Coeliac guest at a wedding or event: how to brief the caterer

A caterer can do a wedding or event meal well for a coeliac guest when the brief is specific. “Gluten-free” alone often isn’t enough; the questions below turn it into a plan the kitchen can follow.

What to ask the caterer

• Coeliac disease is a medical condition: even crumbs cause harm. Can you prepare this guest’s food separately, with clean equipment?
• Which dishes are made gluten-free from the start, rather than adapted at the last minute?
• Are sauces, stocks, marinades and dressings checked, not just the obvious bread and pasta?
• Is there a separate fryer? If not, can fried items be left off this guest’s plate?
• How does the plate reach the table: marked, served first, carried by a named person?
• What about canapés, the cake and late-night food?

Put it in writing

Confirm the answers by email, with the guest’s name and table number, and ask the caterer to pass it to whoever runs the kitchen on the day. A short note beats a long conversation that nobody writes down.

For the guest

Introduce yourself to the catering lead before the meal starts, ask which dishes are yours, and bring a snack for the long gap between ceremony and dinner. If something arrives unmarked or with a bread roll on the plate, ask before you eat.

Keep reading

• Cooking gluten-free for a coeliac guest
• Coeliac at family gatherings and holidays
• Shared fryers and gluten

Built from the questions our community asks most, and from our label, fryer and cross-contact guides. Sources: Coeliac UK guidance for caterers, EU Regulation 1169/2011 (allergen information for food served by caterers). Last checked: 28 September 2026. We inform, we don’t diagnose: for medical questions, your doctor or dietitian has the last word.