How to make sure your guests live a true Italian experience at your destination wedding, and no one complains about food
Food is one of the biggest concerns of Indian couples getting married in Italy. People always talk about food at weddings. Many guests would definitely remember for years to come if the food at that wedding was great or bad. When I talk to couples during our first appointment and ask them about their fears, a lot of them say that they are afraid about their guests not being happy with the food. And I completely understand that: food is really important at Indian weddings.
How to make sure you choose the best food options for your destination wedding in Italy?
For your Indian celebrations in Italy you can choose among three options: Indian food, Italian food and a balanced mix of both cuisines. Oftentimes couples start by asking me about the possibility of having full Indian meals at their events. And that’s absolutely possible, you just need to know that such choice leads to higher costs and to different restrictions with many venues. Anyway, we can definitely help you with organising Indian food at your wedding in Italy. You can check our page dedicated to Indian food at our weddings here >>>. I have even created a video where I explain in detail about different options you can find in Italy for Indian wedding food. Please follow this link to access it >>>
Some other couples instead decide to go for full Italian food because they want to offer their guests a proper Italian experience, and food is a big part of such experience. In the end, their guests have Indian food everyday at home, they are offered Indian meals at all the weddings they attend. And doing the same at a destination wedding in a country famous worldwide for its cuisine, sounds like non-sense for those couples. They want their guests to live their celebrations in Italy at its best by organizing tours and visits and especially by offering them the finest Italian food for most of the wedding events.
That’s especially common among more open-minded young couples used to travel the world, to explore new places, new cultures, new cuisines. They are more willing to embrace new experiences and they want to share that with their guests. But how to make sure their guests can appreciate this decision too? The advice of the Indian Weddings Specialist can be crucial here, as that will help you choose those Italian dishes that can be appreciated by Indian guests. And not just pasta arrabbiata that could be considered quite a simple option, even if many Indian guests would definitely like it because it’s spicy, but many other dishes as well.
Why you shouldn’t miss Italian food at your destination wedding
The peculiarity of Italian cuisine is that it’s very varied, with a lot of vegetarian options too, and especially because it can be beautifully plated and presented to the guests in an amazing way that would be hard to achieve with Indian dishes. Italian chefs are true “food artists” able to create extraordinary plates with simple ingredients and to present them as masterpieces of culinary art. Here in Italy we say that we eat with our eyes first, and only after with our mouth. It’s not by chance that Italy is third in the world for the number of Michelin-starred restaurants. And going for Italian food, especially at your wedding reception, would give you the possibility to try the best of Italian’s cuisine.
The top part of an Italian wedding banquet is the cocktail hour or “antipasti buffet” as it’s called here in Italy. This is the part that I love the most because not only does it give you the possibility to taste a lot of different delicacies, but it’s also the whole setup that I love, especially when our couples go for some exclusive catering companies that present finger food options. I mean mignon sizes of different dishes served in individual small containers such as small glasses or on small spoons with bites of something delicious that melts in your mouth. And maybe with some live stations too, especially fried vegetables are very popular in Italy (it’s similar to Manchurian dry but Italian style). Believe me, when you have waiters going around with trays serving this beautiful and delicious food, everything looks much more elegant and refined. And then you have stations with different kinds of cured meats and cheeses, with colourful salads and various canapès – all to taste!
It’s exactly this part of the wedding banquet that I suggest keeping Italian-style if you are going for a mix of both cuisines. Actually, the mix is the most complex solution, because you need to get the most of Italian and Indian cuisines at your wedding reception, without overpowering one over the other. There must be a good balance, otherwise it wouldn’t make any sense. Sometimes couples tend towards adding more Indian options for the cocktail hour to please some of the guests, but they don’t take into consideration that many Indian appetisers can hardly be presented the same way as Italian appetizers. So, my suggestion is to keep the cocktail hour full or mostly Italian, to create an amazing experience both tasty and visually beautiful. That would definitely bring your wedding reception to the next level.
What is the best way to mix Indian and Italian cuisine?
From my experience, talking about the wedding reception, I would suggest going for an Indian main. This is the most important part of the wedding banquet, and your guests would definitely remember what they eat.
And the starter can be Italian again. You could choose an Italian pasta that can be stuffed with any filling you want and then served with a spicy sauce for example. There are so many different options to choose from. Italy is the land of pasta, you just name it! And again it comes plated individually and it’s beautifully presented.
If we talk about the lunch after the religious ceremony instead, here the situation is different. This is the main meal where Indian traditions must be honoured, and going for the full Indian meal it’s what I would definitely suggest. Of course, you can also add some Italian vegetarian options too such as eggplant parmigiana, caprese salad with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, couscous or pasta salads and many others too, it’s up to you.
And how could I miss desserts? I love desserts, both Indian and Italian. They are that icing on the cake that brings the gastronomic experience to its peak. In one of my previous blog posts I talked about different Italian dessert options, you can check it here (link). But now I want to spend a few words about Indian desserts and how feasible it is having them at your Indian wedding in Italy.
While working on a wedding, I had a chance to talk to an Indian chef from the UK who explained to me that most of the desserts used at events in the UK (and I’m sure in the US too) are purchased ready-made and many chefs are not trained to prepare traditional Indian desserts. Things are much easier in your countries, while in Italy everything is done from scratch. And if you want to have Gulab jamun or Kheer for your wedding lunch, or offer your guests Laddu after your wedding ceremony, you need to take into consideration the time that our chef would take to prepare them.
Sometimes couples insist on having multiple Indian desserts at their wedding, and I always explain that there are days and days of preparation behind each and every dessert they add to their food functions. And it is not always doable physically, it’s important to know. But those options that you would have at your wedding, will definitely be genuine, delicious, with that home-made taste that you and your guests would surely appreciate. We have our team Indian chef travelling with us throughout Italy for our events and cooking healthy home made Indian food to make sure you have an authentic Indian celebration in Italy.
What food options should you choose for your Indian wedding in Italy: Indian or Italian?
Both of them I would say! You just need to be properly guided and advised to make sure you choose the right options, and with the Specialist in Indian weddings in Italy by your side you will be definitely able to do that! Want to have a chat and see what food options you have in Italy for your Indian wedding? We offer a free Infocall to check the feasibility of the wedding you have in mind. Click on the button below and Start Here!
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