When Choosing Your Menu

In the Indian culture, food is not only an integral part during a wedding, but for every occasion as well.  And since a wedding is one of the most important days in a person’s life, they make sure the food is nothing less than delicious and grand.  Traditionally the food is chosen by the bride’s parents and sometimes with the approval of the groom’s parents as well.  There are many courses during the reception, and depending where the couple is from in India, this will determine exactly what will be served.  Also, there is many different ways to serve your food such as buffet and family serving style, and there is many ways to have it prepared including a chef or a caterer.   Whatever it may be, guests will enjoy the spices, the flavors, and most importantly the sweets on this momentous occasion.

Foods Intertwine with Location

            Depending on where you and your family are from, this affects what to serve on your big day.  Even though modern Indian brides are stretching away from these food traditions, there is still an element of where their family originated.  Here, I am going to break down the different locations in India and some suggestions on what to serve to your guests.

            North

During an Indian wedding where the couple’s families are from North India, you can expect to find luxurious options of food.  Guests are served finger foods, coffee, soups and even liquor before the main feast.  Some meals may include chicken, mixed vegetables, and Pulao which is a mixture of meat and rice.

West

Those who are from West India tend to be more on the traditional side.  The meal is usually vegetarian, which includes buttermilk, rice, paan and Kadhi.  Kadhi is a blend of rice, heavy gravy and vegetables.

East

Indian weddings that are based off of Eastern India traditions combine both the North and the West.  Guests start out with finger foods and drinks, and then are served both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.  This is also served with rice which is their main highlight.

South

Southern Indian weddings start early and end early.  The ceremony is in the morning and the main course is served during lunch hours.  They try and stay with natural foods such as rice and vegetables.  Traditionally this meal is served to guests while they are sitting on the floor, but over the years most have eliminated this tradition. 

Sweets

            I have been to many Indian weddings, and the sweet table seems to be what everyone looks forward to.  Not only are sweets absolutely delicious, but they also help to ease the spicy taste of the meal.  There are some sweets that are chosen because of the family’s heritage but, the seasonal sweets and ice cream are welcomed by all walks of life due to their universal popularity.  This year we have seen Mango ice cream and Chiroti Rava Rotti being ordered a majority of the time.  Chiroti is a flaky pastry that is wonderful served with Almond milk.  Everyone has a sweet tooth, and with any Indian dessert you decide to serve, you will be sure to make everyone satisfied. 

No matter where you and your families are from, all kinds of Indian food tastes unbelievable.  The combination of the spectacular flavors and the bold spices really make Indian food one of a kind and something everyone can enjoy.  When choosing your menu, even though it is your day, try and remember to include your family’s traditions because this will be very important to generations before you.  After everything that goes on before dinner, you can sit down, relax and have a remarkable meal that everyone will remember.    

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),
Olivia

For our Bride: The Balancing Act and Making Your Dream Wedding Come True

Being a bride is a balancing act in many ways. One of the toughest jobs you have is to keep all of the decision makers involved in your wedding happy. You have to establish priorities as a couple, and decide on what means the most to you. Then…

You need to figure out who else will be contributing to your wedding budget, and what spoken or unspoken expectations come with that financial contribution. Even if there are not immediately spoken expectations, they are there. Your father may be making a small contribution and seem laid back (but he assumes you want him to walk you down the aisle), your grandmother may want to pay for your gown (as long as it’s not strapless), mother may tell you that she trusts you to select a menu (as long as it doesn’t include fish), and his mother may make a passing comment that she knows a photographer (but what she is not saying is that she fully expects you to use said photographer).

Here are a few tips to help you navigate these tricky waters:

• Start the conversation early – the earlier you start to talk about each person’s vision for your wedding, the better. This gives you the most amount of time to find common ground.
• It is your day, be careful how often you assert that – everyone wants you to be happy with your wedding day. The memories will be most vivid for the two of you. BUT, you will surely earn the title of Bridezilla if you overuse that statement.
• Be prepared to make concessions – as you and your fiancé decide what is most important to you, also start to think about areas that you are willing to bend to keep people happy.
• Listen to others’ wishes – while you may be exhausted of listening to others opinions, you never know when someone will offer up a suggestion that you truly are excited about.

The old cliché is true, you can’t keep all of the people happy, all of the time. It is definitely in your best interest to figure out which people are most important for you to please, at least some of the time.

BBFN (Bridal Bliss for Now),

Olivia