Testimonials from our Clients
Wedding, 03/12/22
Mandana Y. said...
More than a Caterer!
Is it weird to miss your caterer after your wedding?
Ruth and Teatime Catering was a preferred vendor for our venue, St Francis Hall. Back in Fall 2019, when I first planned our March 2022 (COVID made us move it many times), I remember choosing Ruth because she knew our venue so well. I had a vision to not have a seated dinner and instead have open food stations, and make it sort of an all-night party. She was the ONLY caterer to push back on some of my ideas and tell me the truth about how it could work. Other companies were saying yes to everything I asked, and never even suggested anything to help us save $$. Hiring Teatime was a no-brainer in that respect. She wanted the wedding to be what I wanted, but she also wanted to make sure it was a reasonable day of work for her (AWESOME) team and that it would be an enjoyable experience for our guests. But then BOOM, pandemic hit. Ruth was patient with me each time I made the tough decision to move our wedding date. Countless scheduling emails back and forth and suddenly we were two months out and I was sitting across from her and my planner at our venue walk through. In that meeting she remembered EVERYTHING I asked for back in Fall 2019! She remembered the cake I picked, even though I hadn’t! (Ruth gifts a cake to all her wedding couples, quite literally the most thoughtful thing to give a couple!) Your caterer really runs the whole show at your wedding, their staff does all the work turning basically an empty room into a wedding venue. I can’t tell you how at ease Ruth put me, I knew she knew what she was doing and that she would bring it all together. So then our wedding day comes… and in the morning, there is an unexpected snowstorm. I had a moment of panic, but then I remembered I have Ruth, and just knew her team would pull through. Yes, they drove through a SNOWSTORM and showed up with SMILES ready to rock it. I remember right before the ceremony seeing Ruth on the side and we both looked at each other like ‘are you kidding us! A snowstorm too! but we’re here!!!’ – felt like a communal moment of victory. Later that night I saw her and hugged her (there is a blurry photo of the moment) and felt like because of her I got to have the wedding I wanted. Like I said, is it weird to miss your caterer?? Yes, the bartenders were amazing, drinks were flowing, food was DELICOUS, but nothing compares to the dedication Ruth brought to this entire, almost three-year process. I am forever grateful to her and her team. Best caterer a bride could ask for!
Wedding, 04/02/2022
Heather G said...
Hands down, the Best Caterer in town!
Wedding, 10/01/2022
Lou said...
Wonderful experience with Catering By Teatime
Our daughter got married on October 1, and we used Catering By Teatime. We were extremely pleased with all aspects of the service we received, from our initial contact through to the wedding itself. Ruth was very helpful. She gave us some excellent advise (e.g., not to pour champagne for everyone in attendance for the toast as folks will toast with the drink already in their hands), provided a nice list of food options for our buffet, responded very quickly to any/all questions that we had, and did a great job setting up and breaking down our buffet. Our venue looked very pretty thanks to Ruth and her staff. We thought the food and service were excellent and received many compliments about both. We also appreciated that Ruth arranged for the cake, too - one less vendor for us to hire - and the cake was delicious and beautiful. We really couldn’t have asked for more. A hurricane in Florida gave us a real scare (our daughter and her fiancé were coming from Florida to Virginia for the wedding) and Ruth helped me keep my composure when panic started to set in. Fortunately, we didn’t have to cancel, but it was so nice to have a “pro” in our corner. We have no reservations about recommending Catering By Teatime and would welcome the opportunity to work with Ruth and her people again.
Wedding, 10/10/22
Raeana E. said...
Catering by Teatime is the BEST!!
Wedding,07/10/21
Katherine O. said...
Fantastic Caterer
Wedding, 12/18/21
Elizabeth K. said...
Wedding of our dreams with food to remember!
The staff were incredibly professional and pleasant and my guests even had a great time with them! The bartender was so fun and rocked out to the music with my brother at one point (still at her station). There wasn't a single person who didn't have a drink when they wanted one or left hungry. But the greatest part of this company is Ruth herself, who could not have been kinder, more accommodating, and just all around wonderful. It was so difficult to do absolutely everything during COVID but the catering was literally the easiest part of planning my wedding thanks to her. I didn't have to worry about a thing. My friends and family complimented the food for months after and still mention it to this day. I would hire Teatime a thousand times over!
Wedding, 09/26/20
Amanda said...
Ruth was a godsend
Wedding, 09/26/20
Katie W. said...
Covid Safe while hitting all the marks on target
Ruth did not have an easy task with us. Our first venue fell through 6 weeks before the wedding. Ruth worked with us & was able to pivot without hesitancy when a new venue was secured. Then the gathering rules changed & she was able to accommodate our request adding a second meal on the same day to split the group & meet the requirements which helped us negate the issue of uninviting guests. (2 groups of apps, meals, cakes, clean up & hours for bartender/staff services) She stressed safe practices while maintaining a classy setup. Her staff were equally professional, courteous & responsive. Oh, & the food was really good. Sometimes when hearing names of food-recipes it's hard to differentiate what's new to get excited about. Just trust me she's got her recipes down! Her experience with timing & preparation shows in that nothing was over or underdone, tired looking nor lacking in quality. Lastly presentation is a biggie for memorable meals & she hit the target here too. No worries with Teatime; you have enough to decide & line up so leave it to Ruth to take care of your wedding delicacies.
Wedding, 12/07/19
Maura said...
Highly Recommend Teatime Catering!
Wedding, 09/14/19
Grace said...
Perfect Caterer
Wedding, 08/11/19
Annie said...
A great partner in making our big day special
Now, let's talk about the cake --- we aren't really wedding people, so we didn't do food or cake tastings --- oops! The cake was delicious-- two layers of lemon with fresh raspberries and a layer of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Ruth decorated it beautifully using a lovely assortment of our fresh flowers and our personalized cake topper. If we could go back and do the day again, the only thing I would have changed was to have snagged a slice of carrot cake for my groom and a mini-chicken and waffle for myself --- we were too busy during the excitement to grab any for ourselves, but we heard RAVE reviews from our guests. Overall, Ruth was the caterer with the most straight quote system, incorporating every expense up-front, no hidden costs, and very willing to make changes to accommodate what we wanted. Working with her meant we were able to have that DC-metro area wedding without the DC-area price. Thanks, Ruth and team!
Wedding, 06/15/19
Megan said...
The Caterer of Our Dreams!
Wedding, 09/22/18
Kate said...
Highlight of our Wedding Vendors
Wedding, 08/19/18
Gina said...
The food was delicious, Ruth and her team were excellent, and the pricing was very reasonable. Couldn't ask for anything more!
Working with Ruth was so easy. You can pick dishes from her menus or suggest your own. We did a mix of both, asking Ruth if she would do pulled pork BBQ and a black bean avocado salad recipe I would provide. She was game for both and they turned out great. The cake was DELICIOUS. Neither my husband and I are super into standard wedding cake. When she showed us a picture of a chocolate ganache cake she'd done for another wedding, we were sold. It was beautiful and guests were raving about it. We asked for chocolate cream cheese frosting between layers and it was so yummy! Ruth also didn't bat an eye at my request to place "cake pulls" in the side of the cake so that I could carry out the New Orleans tradition I grew up with at weddings. Finally, her services and pricing are fantastic. Seriously, everyone should compare her prices with the competitors - there is no contest. Ruth wins hands down. And you aren't skimping on quality and service either. Speaking of, having never hired a caterer before, I truly appreciated Ruth's honest and practical advice about what types of dishes to serve given our wedding style, and ways we could stay within our budget while still hosting a quality event for our guests. Thank you Ruth & team!
Wedding, 05/23/18
Mark said...
There are not enough positive things to say about TeaTime, but I will try.
1) Ruth is fantastic and a total professional. She understands that the bride and groom will get stressed during the process and she does her best to ease any worries and help you realize that everything you feel is normal. I believe the longest we waited on a response from any email was maybe 24 hours, which is awesome. As the day grew closer and there were more logistics to be worked out, she was readily available. Couldn't have been better. 2) The staff. For our wedding, I believe there were 8-9 staff members that worked the wedding. They were all smiling and very polite. Before the ceremony, we had the chance to speak with a number of them and they were all fantastic. (I worked in a banquet hall for a while, so I know that this isn't always the case) 3) The food. The food was great. TeaTime will work with you to create the menu that works best for you. Do you need stuff for vegetarians? They have it. Picky eaters? They have it. Just about anything you can think of, they can handle it. 4) Value and piece of mind: There are some larger catering companies that we talked with where it did not feel as if we were a priority. One of the many reasons we went with TeaTime was that we felt like our big day was important to Ruth as well. Any time we had questions, no matter how big or small they were, they were treated as if it was the most important question. We were very lucky to have TeaTime as our vendor. Having Ruth run point meant that there was one less thing for us to worry about. At a time when it feels like there are 7,000 moving parts, they do a great job of making it as stress free as possible on you.
Wedding, 6/3/2017
Matt said...
“You can let go of everything reception-wise. If you forget something, we will figure it out. Now go be a groom!" This was the last text message from Ruth at Teatime the morning of our wedding. I was stressed about all of the details coming together and Ruth saved my sanity allowing us to get married knowing that she and her outstanding staff would make sure that it was a beautiful and well-choreographed reception. Ruth gave me the best gift of all - a clear head to embrace the day that had been in the planning for 18 months. I cannot emphasize the importance of having vendors who have your back so that you can focus on the important stuff! Ruth talked us through how everything would go, and guess what? It happened exactly like she said it would!
In full disclosure, I have known Ruth for more than 10 years and have loved SO many of her recipes and new creations. The food for our wedding was phenomenal - a wide variety of foods for the many different types of eaters (vegetarians, vegans, gluten-free, etc). The silver-dollar crabcakes flew off the platters, so we were glad to be the grooms to ensure we got to try them! We knew our guests loved the food, too, when the table conversations got quiet! Our wedding cake was amazing! It wasn't just tasty, it was a work of art.
LGBT friendly? More like LGBT LOVING. There's a big difference between being friendly because someone wants your business, and the loving support provided by Ruth and the Teatime Delicacies team. I wish there was a category of stars for that! We love Ruth and are so glad she was free to cater our wedding. Teatime Delicacies has our full confidence and we highly recommend Ruth and her dedicated staff to anyone needing catering services. We can't wait for the next party that we get to plan with her!
Wedding, 10/17/2014
“Ruth and her team did a fantastic job catering our wedding at Top of the Town! We had fun working with Ruth leading up to our big day. We met with her in person a few times in the months prior, to go over any details we had and she was very quick to answer emails as well. As far as the menu - Ruth created a passed appetizer for us, to honor one of my (new!) husband's favorite meals: chicken & waffles! It was such a cute presentation AND delicious. As a matter of fact, ALL the food tasted great on such a beautiful buffet. Many friends warned us after their own weddings that we'd end up being so busy we wouldn't get a chance to taste our own food. But not with Ruth's staff! They ALL sought us out when we walked in to make sure we and our bridal party got to have as many appetizers as we wanted. The bartenders did a fantastic job as well, making great drinks and keeping up with our signature cocktail (a recipe I asked Ruth's staff to make, and they did very well). To top it all off, Ruth gave us options to keep us in the budget we requested. I cannot sing Teatime Delicacies's praises enough. Everything from the planning, set-up, decor, food, drinks and clean-up were executed perfectly. We were so happy to have them to cater our special day!!”
Wedding, 07/25/2014
“From our first meeting with Ruth to the main event, we felt confident that everything would be wonderful - and it was! Our guests raved about the buffet, the cake (SO DELICIOUS!), and most of all, Teatime's staff. Ruth has a lovely team working for her! A last minute street concert near our venue resulted in fairly significant logistical challenges, particularly with regard to parking. Ruth assured us she would roll with the flow and that her staff would arrive timely - she really put our minds at ease. Ruth is a pro with loads of experience. If you are a bride who wants the best and doesn't want to get into the weeds of planning every last detail, choose Teatime because Ruth can deliver a top notch event without much input. Her prices truly cannot be beat particularly given the quality of her food, cakes, and staff. Ruth and Teatime Delicacies made us feel so very special and contributed in a big way to the best day of our lives. We recommend them without reservation or hesitation - Teatime Delicacies is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! ”
Wedding, Sarah and Marvin, 7/25/2014
“When we first reached out to Ruth (Owner) to inquire about a price quote we expressed that we had a limited budget, and needed recommendations on ways to keep our catering prices low for a wedding size of around 70 people. Ruth was extremely helpful in ideas to make our wedding reception an affordable one. We ended up doing a buffet dinner, picked dinner items that kept food costs to $25 per person, used plastic vs. glass cups for the bar, bought colorful ribbon to tie around napkins vs. renting expensive colored tablecloths, only provided beer & wine, and of course the bonus of having our wedding cake included at no additional cost. Ruth is really the key to this company being such a success. We ended up meeting with Ruth on three occasions which all took place in her home. I think I may have emailed Ruth every-other week with additional questions or random advice on various details for the wedding. Each time she would normally get back to me within a couple hours! She even put us in contact with a local Cake Shop Owner who made us custom chocolate flowers which were incorporated into Ruth's BEAUTIFUL & delicious cake. As for the day of the Wedding Reception everything went off without a hitch. Ruth knows how to maintain an awesome staff; even though she wasn't there everything ran smoothly. Just as she promised she had her Manager come and find the Bridal Party as soon as we got in the door with a tray of tasty Hors d'oeuvres just for us! Although my husband and I tried our best to make ourselves eat dinner at the reception, we failed to get to our plates before the meat had been out too long. But no reason for disappointment because Ruth's staff thought ahead and had some leftovers stored in the fridge that they packed up for us. If you're currently researching caterers you need to get in contact with Ruth. This company has amazing service with a GREAT PRICE for the DC area. All of our guests, and my husband and I highly recommend Teatime Delicacies for your wedding! ”
Wedding, 06/28/2014
“I'm so lucky that a caterer we contacted first wasn't available and put Ruth in touch with me! Her knowledge and years of experience helped us create the perfect menu for our wedding. She did a site visit with us to our venue and was able to map out our entire evening in minutes. We told her how much we loved baked brie so she created a new appetizer just for us, if you use her make sure you request the brie and raspberry in phyllo cups! She made sure we were able to enjoy some of the appetizers from our cocktail hour, even though we were taking pictures by sending one of her staff out to us with platters. We were so excited, because we would have missed it otherwise. She did an amazing job with our wedding cake as well. The week before our wedding she reached out to me several times to make sure she had all of our details correct and there wasn't a thing out of place on our wedding day. Our only regret is that we were not able to enjoy more of the food we planned, it is true that you don't get to eat at your own wedding. However, all of guests who got to enjoy the menu we planned raved about the food and service. Maybe we can convince Ruth to recreate our menu for us sometime:) Thank you for everything Ruth!”
Wedding, 05/25/2014
“Hands down THE BEST caterer in Northern Virginia!! Ruth and her team catered my sister's wedding 2 years ago and they were so amazing (food, baked goods, service) that all of her guests were talking about them. Needless to say, when I got engaged Ruth was the first person I called to reserve her for my big day! She is AWESOME! She will work with you, and has the best ideas for your wedding theme. She is patient, professional and loves what she does! Her staff is also incredible. Very friendly, works hard and professional. My guests loved the food and service! Not to mention the GORGEOUS wedding cake Ruth made. Everything was just perfect and smooth thanks to Teatime. ”
Wedding, Goose Creek Pavilion, 3/16/13
Michelle and Jordon
“We are so blessed to stumble upon Teatime Delicacies and Ruth after some serious searching for the right caterer for our wedding reception. Ruth is meticulous, has wonderful communication skills and produced an amazing dinner for our guests. She also designed our wedding cake from a photo I gave her and it was stunning.”
Wedding, Private Art Gallery in Washington DC, 12/22/2012
Robert and Deanna
“From the very first conversation Ruth lets you know she is there for you and wants you to have the very best event possible. Not the biggest, not the flashiest – the Best. It takes a true professional to know the difference. Ruth in every word is the professional caterer.
My wife and I are both artists and even though much of it was DIY, we had a very challenging little reception in a small DC art gallery, dietary restrictions, limited budget. Ruth looked at every aspect of the event and made sure it was covered and we were comfortable.
And the CAKE? Best. Ever.
In short: She treats you like family and works with you, your budget and your venue. Call her first.”
Weddding, Briar Patch Bed and Breakfast, 11/10/12
Adri and Will
“Stop!!! Don’t look anywhere else!! BEST caterer in the area!!
We did a lot of research (like you are doing now) and narrowed down our list for the taste testing. Teatime was our first tasting and we walked out with our decision made. What made Teatime even better was Ruth, who is creative, hard working and provides you with an amazing staff. We could not have asked for a better caterer. Teatime is flexible, affordable, and most important her food is delicious :)”
Wedding, Rose Hill Manor, 10/5/2012
Jill and Dan
“I was referred to Ruth of Teatime Delicacies through a friend’s wedding that Ruth catered and I cannot express how happy we were with her services. We got to include a welcome drink, apple wedges with caramel sauce without going over our budget. Ruth definitely went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly and was perfect. Our wedding cake, included in her package, was delicious, savory and gorgeous!”
Wedding, George Washington Masonic Temple, 5/12/2012
Tera and Ryan
“When planning our wedding reception, there must be three things to be a success: an open bar, a great DJ, and fantastic food. That seemed easy enough to coordinate at first, but when I started researching catering online I became extremely frustrated after the lack of information I would receive after filling out the “Contact Us” form on so many websites asking for more information. After weeks of searching, when I contacted Ruth, filled out her “Contact Us” form, I heard a reply in less than an hour thanking me for my interest, and when would be a good time to set up a meeting to discuss things further.
When I gave her our bottom line on budget, she never pressured us to spend more or hide costs. Instead she worked with us to get the most out of our budget without skimping on the food and still providing our guests with a memorable and unique meal. On food alone, Ruth hits it out of the park, but it gets even better. The day of the event was flawless thanks to her staff who set up the reception. Her staff is simply amazing.
For anyone planning a “Big City Event” but looking to get some “Hometown” service…book Teatime…you won’t be disappointed!”
Wedding, First Baptist Church Alexandria, 3/31/12
Robin and Chad
“Choosing Teatime to cater our wedding was one of the best decisions we ever made! In a nutshell, the food was excellent, the service was outstanding, and my wedding day was exactly what I dreamed of thanks to Teatime. I have already referred Teatime to four other brides!”
40th Wedding Anniversary at their home, 4/27/13
Angela and Parents
“Absolutely fantastic service, food, guidance and menu selection and more! I was so pleased that Ruth was available to cater my parent’s 40th wedding anniversary party. I first experienced Ruth’s catering five years ago at a friend’s wedding and so pleased to find her once again!”