Top Food Trends Taking Over Weddings This Season

Authored by Tanya Quadros, Founder, Banquet18

Weddings have always been a glorious experience for all involved, and food defines those memories. The food served at weddings is evolving and creative, elegant options are more popular but care should be taken to balance between intimate dinner etiquettes to enjoy and avoid wastage. Whether honoring traditions with nostalgic dishes or working on interactive and fun dining experiences, this season's emphasis is making food reflect the couple's story and style. Now, let us intimate you with the exciting trends that rule this wedding season as far as catering is concerned, from bites and nibbles to heavy sit-down affairs.

Gene Food: A Nostalgic Nod to Roots

One of the trends this year is gene food, meals that mean something to both partners. Couples rely on accessible family recipes, heirloom dishes from relatives, and regional specialties that bring memories flooding back.

The entrees on these menus are often things grandma used to make or items special to the region where the couple grew up. Picture the warm scent of your grandmother's spice-infused biryani, an ancient curry dish, or even a sweet prepared to replicate a family traditional recipe.

By adding their stories to the menu, couples make sure that what going on at the table doesn't just fill stomachs but initiate conversations around it allowing the food part of the celebration to be more than just a matter of survival – an emotional and cultural highlight of the day.

Grazing Tables: A Feast for the Eyes and Palate

Grazing tables are a feast for the eyes as well as the palate this season, especially for events leading up to the wedding such as sangeets and cocktail parties. Their lavish spreads range from cold cuts and artisan cheeses to fruit skewers and blowtorched cheese balls.

Not only can guests snack on their schedule, but they also serve as decor in themselves. Styled and curated with care to both represent taste and complement a range of palates, they seem sophisticated — but are perfectly suited for large gatherings.

Two-Bite Servings: Flavor in Every Bite

The auspiciousness of weddings these days is basically "less is more", at least as far as portions go. Miniatures are stealing the show, giving guests a chance to taste different flavors while not going too overboard.

This trend consists of mini-sized versions of popular dishes. It is a way to feel fashionable in front of diet-conscious guests, and whether it's miniature chole bhature or coin-sized pizzas and mini tacos, these bite-size pieces are not only practical but also incredibly chic. They allow guests to offer a wider array of options without feeling rolled out by the end, making for an experience as thrilling as it is filling.

DIY Stations: Hands-On Culinary Fun

The latest food trend that is making its way to wedding menus provides an engaging and entertaining experience: interactive food stations. DIY (Do-It-Yourself) stations provide guests the opportunity to create their own meals, making for a one-of-a-kind eating experience. They can choose the fillings, salsas, and toppings for their perfect taco. Mini-burgers and Made-to-order hot fresh pizzas with their choice of toppings and sauces. These, especially, make the most sense for relaxed and colorful mehendis, haldis, and other such occasions where guests can mingle together while learning how to eat.

Late-Night Snacks: Midnight Munchies Made Fancy

Wedding days now include late-night festivities and snack stations are the perfect new staple to have in the mix! Specializing in uncomplicated yet comforting bites that feel right at home for guests, these counters offer post-sangeet munchies aplenty.

Take a Midnight Maggi counter, for example — bowls of noodles a la carte to bring back hostel nostalgia. Kathi rolls are another favorite and provide an instant delicious snack, great for a quick recharge after hours of dancing.

These snacks not only energize the party but also make sure the guests leave with a full belly and a happy face.

Plated Dinners: Classic Elegance Reimagined

Plated dinners are oozing back into style for intimate parties and professional functions, as their classic allure suits the occasion. Rooted in tradition, these sit-down meals focus on formality and connection along with a certain elegance and exclusivity.

This is where the food comes out plated to perfection, with an element of artistry and a variety of specialty ingredients going in. Gorgeous flower bouquets, lavish table setups, and custom menus enhance the dining experience to create an ambiance of elegance. And for those gatherings that are type best categorized as small family dinners or high-end receptions, plated dinners have intimacy and elegance that buffet setups simply do not.

Street Food: The Fun Factor

An Indian wedding is incomplete without the mention of the street food culture of India. Street food has this year cemented its place as a fixture for pre-wedding festivities like in sangeets and mehendis. Some of the favorites are: Chowmein, Momos, and Kathi rolls, and Regional chaats like pani puri, dahi puri, and aloo tikki. A playful favorite amongst the nostalgic feet, street food stalls offer casual bites that excite guests and take them back to the thriving bazaars or roadside eateries.

Culinary Celebration Like No Other

Food trends this wedding season are also a cocktail mix of tradition, new-age, and sustainability. These menus are a representation of the couple, and thanks to meal kits everywhere and catered plated

dinners ready-to-go, weddings have evolved from nostalgia-inducing gene food to fancy plated dining experiences to DIY venues for guests.

This far more decorative and personalized concept of wedding food has not only made wedding foods mere food that are available on the day; like goodies from outside, but rather it has made them an experience that beholds in itself love, culture, and connections. From a midnight snack counter to a lavish grazing table to eco-friendly options, these trends promise that food stays at the heart of celebrations.