedding is in the middle of St Lawrence or on the outskirts, we offer the same service: live cooking, separate pans for every diet and a clear price. We cater in 125 places across the Isle of Wight, from the larger towns to small villages. Our nearest city page is Southampton, about 24 miles away.
Put the station on your invitation: the nearest station is Shanklin station, about 4.1 miles north-east. If you are marrying at a church near St Lawrence, such as St Lawrence's Church, a reception in a garden, marquee or hired venue nearby keeps the day flowing: we can be cooking during the photos, so it is ready as guests arrive. The sea is within about 2 miles, perfect for a seafood paella wedding. Coastal wind needs a sheltered cooking spot.
We cook at weddings all over PO38. Your wedding could be at a home on Twining Road, Whitwell Road and Woolverton Road. Close by, we cover weddings in Steephill (1 mile east), Nettlecombe (1 mile north-west), Whitwell (1 mile north-west), Ventnor (1 mile east) and Bierley (2 miles north-west). Further out, we also cater in Newport (8 miles north), Ryde (10 miles north), Cowes (12 miles north), Sandown (6 miles north-east), Shanklin (4 miles north-east) and East Cowes (12 miles north). Some remote venues need extra planning, so ask early about your wedding.
Nearby you will also find South Wight (1.9 miles north-east) and Longshoremans Museum (1.3 miles east). Green spaces nearby include Stenbury Down.
- Local schools include The Island Free School (1.2 miles north-east) and St Catherine's School (1.5 miles east)
Why live cooking beats a buffet
A buffet can leave food sitting out. Paella goes straight from pan to plate when guests are ready. Live paella pricing depends on the event. A simple paella lunch costs less than a wedding with canapés, three paellas and waiting staff. We itemise everything in your quote.
Why book with us
- Real theatre, not just catering
- Drinks service on request
- Waiting staff and crockery on request
- Events in St Lawrence and across the Isle of Wight
Read Our pricing Or What paella catering costs.
Can I cook paella for a crowd myself?
Cooking it yourself? Test your pan and burner first, have hot stock ready, and don’t stir once the rice goes in. And keep children and pets well away from the burner.
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.
Questions from St Lawrence
We are having a ceremony at St Lawrence's Church: can you cater afterwards?
Yes, at a garden, marquee or venue nearby with a suitable spot to cook. Churches rarely have space for live cooking, so the meal is typically elsewhere. Tell us where the reception will be.
What’s the nearest station to St Lawrence for guests?
Shanklin station, about 4.1 miles north-east of the centre.
What if photos overrun?
Tell us and we will adjust. We keep in touch with your venue on the day so the paella is served fresh.
Do you cook inside?
Usually we cook outdoors or under a ventilated cover, since the burners are gas. Some venues have suitable spaces; we’ll check with you and the venue.
Do you cook it at the event?
Yes. We arrive with everything we need and cook on the day, then serve straight from the pan.
What about supplier meals?
Just add them to your numbers. Tell us when they’ll eat.
Can you serve drinks?
Sangria, yes. For other drinks, we can provide bar staff to serve what you buy.
Do you cater for coeliacs?
Yes, on request. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but stock and some ingredients may not be, so we cook a gluten-free paella separately.
Step by step
We get there well before serving, unload, set up the burners and prepare the stock. Guests generally gather round to watch while it cooks. Golden-hour photos in St Lawrence at midsummer come around 9:20pm, so we can time the evening paella around your photos. In late May, sunset is about 8:55pm, and in late September about 7:10pm.
- Send us your wedding date, venue and numbers.
- Together we plan each 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
- Make sure the spot is clear of anything flammable
- Get the venue’s permission for cooking
- Pick a flat, firm spot for us to cook
Getting a price
It is easy to get a price: share your date, venue, numbers and diets. We will send a clear, itemised quote.
Related guides
Dietary needs and planning tips
Most events have a mix of diets. To plan for them:
- Enquire early for peak dates
- Ask about diets and allergies with your RSVPs
- Introduce us to your venue coordinator
- Share your running order, including speeches
If things run late, and we’ll adjust the cooking so it’s still served fresh.
Canapés during the photos keep hunger at bay.
Occasions we cook for in St Lawrence
A sharing-style meal gets guests talking across the tables, which suits a relaxed wedding.
We can help if you’re planning any of the following:
- Weddings with lots of dietary needs
- Sharing-style wedding meals
- Wedding receptions after a small ceremony
- Weddings with a Spanish theme
Stenbury Down nearby makes a lovely backdrop for photos, and the countryside around St Lawrence suits an outdoor reception.
What your quote should include
- How late numbers can change
- Payment terms and deposit
- How each diet is kept separate
- What the caterer needs from your venue
What else we do in St Lawrence
Prices and what affects them
There’s nothing hidden: the quote reflects:
- The length of service
- Starters, canapés and desserts
- How many guests are eating
- Waiting and bar staff
Compared with a plated meal, live paella is frequently good value, because it needs no kitchen and fewer staff. We will send you a quote.
What to tell us
The more we know about your wedding, the better we can plan. Please include:
- The venue or postcode
- Any dietary needs and allergies
- A picture of where we’d cook
- Roughly how many adults and children
Each quote is tailored to your event. Give us your date and numbers, and we will check availability at the same time.
Organising for someone else?
Many venues have rules for outside caterers: cooking areas, access times and documents. Send us your venue’s requirements and we’ll follow them.
Events in public spaces, like parks, usually need permission. We can send whatever the landowner or council needs from us.
- 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