For any wedding, intimate or a grand one, booking a caterer and then planning for a menu is always a tedious task. Often, the most difficult part is to select a few from a list of literally hundreds of dishes! For example, when it comes to starters, the best caterers have more than 50 options to choose from, and you might just want to pick something between five to ten. Such situations can create panic in the already stressful and busy wedding planning routine, and can even make you take decisions that you might regret later.
Well, to avoid this from happening, we have for you, 10 easy tips that will definitely help you to plan your wedding menu efficiently and easily.
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Yes, this is where you should start. Decide whether you are open to having non-vegetarian food in the menu, and choose the cuisine accordingly- Chinese, Italian, North Indian, South Indian- the options are endless. Once this has been finalised, you can choose a particular catering agency that specialises in that particular cuisine.
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Next, and perhaps equally important, is your budget. You must have a clear idea of how much you are willing to spend on food for your guests.
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The season will determine the kind of dishes you might include in the menu. Like for salads and desserts, do check what fruits and vegetables are available. Also, if it is a summer wedding, try and arrange for fruit salads and mocktails for your guests. If it is a winter wedding or monsoon wedding, have a lot of warm fluids like soups, hot milk and hot desserts for your guests. Avoid warm, milk-based desserts during the hot season, as they can get spoilt.
Have your guest list ready before you place any orders. You know that you will have to accommodate all guests within your set budget. The number of guests will determine the number of dishes and thus your budget too, or vice versa.
And, in case you find it to be quite too long, then here are 5 Smart Tricks To Trim Down Your Wedding Guest List
Yes, it is extremely important to consider what tastes your expected guests have. Have some popular regional dishes based on what your guests might like to eat. To ensure that your decision is good enough, ask for samples to taste.
Remember that your starters will make the first impression on the guests. So, make sure you choose wisely. Unless you can afford to, have only a few types of starters. Also, make sure that starters are the ones that almost everyone enjoys eating and are light on the stomach as well. You would certainly want your guests to also enjoy the main course and dessert later.
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More people have become health conscious these days, and salads form an important part of everyone’s diet. Have at least two to three types of salads in the menu. You can also include Italian food like pasta or macaroni in salads, and add more variety to the overall spread.
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This is the most critical part of the entire menu that will be laid out on the wedding day. Have variety here in terms of the types and the number of dishes. Have some of the most popular dishes of your region laid out along with others.
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Indian breads go way beyond plain chapatis! There is a variety of rotis, naans, parathas, etc. available. Make sure you know them all well, and decide what all you want to serve at the wedding. This will largely depend on the gravies and the main course dishes you have selected.
Now that you know all about how to plan a perfect wedding menu, let also give you 10 Hottest Cuisine Trends You Must Know This Wedding Season
This is one of the most looked-forward parts of every Indian wedding. These days, cakes are becoming quite popular in Indian weddings. So, you can add an Indian-style wedding cake to your menu without any hesitation. And, be it a summer, winter or a monsoon wedding, ice creams are a must-have these days. So, make sure to have at least the basic flavours included. Also, do not forget to include at least one to two traditional Indian mithais.
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Has planning for the wedding menu become any easier? Let us know if you have any more points that might make it even better. We would love to feature them too!