Indian Wedding Catering Checklist: Everything to Confirm Before (and After) Booking

Last updated: 7th October · By Indian Eatery Team

Quick Answer

Before booking an Indian wedding caterer, confirm these 10 things: availability for every wedding event, venue catering rules, guest count, menu and customization, vegetarian/vegan/halal/allergy needs, tasting, service style and staffing, every additional charge, payment and cancellation terms, and your final guest-count deadline. Then reconfirm the menu, headcount and timings in the final week.

This checklist is organized by when you need to do each step, so you can work through it from your first inquiry to your wedding day.

Still comparing caterers? Read our guide on how to choose an Indian wedding caterer in Mount Laurel, NJ, including package prices and a full cost breakdown.

Phase 1: Before You Contact Any Caterer

Have these answers ready. Without them, no caterer can give you an accurate quote.

• ☐ Wedding date(s) and approximate service times for every event
• ☐ Venue confirmed, and you’ve checked whether it allows outside catering
• ☐ Estimated guest count (a realistic range is fine at this stage)
• ☐ List of events that need catering. This could include the welcome dinner, mehndi, haldi, sangeet, ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, late-night snacks and post-wedding brunch.
• ☐ Catering budget range, set before choosing dishes, not after
• ☐ Dietary priorities (vegetarian, vegan, halal, allergies)
• ☐ Preferred service style (buffet, plated, stations)

Tip: Don’t serve the same menu at every event. A casual chaat and street-food spread at the mehndi and a full buffet at the reception give each event its own feel.

Phase 2: Questions for Your Venue

Ask these before falling in love with a menu. They decide what is actually possible.

• ☐ Is outside catering allowed? Is there an approved-caterer list or an extra fee?
• ☐ Is there a kitchen or warming equipment available?
• ☐ Are live cooking stations and open flames allowed?
• ☐ What electrical connections are available?
• ☐ Where can catering vehicles unload, and when can setup begin?
• ☐ What time must everything be cleared out?
• ☐ Does the caterer need to provide insurance documents?
• ☐ Who handles trash removal?

A live dosa or tandoor station isn’t possible if the venue doesn’t allow the equipment, so check this first.

Phase 3: First Conversation With the Caterer

• ☐ Available on all your dates, not just the main event
• ☐ Comfortable with your guest count, and has catered weddings of a similar size
• ☐ Has worked at your venue, or will coordinate with them
• ☐ Offers the service style you need: full-service, drop-off or pickup
• ☐ Offers custom dishes beyond the standard menu
• ☐ Offers tastings
• ☐ Can share package details and pricing in writing

At Indian Eatery: We cater weddings, corporate functions and family events from Mount Laurel, NJ. We offer full-service catering (setup through cleanup), drop-off catering, special festive packages and pickup trays, and custom menu items are available on request. [ADD: tasting availability]

Phase 4: Building the Menu

Review the full menu first

Look across every category before picking favorites. The goal is a menu where dishes work together, not the maximum number of dishes. Our catering menu includes 13 appetizers, 29 vegetarian entrées, 15 non-vegetarian entrées, an 18-item chaat station, a 28-dish Gujarati menu and 22 desserts.

Menu checklist

• ☐ Appetizers that are easy to eat while standing and talking (samosa, paneer tikka, hara bhara kabab, pakora). Confirm whether they’re passed, on a buffet or at a station.
• ☐ Main course built as one complete plate: a paneer or vegetable dish, a lentil or chickpea dish, one or two non-veg entrées, rice, breads and accompaniments
• ☐ Contrast between dishes. Three different entrées beat five similar creamy curries.
• ☐ Rice and bread confirmed, including how naan will be kept fresh during service
• ☐ Desserts with contrast, such as warm gulab jamun with chilled rasmalai
• ☐ Spice levels set dish by dish, not one “medium spicy” instruction for everything
• ☐ Different menus for different events, if needed

Dietary checklist

Requirement	What to Confirm
Vegetarian	Real variety across appetizers and mains, not a single backup dish
Vegan	Vegan is not the same as vegetarian. Many Indian dishes use ghee, butter, cream, yogurt or paneer. Confirm which dishes can be made vegan.
Halal	Which dishes and proteins meet your requirements. Indian Eatery offers halal options.
Allergies	Dairy, nuts, wheat and sesame are common in Indian cooking. Ask how allergens are identified and whether cross-contact can be avoided. Never tell a guest a dish is safe until the caterer confirms it.

Collect dietary needs on your RSVP card so you’re not chasing them a week before the wedding.

Live stations and chaat

• ☐ Price of each station
• ☐ Staff, equipment and space needed
• ☐ Venue approval
• ☐ How fast it can serve your guest count

Live stations such as pani puri, bhel puri, pav bhaji and dahi vada are a great fit for cocktail hour. At Indian Eatery, live stations are available as a paid add-on.

Phase 5: The Tasting

• ☐ Flavor, spice and texture of each dish
• ☐ Presentation and portion size
• ☐ Balance across the full plate. Three excellent dishes can still be too similar if they’re all rich and creamy.
• ☐ Final substitutions agreed in writing

Phase 6: Costs and Contract

Know the real total, not just the per-person price

Use this formula for every quote:

Base package + menu upgrades + live stations + delivery + staffing + rentals + service charge + taxes = Estimated total

Divide the total by your guest count to get the real per-person cost, then compare caterers on that number.

Example with Indian Eatery’s Silver package ($29/person), 200 guests:

• Food: 200 × $29 = $5,800
• 20% mandatory service charge: $1,160
• Subtotal: $6,960, before NJ sales tax and any add-ons

Package	Price per Person
Silver	$29
Gold	$39
Platinum	$49

Extra charges apply for seafood, goat dishes, live food stations and delivery. See what each tier includes on our Catering Packages page.

Contract checklist

• ☐ Itemized written proposal received
• ☐ Correct date, venue, service times and menu
• ☐ Staffing: how many staff, buffet attendants and station staff, and how long they stay
• ☐ Delivery and setup: who brings tables, chafing dishes, utensils, labels and dessert displays
• ☐ Cleanup: who clears the buffet and removes equipment, and whether it fits the venue’s deadline
• ☐ All additional charges, the service charge and taxes listed
• ☐ Deposit amount, refundability and payment schedule
• ☐ Cancellation, postponement and change policy
• ☐ Final guest-count deadline, and what happens if numbers go up or down
• ☐ How children and vendor meals are priced
• ☐ Every verbal promise written into the contract

Phase 7: Things Couples Usually Forget

• ☐ Vendor meals. Your photographer, DJ and planner work long hours. Decide what they eat, when and at what price.
• ☐ Leftovers. Can extra food be packed? Who supplies containers? Decide before midnight, not at midnight.
• ☐ Buffet flow. For large weddings, plan multiple buffet lines, clear veg/non-veg labels and a refill plan. Guests should remember the food, not the line.
• ☐ Wedding-day contact. Get the name and number of the catering supervisor and give it to your planner or a family member, not yourself.

Phase 8: Final Week Review

• ☐ Final guest count confirmed
• ☐ Final menu confirmed
• ☐ Allergies and dietary needs reconfirmed
• ☐ Vendor meals confirmed
• ☐ Arrival, setup and service times confirmed
• ☐ Venue access and unloading confirmed
• ☐ Live stations confirmed
• ☐ Cleanup plan confirmed
• ☐ Final payment made
• ☐ Catering contact shared with your coordinator

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I confirm before booking an Indian wedding caterer?

Confirm availability for every event, venue rules, guest capacity, menu customization, dietary options, tasting, service style, staffing, additional charges, taxes, service fees, deposit, cancellation terms and the final guest-count deadline.

How far in advance should we book Indian wedding catering?

Start contacting caterers as soon as your date and venue are confirmed. Popular dates and multi-day weddings need more lead time for consultations and tastings. [ADD: Indian Eatery’s recommended booking lead time]

Is vegetarian food the same as vegan at an Indian wedding?

No. Many vegetarian Indian dishes contain ghee, butter, cream, yogurt or paneer. If you have vegan guests, ask your caterer which dishes can be prepared without dairy.

How many dishes should an Indian wedding menu have?

There’s no fixed number. It depends on your guest count, budget and service style. A balanced menu with contrasting dishes is better than a long menu of similar ones.

Do vendors need to be included in the catering count?

Usually, yes. Ask your caterer and venue how vendor meals are handled and priced, and include them in your final count.

How do I compare Indian wedding catering quotes?

Add up the full cost (food, upgrades, delivery, staffing, live stations, rentals, service charge and taxes) and divide by your guest count. Compare caterers on this real per-person cost, not the advertised rate.

What’s included in Indian Eatery’s wedding packages?

Silver (29),Gold(39) and Platinum ($49) per person each include set numbers of veg and non-veg appetizers and entrées, rice, naan or roti, and desserts. Platinum adds a fruit platter. A 20% service charge and NJ sales tax apply.

Planning Indian Wedding Catering in Mount Laurel or South Jersey?

Indian Eatery Kitchen & Catering is located at 915 Route 73, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054. We offer halal options, a large vegetarian menu, chaat and live stations, custom dishes, and full-service or drop-off catering for weddings of different sizes.

📞 +1 (856) 856-8676 (9 AM – 9 PM EST)
✉️ info@indianeatery.com
👉 Send us your wedding details with your date, venue, guest count and dietary needs, and we’ll help you work through this checklist.