An Effortless Backyard Wedding in Monte Sereno
An intimate 50-guest wedding in a private backyard, with steak and salmon grilled on site, a relaxed self-served buffet, and a full bar, so an out-of-state couple could simply enjoy their own celebration.
Request a Wedding Quote Wedding CateringLicensed & Insured · HACCP Certified · Health Permit #PT0488026 · Serving the Bay Area since 2012
A Wedding That Felt Like Home.
The couple lived out of state, but they chose to marry close to family, in a private Monte Sereno backyard, in late May 2026. It was a homecoming of sorts: the bride is the sister of a bride Handheld had catered for a few years earlier, and the family came back wanting the same thing that made the first wedding work. They wanted the day to feel warm and personal, not staged.
The vision was a relaxed, open-seating reception for fifty: a generous self-served buffet, a full bar with proper cocktails, and food that tasted freshly cooked rather than held under a lamp. The catch with a private home is that everything, the kitchen, the bar, the contingency plan, has to be brought in and run seamlessly in someone's backyard. Event Planner An B. led the planning from the first site visit through the final pour.
Restaurant-Fresh Food, in a Backyard, on a Wedding Timeline.
A backyard wedding looks effortless only when the planning is anything but. Three things shaped how Handheld approached this celebration.
How the Handheld Team Pulled It Off
An B. built the plan around the couple's a la carte menu choices and the realities of a private residence, then the on-site team brought it to life.
A Full Kitchen, Brought to the Backyard
Handheld set up a commercial oven on the premises so the certified Angus flank steak and the pistachio crusted salmon were grilled to temperature on the day. The chef finished the haricot verts right before they hit the buffet, so the green beans kept their color and crispness instead of dulling under heat lamps.
During the site visit the team also staged a backup tent in case the late-spring weather turned. It stayed folded, but it meant the couple never had to wonder what would happen if it rained.
A Relaxed Buffet and a Proper Bar
The planner recommended the right food quantities for a self-served buffet, which paired perfectly with the casual open-seating floor plan and the easy backyard feel. Guests moved at their own pace, and the whole evening stayed relaxed.
The couple supplied the alcohol; Handheld did everything else, from large-format ice for Old Fashioneds and specialty cocktails to glassware, bartender service, wine poured at the dining tables, and steady hydration through a warm late-spring afternoon.
Fresh, Seasonal, and Built for a Buffet
An a la carte selection let the couple build the exact menu they wanted: a round of passed appetizers to open, then a self-served buffet of grilled proteins, seasonal sides, and a sweet finish.
Set Up Early, Out of the Way, Ready for Anything.
The team followed a planner's golden rule for weddings: arrive hours before the ceremony, while there is still room to load in and move freely, so the catering is fully set before guests appear and there is time to troubleshoot any last-minute surprise. By the time the ceremony began, the kitchen, the buffet, and the bar were ready and invisible.
A private residence offered one more quiet advantage: no rush to strike. Most venues require every rental and piece of equipment to be cleared the same night so the space can turn over for the next event. Here, the team could break down calmly, which kept the end of the night as relaxed as the beginning. (Common backyard hurdles, parking, evening lighting, extra furniture or restrooms, can be covered by Handheld's vendor partners when a site needs them; this one did not.)
"It was amazing! The appetizers were fabulous, and the staff were so good."The Bride
A Relaxed Celebration, Start to Finish.
The reception had exactly the ambiance the couple wanted: open seating, an unhurried buffet, and the easy warmth of a backyard among family. The on-site grilling kept the steak and salmon at their best, the bar kept glasses full through a warm afternoon, and the family got to be guests at their own wedding instead of managers of it. The bride's first note afterward was simply that it was amazing and the staff were wonderful.
It is the kind of event Handheld is built for: bringing a full kitchen, a real bar, and careful planning into a private home so a once-in-a-lifetime day runs effortlessly. See our full credentials, HACCP certified and Hartford insured, explore our wedding catering, or read about our New York Times feature for more on the Handheld story.
Who Made It Happen
Every Handheld wedding is led by dedicated people. Here is the team that brought this Monte Sereno backyard celebration to life.
From the Backyard
Photography by Ken Hamel Photo.
What a Wedding Like This Costs
Wedding catering scales to your guest count, menu, and level of service. Here is a starting-point range, per person, for the ways we serve private-residence weddings.
Starting ranges for food only, before taxes and fees. On-site cooking, bar service, and rentals are full-service add-ons. Every wedding is custom quoted.
Plan Your Wedding with Handheld
From an intimate backyard reception to a seated dinner for hundreds, we bring the kitchen, the bar, and the planning to your venue, so you can enjoy the day you have been waiting for.
Handheld Catering and Events
Santa Clara: 1725 De La Cruz Blvd Suite 1, Santa Clara, CA 95050 · (408) 692-4782
San Jose: 99 S. Almaden Blvd. #659, San Jose, CA 95113 · (408) 465-0466
Handheld Catering and Events is a local Bay Area Catering company that uses fresh locally grown produce and meat whenever possible for all their events. Servicing the Bay Area; Handheld Catering and Events can cater your next event in style.
Contact
- Handheld Catering and Events
- info@handheldcatering.com
- Santa Clara
- 1725 De La Cruz Blvd #1 Santa Clara CA 95050
- (408) 692-4782
- San Jose
- 99 S. Almaden Blvd. #659 San Jose, CA 95113
- (408) 465-0466
Licensed & Insured • Food Safety HACCP Certified • Health Permit #PT0488026 • CA Green Business Certified • SV Chamber of Commerce Member
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