With so many mouths to feed, planning a traditional Indian wedding menu can be a tough task. Luckily, we’re here to help you with tips and guidance on finding the right food for you and your guests.

Make food your priority

With so many other things to consider, making your Indian wedding menu a priority might seem crazy at first. However, if you’re planning a traditional Indian wedding then you’ll know that there will be a lot of mouths to feed and probably a lot of food requirements to consider.

From waiting for menu RSVPs to choosing your dishes, getting started right away can be a smart move.

Don’t ignore dietary requirements

If there are a lot of loved ones coming to see you tie the knot, finding the right balance between the food you want and the food your guests need is essential. However, if you want to keep your guests happy and healthy, you shouldn’t ignore their dietary requirements.

Whether it’s through religion, health or simply choice, some of your guests may need specific things to be omitted from the menu. When sending out your invitations, ensure there is a section for dietary needs so that if family and friends are vegetarian, halal only or gluten intolerant, you’ll know about it well in advance.

If you find that you have a lot of guests with specific dietary requirements, a buffet is often the most stress-free choice and allows your loved ones to pick and mix their dishes.

Set a budget and stick to it

Once you know how many people are coming and what their dietary requirements are, you can calculate a price per head. It’s really important to stick to your budgets, no matter what they are, as overspending can lead to cost-cutting elsewhere.

Of course, you will want to ensure your guests have enough to eat throughout the day, as traditional weddings are often long events. If you’re worried about running out of food, you can always allow a little extra in your budget if you can afford it. Just ensure this is part of your final budget and don’t keep dipping into your cash pot for unnecessary added extras.

Keep things simple

If you’re planning on having a traditional Indian wedding buffet, you might be overwhelmed by all the choice. Often there can be hundreds of suitable dishes and cultural factors may influence the menu dramatically.

To make things as easy as possible, choose around 5 to 10 different dishes for each course of your buffet. Ensure that at least 2 of the dishes from each course meet the dietary requirements of all your guests, whether it’s halal, gluten-free or vegetarian.

Remember that you don’t need to have 20 dishes in each course to please everyone. Whilst it’s important to keep your loved ones happy, you also want to keep stress down to a minimum. Once you know what your guests need, tell your caterers and let them do the rest for you.

If there are any specific dishes you would like to see on the menu, let your wedding planner know; it’s your big day after all. If not, a good Indian caterer will be happy to take the reins and figure it all out for you.

If you’ve considered all these things when planning your wedding menu, then you’ll almost certainly enjoy a stress-free day.

So start planning now and tick another important task off your list.