Fall catering at the Event Center

Savor Your Big Day with the Best Food and Drinks

Our Minnesota farm wedding venue has partnered exclusively with several fantastic caterers at a variety of price points–all with delicious menu options featuring several cuisine types and entrée options, from casual to elevated. Plate counts are determined by each individual caterer, as our venue does not require a minimum. It’s your day, and we can’t wait to see what you plan with the help of our catering partners. Scroll to the bottom of this page for answers to frequently asked catering questions.

Bar service for a wedding party in the Barn

For bar service, we’ll handle that all in-house so you don’t have to worry about beverage minimums or added charges for bartenders. Cheers to your big day!

Preferred Caterers

Savor Your Special Event with Just the Right Menu
Recommended catering company Great Blue Heron Catering

Great Blue Heron Restaurant-Events-Catering

Our team of professional caterers and servers specialize in full-service. We pride ourselves on providing you with fun and delicious menu options and menus to match any budget and any style.
Paul Pundsack, Catering Manager | paul@blueheronsupperclub.com | 320-290-4698

Lakes Area Catering

Lakes Catering has been serving customers and events throughout Central Minnesota for more than 15 years. Not all caterers offer fresh food prepared from scratch, professional service, and stunning presentation, but Lakes Catering does! Our delicious, homemade meals please any palate.
Stacy Gerdes | sagerdes@hotmail.com | 320-815-0440

Cutting Edge Catering by Nelson Bros.

From the mouth watering appetizers to the scrumptious dessert, we keep you in mind with every aspect you require. Let us help you create an unforgettable celebration.
Dan Lunning, Catering & Events Manager | DanL@clearwatertravelplaza.com | 320-558-4273

Pioneer Grill by Knute Nelson

Whether your meeting or event is in the morning, afternoon, or evening, the Pioneer Grill by Knute Nelson has a full array of chef-inspired creations–ranging from boxed lunches to delicious gourmet dishes with flavorful wine pairings and beer–that will appeal to all.
MacKinney Toenyan | Mackinney.toenyan@knutenelson.org | 320-759-4608

Raaper’s Catering Company

Raaper’s Catering Company is your full-service catering company with a passion for perfection. From simple to elegant, we do it all. We have brought the best of catering to the Lakes Area since 2000.
Cammie Rassat | raapers@charter.net | 320-760-6619

Exclusive Bar Service

Cheers to Your Big Day at Crooked Willow!
Bartender pouring Champagne into multiple glasses on a tray

Crooked Willow Wedding & Event Venue  will handle all your bar service needs with no minimums or bar setup fees! We provide full bar service (bartenders, delivery, insurance, and alcohol) and customize your order based on your needs! We offer hosted (open bar), cash bar, or a combination of both. Contact us today with any questions or to request our bar menu and pricing by emailing us at info@crookedwillowmn.com or by submitting an inquiry online.

Frequently Asked Catering Questions

We Want to Make Menu Planning Easy
Eco-friendly plates and bowls

​Is there a food, beverage, or guest count minimum?

No. Many venues have minimums because they make a high commission from the caterer based on how much you spend on catering. We want our food and beverage options to be as elegant and affordable as your budget allows, therefore we don’t have food, beverage, or guest count minimums.

Is Crooked Willow an environmentally friendly venue?​

Yes! We partnered with Pope Douglas Solid Waste Management for better recycling practices, organic waste, and less garbage going to the landfill. We have bins in all of our buildings with signage. If disposable plates, bowls, containers, or utensils are used, they will need to be BPI certified compostable and can be thrown in our organic containers. We do not allow Styrofoam/plastic, cups, and utensils. If any of these items are brought in, you may be subject to disposal fees. More information is available on popedouglasrecycle.com. Let’s all work together to do our part!

Do we have to use your preferred caterers and in-house bar service?​

Our in-house bar service must be used because we carry the liquor license, liability insurance, and own the bar equipment in our event center. On the catering side, while we highly recommend the food caterers on our preferred catering list, we do allow outside (non-preferred) catering for a $750 site fee for non-wedding events and wedding receptions and/or a $250 site fee for rehearsal dinners (applicable to Friday weddings only). Outside catering (those not listed on our preferred catering list) will have to provide a copy of their current Minnesota catering license and insurance to Crooked Willow prior to the event. Outside caterers will also be required to follow Crooked Willow’s organic and recycling program (see popedouglasrecycle.com for more information). Quality food and a great experience are of utmost importance to our couples and their guests (and to us!). In our experience, some non-preferred caterers are amazing, and some fall short. If you use a non-preferred caterer, you may be sacrificing services such as an appropriate amount of staff, water carafes on each guest table, table settings, linens, dishware, and most of all, feeding your guests in a timely manner. We selected the caterers on our list because of their proven track record of great food, full-service catering, amazing staff, and their consistent ability to fit into a couple’s budget!

“From the bartenders, to Derek and Jody themselves, everyone was so easy to work with and were there to answer any questions we had.”

Lindsey D | WeddingWire

Awards and Associations
Winner 2022 Reader's Choice Best of the Lakes Area
Wedding Wire Award
The Knot Award