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Weddings are beautiful occasions, irrespective of the time of the year. But, there’s something extra pretty at a winter wedding. The cooler temperatures, the foggy evenings, the twinkling fairy lights, and a chilly breeze – set up the perfect ambiance for a magical winter wedding.
While winter is a great season to get married in, you have to ensure that the guests attending your big day feel all warm and happy. The best way is to alter your wedding buffet menu to include wholesome, healthy, and hearty dishes that make your guests feel warm from within.
Here Are Some Foods to Include on Your Winter Wedding Catering Menu
Drinks
Skip the regular cup of coffee and soft drinks, and add these special drinks to your wedding buffet.
Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate is one of the best drinks to cuddle up with on cold wintery days. From the young to the old, everyone loves relaxing with a sweet hot chocolate. Fancy up the hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream, to give your guests something out of the ordinary. You can even set up a hot chocolate station, and guests can pick their favorite toppings like – candy canes, whipped cream, and marshmallows.
Masala Chai
This one’s another perfect drink for wintery days. Spiced with aromatic spices like elachi, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, pepper – masala chai is an ideal conversation starter.
Starters
All spicy and fried starters work well for winter weddings. Here are a few suggestions:
Pakodas and Mint Chutney
Keep the older generation happy by serving hot, spicy pakodas with a generous helping of sweet and sour chutneys.
French Fries
This is to appease the youngsters on your wedding list ideas who don’t like greasy pakoras. If French Fries seem too familiar, then you can choose crispy cheese balls or even chicken nuggets.
Main Course
Non Vegetarian Dishes
Non-vegetarian dishes are a sure hit in winter weddings. After all, who doesn’t love slurping on a Katori of spicy Rogan Josh or pepper chicken with Basmati rice? All non-veg dishes work well for the winter wedding catering menu. However, be cautious if you are serving fish. Ensure that the fish you serve is free from bones, after all, you don’t want your guests to spend their meals searching for tiny fish bones.
All love chicken stews, hot and sour chicken soups, dumplings, meatball, curries. Try to include at least 3 – 4 non-vegetarian dishes on your wedding menu, so that your guests have a choice.
Vegetarian Dishes
Not just non-vegetarian, even simple vegetarian dishes work well in winter weddings. The winter is the best time for excellent fresh vegetarian produce. Try to include local flavors in your wedding menu for a lip-smacking meal. Fried veggies with dips are an excellent vegetarian starter.
Makki di roti, sarso da saag, and hearty but straightforward meals like rajma chawal make for excellent vegetarian main courses. And, if possible, include a live roti counter – and get a couple of chefs making piping hot rotis according to your guest’s preferences. Romali roti, butter naan, stuffed naan, kulcha, wheat parottas, pudina parotta – are crowd-pleasers.
Fusion Recipes
Fusion recipes are making waves in the Indian wedding circles. As the name implies, these are creative culinary creations that mix different cuisines.
For instance, instead of serving spinach as regular old palak paneer, how about helping sautéed spinach in continental style? Desi-Chinese dishes are another massive hit among Indians. These are Chinese dishes – like noodles, chow mein, fried rice – with desi masalas and spices.
Other fusion dishes include Tawa paneer masala, grilled paneer, mixed vegetables in soy sauce, methi malai, and more.
Comfort Foods
As the weather gets cold, all of us crave warm, comfort foods. These classics are a great addition to your wedding menu and are sure to please all your guests from the youngest to the oldest. Some classic comfort foods include – macaroni and cheese, grilled sandwiches, dal and rice, tomato soup, etc.
If comfort foods look too simple, you can make them attractive by adding a surprise ingredient. For instance, instead of serving plain grilled sandwiches, you can opt for gourmet cheeses.
Work with your wedding chef to try to come up with comfort foods that aren’t just filling and eye-catching.
Dessert
No meal is complete without a sweet ending. And desserts are an essential part of a winter wedding buffet menu.
Indian Desserts
When it comes to choosing desserts, try to avoid cold desserts like puddings, malai sandwiches, rasgullas, and ice-creams as most guests don’t prefer eating cold desserts on cold, wintery evenings.
Instead, choose several other warm Indian desserts that are hearty, wholesome, making the perfect sweet ending for your wedding buffet.
Piping hot carrot halwa with a generous dose of desi ghee, hot jalebis with sweet rabdi, gulab jamuns stuffed with mawa – are some popular Indian desserts that are sure to take your guests to dessert heaven.
You can complete the meal with warm masala milk, turmeric spiced lattes, or even friendly dry fruit milkshakes. Put out Aflatoon platters for your guests to enjoy during the later ceremonies. Aflatoon platters are perfect for winter weddings since they contain wholesome and hearty foods like dry fruits, ghee, and mawa. These foods generate body heat, helping your guests ward the chills of an outdoor event.
Western Desserts
If you prefer western desserts, then here are a few popular choices – warm brownies drizzled with chocolate sauce and served with vanilla ice cream, warm caramel puddings, or warm apple pies work well for winter weddings.
Wrapping Up
These are a few popular dishes to include in your winter wedding buffet. Have you tried any unique dish at a winter wedding? Let us know in the comments below.
If you are looking to serve unique dishes for your winter wedding, get in touch with our expert chefs here at Captain Joe. We can help you craft the perfect menu for your big day. Give us a call at +91-989-998-8185..
