Food is one of the most anticipated, expected, and fun parts of an Indian wedding. What makes it fun is making it unique, doing something different, and providing fun food (even if it’s all Indian food). Modern Indian wedding food ideas are hard to come by these days. It can be done – but you have to be creative!
SWITCH IT UP
Yes, you’re having an Indian wedding. That doesn’t mean you have to have Indian food for every single meal. Consider not having Indian food the entire time.
Ask your caterer and venue manager about non-Indian food options and start there. Switch it up with different types of cuisines or even one new or different type of dish.
BE UNIQUE
Speaking of a new type of dish…you can make your food selections unique in a few ways.
-> Make the dish itself unique: Even if you opt for mostly Indian food, make at least one item new or different. Like an Indian Nacho (see photo below). Add some Tex-Mex and Indian ingredients and boom you have an Indian Nacho hors-d’oeuvre. Ask your caterer or venue manager if they can come up with an item. If they can’t, suggest an item, and even give them the recipe!
-> Make a creative name for a traditional dish: Change things up and make up some names for your dishes. Which one would you want to try: Vegetable Biryani or Veggie Mania Biryani Bowl? (Ok, I’m no copywriter but you get the idea).
->Creative Presentation: If your dish isn’t unique itself, spice things up by serving it in a fun container like this one (even if it’s just popcorn that you’re serving):
Or, get a food truck like this:
Or, serve pani puri shots (yum!) like this:
Or, serve kulfi in a spoon (this photo shows sorbet):
Image: Katie Stoops Photography
DON’T FORGET THE KIDS AND ELDERS
If there’s one thing to do in considering kids and elders, it’s to make the food NOT spicy. Yeah, I said it. Don’t make your food spicy. Sure, you can eat a habanero pepper whole, but that doesn’t mean everyone else wants to. That counts for the rest of your guests too, not just kids and elders.
Offer a few separate dishes for kids. Perhaps a pasta dish (for kids) but could also double as a lunch item for the rest of your guests. Or, a special kids bar for dinner.
For elders, consider a few traditional options or even a few separate dishes. If you want to make sure they’re taken care of, make a list of your elder guests and work with the venue manager to have their meals come out separately. Don’t forget to give your guests a heads up (either on their place cards or on each table).
SNACK TIME CONSIDERATIONS
At Indian weddings, there’s usually an underlying expectation to always either have food available or have food served – at any point during the wedding events. Since all of us Americans love snacking so much, why not offer snacks, wedding style?
If you’re offering welcome bags, sneak in some treats here – either Indian snacks or something like granola bars and potato chips.
Or, have a snack bar in common areas (or a reserved room) at the hotel where your guests will be staying. Another option is to have snacks set up outside your venue hall, so guests can grab something on their way out.
Here’s an elegant way to set up your snack bar. This example shows a trail mix bar:
The uniqueness of modern food at your Indian wedding is up to you. You can keep it traditional, half modern/half traditional, or even make everything modern. It’s up to you. Just be creative!
Read more in this post: How to create the perfect menu for your Indian wedding.
For more ideas, visit our resources page.