The new nuptials: How food and beverage experiences at weddings are going beyond the ordinary

Remember the time when catering menus at weddings meant fusion dessert offerings, exotic international fare and lavish buffets? Well, that was three years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted perspective for a lot of us and with that, weddings underwent a change as well. 

The new nuptials have become more intimate, more sophisticated and luxe, with discerning couples wanting their closest family and friends to be a part of their celebrations. While the big fat Indian wedding is still very much intact, there has been a concerted effort towards keeping the guest list crisp and experiences elevated. Food and bar offerings at such weddings are no exception to this trend. 

Today, wedding menus are all about immersive storytelling—themed cocktail bars represent the couple’s interests and creative pursuits while the food is as experiential as ever. Aditi Dugar, founder of Sage & Saffron, a Mumbai-based boutique catering company, points out that nowadays couples are more mindful of what goes into their wedding menu, rather than opting for an extensive buffet. “There is an emphasis on doing food that is unique and experimental and at the same time ensuring minimum wastage, she notes, referring to how weddings have become more sustainable. 

According to Sanjana Shah, co-founder, Three Entertainment, a Mumbai-based luxury event management company, weddings have become more minimalistic, not in terms of scale, but rather the theme. This leaves more room for customisation to add elements that depict the couple’s journey. We saw this with the Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt wedding and the concept has really taken off since then, she tells us. 

Storytelling leads the way 

When it comes to wedding menus, nothing is too small or big an ask. Whether couples want to showcase their journey or put together a selection of their personal favourites, these can be expertly crafted right down to the last detail. “Nostalgia-inducing menus are just one such example. We recently did a wedding where one of the couple’s favourite rituals was their Sunday breakfasts together. Keeping that in mind, we curated a stunning breakfast spread based on their favourites, from South Indian nibbles to Italian staples,” says Shah. 

Dugar points out to a recent wedding in Mumbai where they styled the F&B set ups at the hotel. “We created an edible dessert garden with picturesque florals and blooms interspersed with the desserts. It wasn’t just striking to look at but engaging for guests as well”. 

At the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, a recent black tie formal event took inspiration from different movies from the James Bond franchise. For instance, the ‘License to Grill’ theme menu incorporated Middle Eastern grills, ‘You Only Live Once’ was themed around French cuisine, ‘Diamonds are Forever’ featured caviar, oyster and chilled vodka shots, while ‘Quantum of Solace’ predominantly showcased forgotten Indian grains. Rahul Bhadane, director of catering sales, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, adds that there is definitely a demand for finely crafted menus and food styling. “We’re also exploring cuisines like Korean and Vietnamese for some of our larger events.”

In fact, families are willing to pay a premium for wedding menus, if it means creating a truly memorable experience for their guests. Bespoke culinary menus are currently in the range of Rs 8,000–10,000 plus taxes per person. This is an increase of approximately 20% over 2019, however operating costs have also increased significantly, says Bhadane. 

Sit-down meals are trending 

It’s worth noting that traditionally, the preferred format for Indian weddings were large, floating events. Nowadays, the experiences are becoming more bespoke and leading the way are formal sit-down meals. Khushnooma Kapadia, area director of marketing, South Asia at Marriott International Inc, notes that one trend that has seen an upswing are formal seated dinners. “This wasn’t the case earlier. Elements such as live sushi bars and flair bartenders are making Indian weddings all the more fun and entertaining. We’ve also seen how healthier food options have made their way onto menus.”

At Pullman New Delhi Aerocity, which boasts of some of the largest banqueting spaces in the city, cluster general manager, Vineet Mishra, says they have seen a significant increase in requests for sit-down meals. “We recently curated a thali sit-down experience for 400-odd guests mixing Indian and Western cuisines that was a nod to the couple’s respective roots,” he says.

When it comes to going experimental with cuisines, the options are endless. According to Mishra, hyper-regional Indian cuisine is doing quite well with wedding parties. We curate chaats that are specific to cities like Kanpur, Agra, Lucknow etc. European live stations are doing well and can be as niche as raclette cheese, he offers. 

Vegan sliders, Japanese katsu curries, and ‘make your own’ soup stations are just some other options people are exploring with live stations. This even extends to desserts like rolled ice creams, bubble teas and fresh fruit bars. Desserts served in rustic forms like a whole cake or large tiramisu bowls, rather than individual portions are trending, he notes. 

Dugar points out that the sit-down dinner experience they curate is also quite flexible. We keep some of the courses pre-plated and then also offer live stations so if guests want to change their seats during the course of the meal, it’s not a hassle. “It’s experiential but you’re not confined to just sitting in one place.” Some of the live stations that Sage & Saffron has experimented with includes a dedicated asparagus bar using a salt block for cooking, flatbread stations, pizzas topped with gold foil for that OTT effect and modern Indian chaat stations dishing out fare such as burrata sev puri or grilled eggplant with tomato chaat and sesame yoghurt foam. 

Clearly, this wave of innovation isn’t stopping anytime soon.