For many people, the most important aspect of a wedding is the food served. In fact, few other than the bride, the groom and close family really care much for the wedding proceedings, and one would often find guests impatiently craning their necks towards the buffet table, with stomachs rumbling in protest. Perhaps it wouldn’t be far off the mark to say that guests sometimes remember wedding functions by the number of entrées that cover the buffet table and if approved, this can put the hosts on the ‘social map’.

No surprise then that when it comes to deciding on the menu we take enormous pains and make the effort to fit in as impressive a repertoire as possible within the budget. In the good, old days, all it required was one main rice dish — mostly biryani — and one gravy (chicken or red meat), basic salad and a sweet dish with soft drinks. Today, the variety is endless with the menus broadly categorised into Pakistani, Chinese, Thai, North Indian, barbecue and so forth. There is, of course, the sea food variety as well, often cooked live. Not just that, we now have signature menus for mehndi, mayun and the reception.

Fried items have also made it to the list. In fact, most of the upscale caterers and hotels offer live cooking, and one often comes across queues of people, nibbling on their salad as they wait for the chef to place the sizzling jumbo prawns right from the karahi on their plates, already overflowing with fried mutton chops, biryani or freshly baked naan, perhaps a reshmi kebab or two, chicken qorma, assorted chutneys, and of course, mounds of salad with every imaginable vegetable and macaroni coated in mayonnaise. Smack your lips!

While some like to keep their food traditional, there are those who want to cater to a variety of taste buds. Hence we often find Singaporean rice sitting right next to chapli kebab and steam roast, which may be giving company to palak paneer and mixed vegetables. The next table will be weighed under chicken corn soup, fried rice, spring rolls and chopsuey. Strictly Hyderabadi fare, like bagharay baigan and mirchon ka saalan, is also figuring a lot, especially at mehndis. Another rising trend is the musallam food being served, like roast lamb, but that is, again, quite pricey.

Mayun and mehndi menus, on the other hand, are very different, and typically a kebab paratha, chicken boti affair with a few other varieties added for good measure. Kachori and its condiments are also quite popular, but now one might even find gol gappay, chana chaat and dahi phulki on the menu. Soft drinks are, of course, the constant on all occasions, although the adventurous few — and willing to dole out the dough — might want to add fresh fruit drinks as well. No wonder that despite the late hours that guests have to bear, especially at dholki and mehndi functions, they put up with it. After all, there’s the scrumptious food to make up for it!

When it comes to desserts, there are the entrées for winter like the khoya-coated gaajar ka halwa and loki ka halwa, while in summer we like to indulge in fruit trifles, ice creams and caramel and pista kulfis, sometimes presented in clay pots. Hot, smooth, sweet gulab jamuns remain the ever favourite, and much to the woes of the diet conscious, one is never enough. Those opting for the traditional prefer kheer, firni, jalebi, etc.

With so much variety, caterers prefer to offer fixed packages with a selected number of dishes for each course which are charged either on per head basis, or according to weight in kilos.

“Some people bring their own menus and want us to work accordingly,” says Syed Ather Abbas, catering manager of one of the pioneers in catering business, “We, then, show them our brochures and various packages that we offer and finally reach a decision.” In a lot of cases, clients choose dishes from the packages and customise the menu to suit their pockets and taste. Generally, depending on the menu, the per head cost can be anywhere between Rs250 to Rs1,000 and above. Five star hotels charge more and their per head cost is far higher.