Wedding guests aren’t the most reliable archivists. Months later, the order of ceremonies may blur and flowers may have merged into a general impression of abundance, but the excellent chaat retains its own file in the brain. They remember the pasta counter that ran out of parmesan early and the raan musallam whose recipe circulated in WhatsApp groups after the ceremonies ended.
Eating is one of the few activities shared by almost everyone at a wedding, including the uncle who has already delivered a lengthy verdict on the paneer masala. Wedding menus must still fulfil their first responsibility of feeding guests well, but couples are now using food to record where their families come from and how the relationship developed.
Regional dishes establish histories that may span several countries. A cocktail can recall a first trip; a snack can return guests to the couple’s ordinary Saturday. They create an autobiography, of sorts, written in courses and counters.
When Srini Kumar and Neil Machhar married at Nobu Hotel Los Cabos in Mexico, guests received a culinary guide alongside Gujarati snacks and a handwritten welcome note. The booklet explained how the weekend’s menus connected Kumar’s Tamil family with Machhar’s Gujarati one.
“We customised each menu item over the course of a year with chef Gaurav Anand’s team and our families,” the couple says. Some recipes came from Kumar’s great-grandmother’s recipe book.
Makenzie Rogers
The opening celebration combined Mexican and Indian flavours through dishes like Amul butter esquites and paneer bhurji tacos. For the sangeet, live stations followed the Chennai Express train route towards Kumar’s hometown, serving dosa and chaat before guests reached a dessert counter titled “Final Destination.”
After the Tamil-Gujarati ceremony, guests were served a “Two Become One Thali” on banana leaves. Chef Anand worked with Kumar’s mother to prepare her great-grandmother’s Tamil recipes for wedding numbers, alongside Gujarati dishes from Machhar’s family.
Natasha and Rajat Mahapatro Khanna also used food to acknowledge the people behind their tastes. Their reception menu included dishes from Odisha and Punjab, while spice jars given to guests carried more individual histories. The haldi came from Rajat’s best friend’s family farm; a tandoori seasoning referred to his father, whose chicken is well known among relatives.
Ombre by HJ
