Wedding menu planning

Guests forgive a plain stage and a late baraat. They do not forgive cold food or a dinner that ran out. The menu is also one of the largest heads of the budget, and the easiest one to overspend on without making anyone happier. This guide is about getting the food right: enough, hot, on time, and not thirty dishes that nobody can taste.

Begin with the count, not the dishes

Caterers charge by the plate, so the most important number in the conversation is how many plates. Get it from the guest list, function by function.

Count people, not families or cards.
Not everyone invited comes. The share depends on the season, the day of the week and how far guests must travel, so take replies seriously and ask families you are unsure about.
Count the people who are not guests but must eat: the band, the photographers, drivers, decorators' staff, the priest and his helpers. Ask the caterer how they bill for these.
Ask the caterer what happens if more people come than the number agreed, and if fewer come. Get the answer in writing.

Building a balanced menu

A menu is balanced when every guest can make a full, pleasant plate, and no counter is there only to impress. A structure that suits most North Indian wedding dinners:

Welcome drinks: two or three, one of them not sweet.
Starters and chaat: four to six in all, a mix of fried, grilled and fresh.
Main course: one dal, one paneer dish, two vegetable dishes (one dry, one with gravy), one seasonal special, rice or pulao, two kinds of bread, raita and salad. Add non-vegetarian dishes if your families serve them.
Dessert: one hot, one cold, and one that elders recognise.

Regional weddings have their own complete structures, such as a meal on a banana leaf, a Bengali dinner in courses or a Gujarati thali. Follow the tradition and the caterer who specialises in it.

More dishes do not make a better dinner

Each extra dish adds cost, queueing and waste, and guests can only eat one plateful. When in doubt, cut the count and raise the quality: fewer dishes, each one excellent, replenished hot.

Think about who is eating

Elders: something soft, mild and familiar. A simple dal, a light sabzi, phulka, khichdi or curd rice.
Children: one or two plain things they will actually eat.
Vegetarian and non-vegetarian: separate counters, clearly labelled, with separate serving spoons. Many families keep the kitchens apart as well.
Jain, no onion and garlic, or fasting food: ask elders on both sides whether anyone needs it, and tell the caterer the number.
Allergies and medical diets: a few sugar-free or less oily options, and labels on dishes that contain nuts.
The season: light, cool dishes and plenty of water in summer. Soups, hot desserts and tea or coffee in winter.

The tasting

Ask for a tasting before you confirm the menu, and go as a small group: the couple or parents from each side, and one person who cooks well.

Taste the everyday dishes, the dal, the paneer and the breads, not only the showpieces. Everyone eats those.
Ask whether the same cooks will be at your function.
Note what you change, such as less chilli or less oil, and have it written on the order.
Look at the serving dishes, plates and uniforms while you are there.

Service and timing

Buffet or seated: a buffet suits large numbers. Seated or leaf service suits traditions that expect it and smaller gatherings. Many weddings seat the elders and run a buffet for the rest.
Enough counters: long queues spoil a good dinner. Ask the caterer how many serving points they will set up for your number, and duplicate the popular counters.
When food opens: fix the time for starters and for the main course, and tell the caterer the real programme. If the baraat is expected at 8 pm, the starters should be circulating before then for guests who came on time.
Hot food hot: ask how dishes are kept hot on the counter and how often they are replenished from the kitchen.
The family eats too: name one person to make sure that the couple, the parents and the priest are served. They are the ones who most often go hungry.

Water, tea and the small things

Drinking water should be easy to find from the moment guests arrive, with someone refilling it. Tea and coffee matter more than any dessert at a winter wedding or a morning function. Ask about paan, mouth freshener and hand-wash points too.

Food safety

Large quantities, long hours and warm weather are a risky mix. Ask the caterer where the food is cooked, how it is carried and how long before serving it is made. Cream, paneer, cut fruit, chutneys and non-vegetarian dishes need the most care. The general rules for keeping food safe are on our sister site, Kitchen.

Reducing waste

Order for the number you expect, not for the number you fear.
Fewer dishes mean fuller plates of what people like and less left in the serving dishes.
Ask for smaller plates and for staff to serve at the counters. People take less when they are served.
Decide beforehand what will happen to untouched food: packed for outstation guests and staff, or collected by a local food donation group. Call such a group before the day, because they need notice and transport.

Put it in writing

The order should list every dish, the number of plates, the service times, the number of staff, what is included (crockery, water, tea, counters, decoration of the dining area) and what is extra. The full list of questions for a caterer is on the vendor questions page, and the cost goes into the budget planner.

Questions people ask

How many dishes should a wedding menu have?

Enough for every guest to make a full plate: a few starters, one dal, a paneer or main dish, two vegetables, rice, breads, raita and two or three desserts. Quality and hot service matter more than the count.

How do I decide the number of plates?

Count people function by function from the guest list, follow up on replies, add staff who must be fed, and ask the caterer in writing how extra or fewer guests are billed.

What should we do with leftover wedding food?

Plan it beforehand: pack untouched food for guests and staff, or arrange in advance with a local food donation group, which will need notice.