South Asian Weddings

What kind of food for a Thai/French/Sri Lankan reception?

I'm thai and french and my fiance is sri lankan. stuck on food options. i dont want the guests to sit there on an empty stomach due to the taste of food and the options there. pitch me your ideas please! much needed!!

Re: What kind of food for a Thai/French/Sri Lankan reception?

  • vindaloovindaloo member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Hi!

    Can you tell us a little bit more about your wedding?  Where is it?  How many from each side of the family?  Are a lot of the guests super-traditional or coming from overseas?  Religion? Vegetarians?  (all of the Sri Lankans and Thai people I know are Buddhist, but only some of the Sri Lankans are vegetarian--is this your situation?)  Are you having a sit-down dinner? buffet?  cocktail reception? Do you have a caterer yet or do you have to use your venue's caterer? 

    A little more info might help people give you better ideas. 

    Off the top of my head, though, I think you can't go wrong with Thai food.  All of the South Asians I know really like Thai food...I mean, who doesn't?  :)

    Our guests are about 2/3 South Asian and 1/3 "American".  We're doing Asian-influenced hors d'oeuvres and sit-down dinner.  A lot of folks are vegetarian, and it's a safe bet that most of the vegetarians are South Asian, so we're doing traditional Indian food for them.  The meat-eaters will have a choice of tandoori-style chicken breast or fish with coconut milk and ginger steamed in a banana leaf. 

    You're in a great situation with the various options you have...have fun with it! 
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  • SonaliPopSonaliPop member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Serve a french wedding cake...a croquenbouche (I am sooo unsure of the spelling). It'd be a nice french twist. Add a french cocktail.

    As for food, I wouldn't go too varied. The palate needs to not be compromised by differing tastes. If you are having different events, serve different food at each one. Serve canapes and appetizers that are thai and french and meals that are Sri Lankan and so on. Just do not try to give everything to everyone at once - it may not all mix well!
  • edited December 2011
    @ Vindaloo

    Can you tell us a little bit more about your wedding?  Where is it? Our wedding is going to be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Huntington Beach,CA.  How many from each side of the family? We're planning on having 2 weddings actually. One down in SoCal and another in Sri Lanka. So the wedding down here will be for my family and both of our friends. His immediate family from Sri Lanka will be flying down for the event but thats it due to the fact that we're hosting another wedding in August for his family and friends in Sri Lanka.  Are a lot of the guests super-traditional or coming from overseas? The older guests on my side are very traditional but overall, we're a modern bunch. Only a few are coming overseas. Religion? Buddhist is the main religion. Although, we're not having a Buddhist wedding. Vegetarians? There are a lot of vegetarians and if they're not a vegetarian, they don't eat beef or pork. So chicken and fish are the alternatives   Are you having a sit-down dinner?I dont know what to have. Sit down dinner or a buffet? THATS MY DILEMMA!! There will be a cocktail hour and the venue allows us to bring outside caterers. i hope i answered all of the questions you're looking for so that you can give me more feedback. Embarassed
  • edited December 2011
    @Sonali Pop

    I totally agree with you! I was thinking about how it may not all mix well.
    As for the cake, we've decided on getting a Sri Lankan one because those taste amazing!
  • edited December 2011
    moroccan! thats such a nice theme! its going to be a fab wedding.

    My FI and I were thinking about having a buffet with a few traditional dishes that are both thai and sri lankan. and for cocktail, it'll be french.

    what do you think?
  • SonaliPopSonaliPop member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    What about different food stations? I had friends who had that, that way people can choose what they like.

    Or maybe do a soup course with Thai or French influences and a dinner spiced with Sri Lankan signature spices.



  • edited December 2011
    SonaliPop,

    thanks for the food station idea!

    im thinking, 4 food stations. 2 stations of thai and 2 of sri lankan.

    here's the thing, we're going to have about 350 guests. ='/

    im a complete newbie to this. help and advice is very much needed!!!
  • vindaloovindaloo member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Hi Trueleo,

    We're having a pretty big wedding at a hotel in downtown Chicago, but we aren't allowed to bring in outside caterers (except for the wedding cake). 

    It sounds like you're in a great situation since you can bring in your own caterer!  That gives you the option to do whatever you like. 

    Since you're having another wedding in Sri Lanka, it sounds like there probably won't be a huge number of Sri Lankans at your US ceremony. 

    Just my opinion, but I still think you should opt for Thai food.  I say that because it's fun and interesting, and will make your wedding a little more memorable than the usual American affair.  I mean, people can have a chicken breast or a steak anywhere and it's going to be the same thing.  If your friends are anything like mine, they'll be psyched to be a part of a unique cultural experience, and the food is an integral part of that.  If you do Thai food, I think it's safe to say that the Thai folks will be happy, the Sri Lankans will most likely be happy, and the Westerners will have a fun time.  I think you also have better fish/chicken/vegetarian options with Thai than you would with regular western fare.  If you're worried about it being too spicy for people, you can have the caterer make everything mild but have some sambal/sriracha on each table for people to add as they like.  I'm sure your caterer has some sort of pretty little dish they can put it in. 

    There are lots of great thai options for your cocktail hour too--but if you're worried you can always have them throw in a cheese table for those who are  a bit less adventurous.  There are lots of cool signature drinks you could do, too--something with ginger or mango or lemongrass...yum!

    I personally am not a huge fan of buffets, especially when you have a really huge wedding.  I think it can end up as a logistical nightmare with people waiting in long lines for food.  But, to each their own--I'm just personally not a fan of the buffets. 

    We're having a plated, sit-down dinner, but that's just one option for you--have you considered family-style?  You could have a fish dish (maybe a whole fish?), a chicken dish, and a couple of veg dishes and rice and you'll know everyone will be well-fed.  Family-style is not for everyone, but since you get your own caterer you get to call the shots.  Oh my god I love Thai desserts--I'm getting really envious of your guests now!!!

    If you do decide on Thai, you should call a few restaurants and see what kind of catering experience they have and what they suggest.  The event manager at the Hyatt should also be a good resource for you--sit down and talk with him/her--I bet they have lots of experience with Asian weddings and may have good advice for you. 

    Good luck! 


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  • edited December 2011
    @Vindaloo

    OMG!

    You just fed me soooo much feedback. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    We decided to have a 5 course Thai meal. No buffet.  We felt that Thai dishes are very similar to Sri Lankan because of the spices and what not. Also, I definitely agree with you on the fact that not many Sri Lankans will be at our US wedding so, the ones that ARE there, get to experience Thai food as well as our other guests. As far as desserts go, we're really not sure on what we're having. We were going to get a Sri Lankan wedding cake but...since we're going to have a wedding there, I felt it would be better to have it there. Not many people are fans of wedding cake and I think that it would be best to have a dessert table so that everyone can choose from an assortment. What are you fave Thai desserts???
  • edited December 2011
    ohhhh!! you MUST try the sweet mango and coconut sweet rice with condensed milk. its just so...mmmmm. hits the sweet spot!
  • vindaloovindaloo member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Mango with coconut sticky rice is the best!  I tried to eat it as much as possible when I was on vacation in Thailand!  I'm also way into thai custards, like the coconut one or especially the taro custard.  So delicious!  I also like the rice pudding made with black rice, with sweetened coconut milk on top.  Even though it isn't specifically Thai, you could do various asian-themed ice creams, like green tea, red bean, mango, ginger, etc...
    Geez, I wanna go to your wedding!
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  • edited December 2011
    Vindaloo, You're invited! haha if you can be in SoCal by July of 2011! I know, I know, a year away. BUT HEY, you have more than enough time to arrange flights! =) haha

    I was thinking about including sri lankan desserts.. yay or nay? or should i jst stick to thai?
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