LA BOCCA FINA ALL THE WAY!!! I wish Yelp would let me give them 20 stars, because Teri and her staff are MORE THAN AMAZING!!! Do not hesitate for one moment to trust her with the most important day of your life. My wedding was September 5, 2010 at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga, and the food, wait staff, timing EVERYTHING was IMPECCABLE!!! I am likely one of the most exacting, detail oriented people on the planet, and TERI AND HER STAFF WERE WONDERFULLY FLAWLESS.  
I cannot thank Teri enough for making our day as fabulous as it was. She kept me stress free and smiling all day long, and was wonderfully thoughtful and warm throughout the entire process. Teri and La Bocca Fina are a class act, and we got a million compliments on the food and service. Bottom line, they made everything fun and stress free.  Love you, Teri!

XXoo

My wedding was this past weekend at Nestldown in Los Gatos. My now husband (!) and I honestly feel like it was the most wonderful day of our lives, and I know it wouldn't have been that way without Teri. During the wedding planning process, I met with many wedding planners. I kept thinking I couldn't plan the wedding I wanted without one. But each time I did, and when I explained that I was working with Teri, the planners always admitted that most of their work would just repeat what Teri already does.

And it's true! From the first time I contacted Teri, she kept me completely on schedule. In the kindest way, she would remind me of important deadlines and details, and help me in any way possible to keep up with the work that needed to be done. We had countless phone meetings--I have a busy schedule, and phone meetings were much more convenient for me--and Teri would take as much time as I wanted to go through every step (even those I had already asked her to cover in prior conversations!). She was unbelievably organized and so patient with me. For example, I wanted my entire family to be present for the tasting, and she literally re-worked her entire schedule to be able to accommodate us and then made the tasting such an enjoyable experience for my family. Teri and I must have exchanged a dozen e-mails to find a time that would work for all of us, and she didn't even miss a beat when I called the morning of the long-awaited tasting to change the time!

But I don't think it's possible to understand how wonderful Teri is until the day of your wedding. I kept asking her--how will I know when it's time to cut the cake? How will my sister know when she should give her toast? I'm a bit type A, so having all these unknowns on the day of the wedding felt very unnatural to me. And Teri just kept telling me--you just enjoy the day, and I'll let you know and your family know when anything needs to happen. But even when she would say that, I still didn't believe it could happen so smoothly!

Then the big day came, and Teri kept us exactly on schedule without even making us aware that there was a schedule. At one point I was worried we were behind, and I asked a friend what time it was and we were ahead of where we had planned to be--which is exactly what I wanted (more time for dancing)! She was there whenever I needed her, she made my family and my husband's family feel comfortable and relaxed, she made the guests feel taken care of--and all with the most friendly, upbeat and excited attitude. I don't know how to find words to describe how amazing she was (it's two days after my wedding, and the first thing I'm doing this morning is writing this!). So, so many guests came up to me to say how impressed they were with Teri. And on that day, it's the little things that matter and that you don't want to miss. My sister made our wedding cake and we of course wanted to thank her when we cut the cake... but we forgot! And then Teri slipped in--totally unnoticed by the guests--and just reminded us quickly and quietly. When my sister's face beamed as my husband described how much we loved the cake, I felt so thankful to Teri for making that moment happen.

I can't believe I've gotten this far without mentioning the food! It was absolutely delicious (and even though people say you don't eat at your wedding, my husband and I ate everything!). We served tri tip, salmon and a vegetarian options--and again, so many guests thanked us for the amazing food. Every single vegetarian (no exaggeration) told me that it was the best vegetarian food they had ever had at a wedding, and that it was the first time they felt the dish was actually prepared for them instead of just the sides from the meat/fish. The food was perfectly cooked, presented beautifully and tasted delicious. I really don't know what else you could ask for!

And finally, all Teri's servers were incredibly pleasant and professional. Every time I needed something, someone was there to bring me a glass of champagne or refill a guest's wine glass. The service could not have been better.

The wedding surpassed all my expectations and I am so indebted to Teri for making that possible. If anyone has any questions about working with her, please send me an e-mail! I would be happy to answer any and all questions.

And Teri, if you're reading this, thank you! All I can say is I wish I had another party to plan, because I know I'm going to miss talking to you.

Teri Menchini, the owner of La Bocca Fina, has a passion for great food and family celebrations, which meant she was the perfect match for me, my husband and my family. Funnily enough, I didn't even interview her before we booked her - my mom happened to meet her during a site visit at our venue, and immediately clicked with her personality. She is relentlessly cheerful and energetic, but also very practical and down to earth.

Teri was a godsend while I was in the midst of wedding planning. Because she has over 20 years experience as a caterer and running events, she is an expert in what works and what does not, and gave great advice on where to focus our energies (and budget). She not only helped us develop the perfect menu, but also assisted with creating a solid event timeline, decor details, solving table seating dilemmas -- and had tons of patience with me, my parents and our frequent indecision. During the final weeks before the wedding I spoke to her on the phone about once a week, and she took the time after a long day (often after 8pm, to accommodate my crazy work schedule) to go through the flow of the day and reconfirm details to make sure that nothing was overlooked.

On the day of our wedding, everything ran perfectly - the service was impeccable, and Teri and her staff worked seamlessly with our other vendors. Most importantly, the food on the day of the wedding was amazing and even more delicious than it had been at our tasting! My finicky foodie father was especially pleased with how everything turned out.

I'm looking forward to the day when I have the chance to work with La Bocca Fina again for an event!

I had to come back after the wedding and let you know - Teri and her staff went above and beyond for my wedding! The food, AMAZING! Her attention to detail, IMPECCABLE!

She even approached me during the reception to let me know that our guests had almost drank all the beer (already!) and she was sending her staff out to buy more. Lots of people would have just said "tough", but Teri thought ahead and took care of things without me having to worry about it.

And when there was a huge mishap with the cake arrival, she led the team in handling everything - and the guests were none the wiser.

In a nutshell, Teri is your best bet for any catering needs. Her portions are HUGE and everything tastes amazing. I'm just trying to think of another reason to hire her!