There are tons of reasons why you might have a special party or event. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, showers, reunions, holidays - and the list goes on and on. However, if you want your party to be a big success you need some great catering ideas that will make it stand out.

Here is some catering ideas for different types of parties:

Baby Shower

Catering baby shower can really be fun and you can find a huge amount of decorations, games and centerpieces in your local stores. Baby showers are great places for finger foods like tiny sandwiches, potato skins, pizza bagels, fruit kabobs, stuffed mushrooms, veggies and dip and, of course chips. One fun thing you can do at a baby shower is try to find some baby related games like a game to guess the sex or come up with names for the baby. Wedding Shower

Weddings are another fun reason to have a shower and here you probably want to decorate in whites and pastels or colors that match the bridesmaids dresses. Traditionally, wedding showers consisted of all-female guests but these days more and more men are being invited. Like with any event, food is central to the wedding shower and in order to have a shower that people will be talking about for years to come you want to present some interesting and upscale foods. Try cutting vegetables and fruits into interesting shapes and presenting them in crystal trays. Watercress sandwhiches always add elegance and if you buy some gourmet desserts this will be sure to thrill all your guests.

Graduation

Graduations usually happen in the warm weather so one of our favorite catering ideas for graduations is to have it outside. Everyone loves a barbecue and if the weather's nice to be room for everyone to spread out. If you do have an outside party, be sure you have some sort of a tent or covering or you can at least fit all the people inside in case it rains. A banquet table with hot entrées like beans or ribs will be much appreciated and add diversity to the food offerings.

Promotion - Retirement

When you want to congratulate someone on a job well done, you want to go all out and offer a great menu of food. Promotion and retirement parties are usually catered and offer dinners of roast beef, turkey or ham along with potatoes or rice and a few selections of vegetables and some desserts. A lot of times people like to have a drink or two to toast the honored guest so be sure to include a bar or beer and wine.

Whether you cater the event yourself or hire a catering service, these catering ideas will lend a little bit of uniqueness to your event. Remember, a fun party isn’t just about the food it's about the decorations and the ambience that you create too!