Wedding food is the only part of the whole wedding guests are still talking about a week later. Not the flowers, not the music, not the dress - whether the main course was hot. And that, the heat of a single plate, is what caterers say breaks most often.

The list of mistakes begins with the most basic: cold food. It is described as the most fundamental and least forgivable error of all. No menu, however expensive, recovers from a main course that arrived lukewarm at the last table. That is not a question of the kitchen but of organisation - how many tables one waiter serves and how many metres there are from the stove to the marquee.

The second mistake is the aperitif that requires a third hand. Plates that have to be held upright, cutlery that is not needed, canapés that fall apart when bitten. The aperitif exists so people can stand and talk to those they have not seen in a year. Every object that occupies both hands kills exactly that function.

The third is a rigid wine policy. Rules limiting what can be ordered take away from the naturalness of the evening - if a guest wants a glass of red with fish, let them have it; that is not a gastronomic offence, it is a wedding.

The fourth and fifth come at the end of the night, where attention usually drops. The late-night snack, that final embrace from the hosts, is often served carelessly, as if it were not part of the same menu. And the coffee - coffee from a thermos after impeccable service ruins the whole evening, because the last taste is the one that stays.

What works is more interesting than what does not. A shorter, well-timed menu - one well-chosen main course with a good dessert - keeps the rhythm of the celebration going with no dead pauses. A cocktail bar from the aperitif onwards, especially in warm weather. A menu with personality, with seasonal produce and combinations that stay in the memory rather than being strange experiments. And gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarian options designed to be equally appealing, not a punishment for whoever asks for them.

Here, a wedding is a serious event with hundreds of guests and a budget a family prepares for years. Which is exactly why this is worth reading as a checklist rather than as trends from abroad. Three hundred guests, six hours, one hot main course - that is logistics, not romance. And it is solved with one question to the caterer before signing: how many waiters, and how far away is the kitchen?