Wooden Paddle Catering

About Wooden Paddle Catering

Wooden Paddle Catering

Wooden Paddle Catering is Chicagoland's go-to for full-service wedding catering that's anything but ordinary. We roll up to your venue with mobile wood-fired brick ovens and cook everything fresh and live — wood-fired pizzas, chef-designed apps, desserts, and craft cocktails your guests will not stop talking about. We handle it all: professional staffing, full bar, rentals, setup, and teardown. Family-style, plated, or stations — you name it, we bring it. With 10+ years and 1,000+ events across Chicagoland, we've been to just about every venue in the suburbs. Serving the greater Chicago area within 50 miles of Lemont. 🔥

You shouldn’t be worrying about food on your wedding day. For real. We handle the food, the allergies, the timing, the clean-up… all of it. You just show up, look cute, get married, and wait for everyone to ✨rave✨ about the food.

Sample catered weddings

Watching a couple slice into a pizza instead of a cake, seeing guests enjoy the food — that kind of joy keeps us inspired all day.

Guest Count

100

Total Catering Cost

$10,000

Menu Highlights

  • Seated meal
  • Family-style meal
  • Passed appetizers
  • Stationary appetizers
  • Wedding cake service
  • Dessert service
  • Appetizers, Pizzas, Pastas, Desserts

Services Included

  • Chef(s)
  • Service Staff
  • Setup / Breakdown
  • Clean Up / Trash Removal
  • Service Captain(s)
  • Bartender(s)
The Couple🥰
The Buzzkill🍕
Burrata Toast🍞
Housemade Gelato & Sorbetto🍨

Services

Services

  • Bartenders
  • Cleanup and breakdown
  • Consultations and tastings - complimentary
  • Rental coordination - directly invoice couple
  • Serving staff

Cuisines

  • American
  • Eastern European
  • French
  • Fusion
  • Italian

Dietary accommodations

  • Dairy-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Halal
  • Nut-free
  • Vegetarian

Meal types

  • Breakfast/brunch
  • Buffet
  • Dessert service
  • Family-style meal
  • Food stations
  • Food trucks
  • Passed appetizers
  • Seated meal
  • Stationary appetizers
  • Wedding cake service

Beverage services

  • Bartending
  • Beverage servingware rentals
  • Mixers/non-alcoholic options
  • Provides liquor license

Drink types

  • Beer
  • Coffee service
  • Liquor
  • Mobile bar
  • Non-alcoholic
  • Signature cocktails
  • Wine

Extra costs

  • Bartender services
  • Rentals - beverage ware
  • Rentals - dining ware
  • Rentals - furniture
  • Rentals - linens
  • Service Fee
  • Wedding Cake & Dessert Service

Reviews

Write a review
Rating: 4.9

4.9 out of 5

7 reviews

  • FM

    Francesca M.

    Rating: 5
    •Jul 12

    ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE

    If you have the chance to have Wooden Paddle as your caterer, please do not think twice. The food is tastefully unique, and the perfect wedding dinner for 2026. The staff is so lovely and nice - they made the whole day so seamless!!

  • SG

    Stephanie G.

    Rating: 5
    •Jul 6

    100 out of 10!!

    We hired Wooden Paddle for our wedding in May 2026. Everything was fantastic all the way through - from meeting Wooden Paddle and doing the tasting to the actual event. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful along the way. The food is exceptional quality too. My mom said the scallops were the best she's ever had (and she's well traveled)! My mother-in-law had high remarks about the food too, saying it was the best food she's ever had at a wedding. Everyone enjoyed the food so much and we didn't hear any complaints. The servers were very friendly and polite to us and our guests. We also love going to Wooden Paddle just for a date night, because the food and service is that good! Thank you so much for such a memorable day!!

  • JD

    Jeannine D.

    Rating: 5
    •Jul 5, 2026

    Wooden paddle

    All the food was so good from wooden paddle for our wedding!

  • BA

    Bella A.

    Rating: 4
    •Jun 16, 2026

    Great food!

    We hired Wooden Paddle Catering for our wedding and had a mixed experience overall. The food turned out delicious and the setup on the day of the wedding ran smoothly for the most part. Except cake was never served to tables and instead placed on its own table, which would have been no issue except they didn’t communicate that to anyone so most of that was wasted. Our servers and bartenders were fantastic. They were attentive, friendly, and made our guests feel taken care of throughout the night. However, communication leading up to the event was frustrating since the team often took over a week to respond to our emails and calls. Despite the slow responses during planning, they delivered on the day and we were happy with the final result. If you go with them, just be prepared to reach out early and give them plenty of time to get back to you.

  • LS

    Luke S.

    Rating: 5
    •Apr 2, 2026

    The Perfect Catering Partner for Our Day

    The Wooden Paddle catered our wedding, and they were exceptional. The food was outstanding—beautifully prepared, high quality, and a true highlight of the night. Our guests absolutely loved the family‑style service, which made the meal feel abundant, relaxed, and communal in the best way. Working with Kat throughout the planning process was effortless. She was responsive, thoughtful, and made everything feel easy. On the day of, the onsite team was efficient, professional, and quietly handled every detail. We didn’t have a single moment of concern; they simply took care of everything so we could enjoy the celebration. We’re incredibly grateful for their work and would recommend The Wooden Paddle without hesitation.

    Brianna Cowan•Apr 2, 2026

    Thank you so much for having us be part of your day 🤍 we had the best time celebrating with you!

Our menu is fully à la carte, and our pricing is totally transparent! We’ll create a quote for your specific event, but for reference, our couples typically spend between $75 - $150 per person. If we know your budget, we’ll work with you to make a plan that fits!
We’re firm believers - Aunt Jane shouldn’t have a lesser-than meal simply because she doesn’t eat wheat! We’ve got gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian options, so we can accommodate just about anything.
We generally travel up to 50 miles from our Wooden Paddle kitchen in Lemont, IL. Is your event a little bit, or a lot a bit, further away? Let’s talk anyway! We do make exceptions.
We’ve catered at over 100 event venues around the Chicagoland area. Even if we’re not on your venue’s preferred vendors list (yet!), there’s still a *pretty* good chance we’ll be able to cater your event. We’ve done it before, and gosh dang it, we’ll do it again! And if you nix a venue altogether and go the backyard route? We’re happy to cater there too!
All you need to do is sign your contract, and pay your 30% deposit. Then you’re locked in, and your date is yours!
We bring a full crew, including chefs, servers, bartenders, and event captains. The amount of staff we bring to your event depends on your guest count, menu, venue requirements, etc. We’ll let you know what you need as we build your proposal! Staff is always charged seperately.
We also provide all the at-the-table rentals - tablecloths, napkins, plates, silverware, wine glasses, water glasses, etc. Consider it taken care of!

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