On today’s episode of Wedding Secrets Unveiled!, Daniel Larson and Emily Rachels from Russell Morin Catering & Events join us to share their expert insights for your wedding day. Whether you’re celebrating at a full-service venue or a private residence, the right catering team can elevate your event and leave a lasting impression on your guests. Dan and Emily reveal essential tips—from crafting the perfect menu to ensuring seamless execution on the big day—so you can learn the benefits of catering at exclusive venues.
Meet Emily and Dan.
My name is Emily Rachels. I am an event producer with Russell Morin Catering Events, currently working at Glen Manor and a couple off premise weddings. I first started with Russell Morin as a part time day of coordinator. So, I was working at Mount Hope Farm on the weekends and picking up some shifts, as we do in the service industry. Fast forward a couple years, I was the director of events at Mount Hope Farm. Fast forward another couple years and I became the director of all of the weddings that Russell Morin does. A couple years down the road, I have a couple of kids and I’m only focused on Glen Manor House with Dan. We’re such a great team.
That’s what happens in this industry.
Absolutely, you get sucked in more and more and then five years feels like a completely different lifetime.
Tell us a little bit about Glen Manor House. It’s a unique property!
Yeah, it is a an absolutely serene setting, right? It is in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. So, it is a little bit of a reprieve from all that Newport has to offer. It offers that really serene setting that a lot of couples are interested in, and they can really hone in on that fabulous guest experience with that beautiful Chateau style Manor. There’s the water view, the stunning gardens. It’s intimate, but a little bit grand still.
As a photographer, I have to say that there’s something truly for every type of day, weather, or lighting. There’s shade, there’s sun, there’s water, there’s greenery, there’s architecture with the stone. No matter the day, there’s an area to make your photos phenomenal and not every venue is like that.
I think this year we have 110 weddings on the books, and every one of those is going to look completely different. So, whether we’re bringing in the drapery from Ryan Design, or whether they’re having 40 guests dine out on the patio, every wedding really is completely different. We’re so grateful to work there.
And Dan, who are you? Who do you serve and what do you do?
I am Dan Larson, and I’m also an event producer at Glen Manor House with Emily here. And similar to Emily, I kind of joined Russell Moring around the same time, and I have focused primarily on the off-premise world. That means weddings in a lot of private homes and areas of Newport. I also had a blip of time where I was solely focused on selling our events. So as opposed to planning role, I really sat in that seat of the inquiry process with our couples and guiding them through the best fit when it comes to a venue, and whether that be based on their guest count and the capacity or the vibe that they were going for, and even budget, of course. I found that I really was having missing events. So now, sitting back in the planning role for some time now with Emily at Glen Manor House, it’s really awesome. I’m just loving being back in that experience and being on site much more, and seeing the final product, right?
It’s an interesting niche, because on-site versus the planning of the day is two total separate worlds – and you have to really love the on-site work, because it’s a lot of interesting hours.
With that said, there is so much that we could talk about in the catering world, because you just really cover so much ground. But for this show, we’re really going to focus on the process and the logistics of catering. So, take us through it. Where do we start?
I suppose the beginning for us is when couples have booked our services, right? Because at Russell Moring Catering, we have folks that sit solely in an experience specialist role, where they’re selling the events. Once they couple is contracted, they get introduced to our planning team. Emily and I focus on events at Glen Manor House. When we initially engage with a couple, we want to know who people are, what’s important to them and their day, what’s the vision and the vibe they’re going for. Of course, we need to learn the logistics too – like the guest count and timing. But in order to get into the experience they want, we have to understand the vision.
The menu and catering, it’s hand in hand with logistics, right?
Dan and I know the ins and outs of Glen Manor, and so when we’re having a discussion with a couple who have 150 guests on their list versus 100, the options are very different. The inquiry calls and suggestions are so specific to each and every client based on their vision and guest count. Our job is to translate that into a flawless wedding day on site – for us, our team, the couple, and every single guest included.
And like you said, there’s so many logistics to make something flawless. I’m betting that a lot of clients don’t think about how the guest count really impacts what you logistically have to decide on and have at the wedding.
Any venue is going to have a set capacity, as well as guidelines or parameters that you sort of have to work within, as opposed to a private home or backyard wedding or things like that, where you can kind of build exactly what you need. So being the experts on that venue and its parameters, we can really guide that conversation a couple to know if something they’re asking could happen or be a challenge. We’re so creative, and we have an amazing team with our operations and logistic managers and other folks that we can kind of have inner conversations on and find potentially a resolution to help them get what they’re looking for.
I’m assuming since you’re caterers, menu decisions are a big deal. Take me through the process of building a menu.
Where do you start? We’re a company that’s been around for over 100 years, so we have so many options and we’ve found that it’s really helpful for our couples and our clients to have a set menu, if you will, of quite a few options that we know are tried and true. We know that those options are going to be amazing and delicious and plated and presented beautifully. Our research and development team of chefs are also always working on some newer options. We don’t want our menus to feel stale. We do have repeat clients and want to have new options to present to them.
I have to say one thing about that: we had Russell Morin Catering at my wedding. There’s a lot of options out there, but one of the reasons I chose your company was the menu presentation. There was so much beauty and fun and whimsy. Everything was beautiful and delicious. Every company can do bacon wrapped scallops, right? It’s a people please – but not everyone does it in a pretty way.
Yeah, and bacon wrapped scallops is to this day, one of our most popular appetizers. It’s never going way.
So, we’re in mid-tasting season right now. Dan and I have the pleasure of sitting down with all of our couples. They’ll taste a lot of food, and we can sit down with them and share some of the logistics, too. When we’re bringing out the bacon wrapped scallops for them to taste, I’m telling them immediately: “hey, we have a server passing these. We have another server following them to collect that pick”. So, we’re really looking at the big logistics of the day: guest count, floor plans, timelines, all of that, but it’s these little things that really set us apart, and we really try to put our touch on it. It seems like a small thing, but it’s not.
I remind them at a tasting, too: we’re currently sitting at a beautifully displayed table setting right now. Let’s get in the mindset that we are on the back patio around the fountain during your reception. We’re standing and mingling, with an Aperol Spritz in hand, you’re having conversation with your friends and family, and the staff comes by with a tray of hors d’oeuvres. What is that experience of picking up that hors d’oeuvre? You’re not using a fork and knife. You’re not sitting at a nice table with a plate, you know? I bring that up to them, because it is different.
You want the execution to happen. You want people to have the food readily available.
Little things like you said, like someone serving and then coming over to clean or to get the napkin out of the hand, so that way the person can drink and eat again, matters a lot. It allows guests to enjoy and indulge. That’s what you’re doing. You’re hosting your favorite people.
Talk to me a little bit about on the menu. Talk to me a little bit about seasonal menu items. Does it happen a lot – where people might request certain things, and it just might not match the vibe or the season.
Yeah, absolutely. In our portfolio of options, there might be something like a really delicious autumn pear salad – a first course that our couples can choose – but it might not make sense for your July wedding. So, what’s nice is that our chefs are mindful of the time of year and have a great set of options for every couple. In the summer, you want more color and more citrus on your plates.
I think we really get into the exciting part when we think about our sides. I know it sounds like a little piece of the entree, right? But are we pairing our filet with autumn roasted vegetables with the honey thyme glaze. Or are we doing it with a bright, fresh summer corn segment and roasted tomato. I think that we can kind of incorporate that color in seasonality too in the dishes. Our research and development team is always coming up with these phenomenal, intricate dishes that really cater towards that season.
Fall Menu Inspiration for Weddings
I love the fall. It’s my favorite season. And I find like that food in that time of year is comforting, and it’s cozy feeling, and it’s just so good. So, I love when we have those fall weddings, and I’ve actually been meeting with a couple of our couples that have October and November celebrations, and seeing their food coming out right now that they’re enjoying. And to Emily’s point, even our chefs like options. When it comes to vegan entrees, we have an amazing butternut squash risotto that is entirely vegan. It’s gluten free. It’s accommodating these allergies. And it has this mushroom Ragu on top. It’s just so delicious. It looks beautiful. I can’t wait for the season to truly begin, but I’m very much looking forward to the fall, with all that good food.
You just skipped over two seasons!
I know, I know, I know, but that’s what it’s like, right? We’re in tasting world now, and we’re kind of towards the tail end of it which means that’s where our mind is!
What about cocktails? Mocktails?
I love me a good cocktail and a mocktail too. I would say that again, we can think seasonality, right? We have an amazing harvest mule, perhaps, that we could do in the fall, I think in the summer months, like a delicious colorful drink. We have a hibiscus sparkler with Prosecco, and it’s just so delicious and colorful.
Yeah, we just came up with a good amount of new signature cocktails that can be translated towards mocktails. I think that that’s big for us now: giving guests the options. Are we doing a strawberry rose lemonade? Yes. Okay, then vodka would be a great enhancement to that, but you don’t need it either. We really have a good selection of different options for guests to either choose the cocktail version or the mocktail depending on what they’re selecting that day.
What would you say are some of your favorite fall staples?
I really love our cocktail stations. The clam shack is one of my favorites – it is that light refreshing New England station, but you’re really getting some great, great options on that. Some of our couples are loving the Korean beef tacos. If you want the New England staples, then the fish and chips cone. There’s a way to incorporate a lot of different types of food into your cocktail hour, while not having to forgo your favorite hors d’oeuvre that you tried.
And of course, the clam shack station is such a staple in the ocean state, right? A good majority of our couples are somewhat locals to the area. So, these are things that you know their guests are going to be familiar with. And then on the flip side of that, we have quite a few couples that are traveling in they are not from the area. So, they want to showcase the area’s cuisine for those who are having it from the first time. So that can be really great.
I just to chime in quickly about some of my favorite food with Russell Morin. It would definitely have to be our short ribs. We do a beautiful filet, don’t get me wrong, but there’s just something about our short ribs and how you can have the different sauces.
So, let’s talk about the tastings. Do people try out the food they picked and see if they like it or are they trying a bunch of foods?
That’s a great question. I love to hear the strategies that our couples choose. So, some of them choose to taste seven hors d’oeuvres. At the end, they’re likely narrowing down to five. Then the same thing, four entrees they can try. At our tastings, they narrow down to two proteins, one vegetarian option. It just depends on what they want to try. Most don’t select the bacon wrapped scallop because they know that they’re going to offer it that day. They don’t need to try it. They know it’s delicious. So instead, let’s try some things that they’re not sure about. This allows them to make an educated decision and not just stick with the safe order.
Some of our couples ask us what the best strategy would be, and that’s kind of what we lean towards.
We offer our couples like this wonderful private tasting experience. It’s not a group tasting. So going into what Emily’s been saying – we can really cater to their specific wants and the flavor profiles that they enjoy most. If we’re choosing the menu, sometimes we can miss the mark, because we are then kind of like choosing the menu for them to try, right? They could come in with a certain thing in their mind, and then it’s not available for them. And honestly, your catering bill or price tag or budget, whatever way you want to say, is one of your largest lines. It’s going to be a driving force in planning your wedding.
Oh absolutely. I don’t have a lot of memories of my wedding planning process. It all can eventually blur, but I remember my tasting. It’s a special moment. You’re sitting there and you’re stopping for a second with nothing else to do but taste and enjoy.
I find that for some of our couples, their tasting is a major checkpoint in the planning process where things become very real and solidified. We’re sitting down and discussing how things are really going to look on your wedding day.
Let’s get into like venue logistics now. So, talk to me about that broad topic. Where do you want to go with here? Because I have a bazillion questions for you.
I mean, I guess we can just start at the number of weddings and events that we have at Glen Manor is just astronomical for one venue. We have three to five weddings any given weekend in season. So, May to October, mid-November, we are just going, going, going. Top of our mind is the keeping the integrity of the venue alive. Think about five weddings in one weekend. That’s five load ins, five load outs, rentals, furniture, staff, vendors, so many people coming in and out for each wedding. Part of our logistics focus on keeping the longevity of Glen Manor House in mind.
We’re getting the ballroom floors restored and we’re so excited. But that being said, how many load ins and bands can it take? It’s important for us to keep the venue in good shape. Part of our process is educating our couples and showing them the offerings from Ryan Design or the other companies. We wind up working closely with them. We want their product to be in good shape and our venue, too.
I do think that it’s important to bring up exclusivity of venue vendors. So, for people who are listening to this, this is not done to make you only use X, Y and Z, but it’s also a relationship. There’s a logistical flow that’s happening. That’s why they give you specific vendors. Those companies understand the turnover and how to load in, how to load out – while respecting the space.
I always think it is such an opportunity that we get to work with these amazing vendors. We can customize just about anything with Ryan Design and we work with PEAK Event Services among others for other table scape enhancements. How grateful are we to be able to have these amazing partners? We are always open to working with new partners as well, which is a lot of fun.
The other thing is understanding your space. That’s probably another place where you guys come into play, because each venue is unique. Some venues really need some enhancement and some really don’t. I find that Glen is one of those venues where you don’t need it. Listen, if you don’t have the budget for a lot of décor, you don’t need it. It. The venue itself is beautiful, but it’s interesting because every single wedding I’ve ever shot there, it is always different.
All the arches are so beautiful, with the original lattice work and everything like that. And I think our venue – again, it’s over 100 years old, you know, it has this charm and these architectural details that so many of our couples love. I love when it comes to the design, that you can really lean into that. I’ve certainly seen some beautiful wedding celebrations where they actually incorporate more of like a minimalistic like modern twist, and to see that juxtaposition against the backdrop of the architecture of our venue.
So, what about floor plans? Do floor plans give you nightmares?
Not anymore, because really we’ve really explored all of the different options. We’ve learned some that maybe have not been the best choice, looking back, and we really have a good sense of where to put tables instead now. The logistics of what you’re serving also impacts the floor plan. Also, just the foot track traffic of your guests meandering through the space impacts it too, right? You want it to be comfortable for them to navigate, to get to their dining table that’s so beautifully displayed and then be mindful of our end of things when it comes to like service parameter and things like that.
Glen Manor is so different because we do have the three different dining spaces, right? So, we have your dining room, the library and the awning space. We must make sure that it all is cohesive in design, and we’re really making sure that every single room has the same element of service. I’m a sucker for the library. I love the library. So beautiful. Yeah, it’s kind of the smaller dining space, but it has my heart. It’s just gorgeous.
Glen Manor allows opportunities. There’s a lot of options that our couples can explore. Again, if you’re nearing the top end of our capacity, you might not get to do all of the things potentially in the space because it will be full. But, if you’re at more of a niche and smaller guest count, you have a lot of flexibility that you can explore.
Do we dare talk about the weather?
We have those floor plans in our proposal. We have a sun floor plan, and we have a rain or colder floor plan. Our team sets it, and we forget it. We don’t talk about it until that morning. For weddings, we ask for a good contact on the day of. They’re going to be the one making that final call with us.
We want to be outside for that ceremony, under that great light and the view, but in some instances, we just can’t. In New England, it’s more than just a rain plan. It’s a cold weather plan. It’s a wind plan. Those are things that your vendors need to work on logistically, and we’ll work with them on site on how we need to pivot as needed.
The day still happens. Your guests are still there. We still move forward however we have to do it. And we’ll have a story to tell.
So, on the day of – with execution, whether you do plan A, plan B or Plan C, there is obviously some stuff that our listeners, need to think about there. So, kind of give us some day of execution thought processes that they have to think about.
Yeah, think about your day. Our couples need to be wiping their hands of the planner and detail mindset the day of their wedding. They should rely on the bridal party, rely on the experts – on us.
While you’re getting ready that morning, hair and makeup and all those things, like, our chefs are at reviewing all the things, and making sure that they have everything that they need to get to Glen Manor, right? We are ensuring all the rentals arrive properly. We have the accurate quantities of everything. We’re there hours in advance, and within a three-hour time frame, typically, we are totally setting up this space for them so that their guests arrive to a beautiful setting. We are then guiding people through the timeline of the day.
It’s a fun parallel – us preparing behind the scenes as the bride prepares for her wedding day.
Yeah, just, I have a funny story, and I know Dan knows this story, but because every time I think about the back-end chefs and Russell Morin, this story comes to mind. When I got married, we had to go to plan B halfway through the day. I mean, it was a beautiful, sunny day, but then the weather came in at night. We were under the tent, but the bathrooms were obviously outside the tent. So, the chef is packing up since his part of the evening is done and I’ll never forget, I ran out to the bathroom, and I fall face first in the mud. There are pictures of my dress with this mud on it. But the chef sees it all, while he’s just trying to have a moment in the fresh air. And I look at the chef, and he just looked at me, and he was like, my part of the day is done, good luck. That’s for your day of coordinator.
The point is you’ve got to just live in the moment and leave it in the hands of the coordinators of the day of because anything can happen.
Absolutely. And kind of thinking back to the timing of everything. That’s a detail that we go into depth with our couples during the planning process, right? We learn about when the formalities are. Then we base the timing of your dinner on your guest count and menu. We become the timekeeper for the day at some point. But the timeline is a living breathing thing and very rarely are we going to exactly start something at 8:05 pm like we planned. We want to maximize your time on the dance floor. So, our team is constantly in communication with one another from the front of house and the back of house.
One of my favorite parts of day of too, is when we get to work with some amazing partners at these weddings, like yourself. But we’re also not the wedding planners. We are event producers, so we wind up working hand in hand a wedding planner if the couple elects to hire them as well – and that is just fantastic, because we can really rely on each other for expertise. That allows us to fully focus on the food and beverages and the timeline and chatting with our chefs. The wedding planner can really be focused on the bride and groom and the elements of the logistics of their day that they need.
Let’s pivot to talk more about venues. Tell me about some of the ones you work with and what that’s like.
Absolutely yeah, and we are so fortunate. We do prioritize partnerships with exclusive venues for weddings. We fill most of our calendar, our weekend calendar days, with events at exclusive venues. Mount Hope Farm will always have my heart. That was kind of my first place, and it is just phenomenal to see how they’ve transformed the space and yet kept the integrity of these venues. With the partnership of Russell Morin and how well we work with the venue’s leadership, it’s just really, great to see.
Even though we’re focused on Glen Manor House, Rusell Morin Catering has this portfolio of exclusive venues that you can consider for your wedding or event. It really allows clients to discover what’s right for them during that inquiry process. We’re always mindful and keen on growing our venue partnerships for the future, too.
We have Mount Hope Farm in Bristol, which has a beautiful coastal view and tent on the water, plus their rustic barn location. We also have the historic Providence Public Library in downtown, vastly different. Those have very different capacities and things that can occur. Similarly to how Linden Place and Glen Manor House or Shining Tides has their beachfront, there’s a wide array to choose from. I think that’s something our couples have really come to love about Russell Morin.
Yeah, it always blows my mind. All of these places are so incredibly different. And Dan will always put his sales hat on when talking about all the different venues, because he’s right, we have the options, and we have the knowledge behind each venue to really help educate our couples on what will be the best fit and execute their vision for the day.
Of course. Well, what about off-site, private home events?
That’s where my origin story stems from. I primarily focused in and around the Newport area. So, I was familiar with venues like the Eisenhower House, Fort Adams, and RoseCliff as well as the mansion.
But I also did a lot with private home celebrations in Middletown and little Compton. That really is another logistical aspect that is above and beyond an exclusive venue of ours. Again, our team has support with operations and logistics managers – and they’re doing site visits more than once. It’s not an area that’s intended to necessarily hold 250 people.
Well, before we get into our wrap up question, I want to put you guys on the spot. I’m just curious, like for our listeners, if there’s something that you’ve seen that was unique or want to see more of, or something that was super successful for a wedding day.
I guess, thinking with the caterer hat on, I think that we could potentially customize something special for your celebration. I’m thinking back to a wedding where the couple had lots of family from Italy that attended. But the groom had this idea of having prosciutto carved at a station and we were able to do that for them. Our chef de cuisine came on site, ensured that it was going to occur and happened seamlessly. That chef trained to make that a fantastic experience for the guests. It was just a wonderful thing that we could do for them, and it was just a beautiful display. And again, it’s kind of that experiential element when it comes to food. What is the guest experience? That’s always top of mind for us.
That’s probably why you do multiple site visits at a private property, because you wanted to kind of put yourself into the experience upon arrival – logistics and just how the flow is going to work.
Wrap-Up Question
What are some key tips or points that couples should be asking catering companies to make sure that they are inquiring with a perfect and professional company to make sure that their day is going to be perfect?
I think something to consider when choosing a caterer and potentially your venue is the experience they can offer you for the day. I think that’s something important that we can kind of share with them – kind of paint the picture from the get so they’re not coming into this contract agreement blind with what is going to potentially occur for them on the day.
It’s important that the day pairs well with the logistics of the venue.
Also, with a professional company – there’s the idea person, and then there’s the execution person. A good team will listen to a couple’s wants and start to figure out how they get there.
What We Discussed
Meet Emily and Dan (2:09)
Discussion on Menu Development and Logistics (5:14)
Seasonal Menu Items and Cocktails (9:17)
Tasting Experiences and Menu Selection (21:08)
Venue Logistics and Exclusivity (26:18)
Day of Execution and Timeline Management (36:10)
Private Residence and Off-Premise Events (42:24)
Wrap-Up Question (50:10)
Links Mentioned in the Episode
Find Russell Morin Catering at Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
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