As food is one of the most important things of an Indian wedding, you would surely want to spend extravagantly on it to impress your guests. But, are you sure that despite paying heftily for the food, all your guests would love it? Well, we are talking about the kids, who are not very fond of the dishes that are usually included in the wedding and reception menu. Complexities arise when some caterers insist on including the number of children expected to attend your wedding, in the count of total plates.
So, if you do not want to have some disappointed and cranky little guests at your wedding, then here are some awesome ideas to plan a menu for kids at your wedding.
There is a simple solution to the problem of kids being fussy about food at your wedding. What you can do to keep them happy and full is to plan a separate food station for them. Get in touch with your caterer and include those dishes that kids like the most. These can be pizza, cheese macaroni, noodles, pasta, sandwiches, wafers, burger, popcorn, French fries, etc.
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You can keep the overall layout of this special food-station in sync with your wedding theme, but make sure you give it a feel-good factor so that it attracts kids. What's more? Keep the food in good quantity because you would be surprised to know that a lot of adults like to nibble on these 'kids-special' snacks as well.
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To make food more fun for all the kids at your wedding, plan the desserts wisely. You can have a separate dessert bar that includes things like a chocolate fountain, a candy station with a large variety of colourful candies, fun-shaped cakes and pastries, cookies, etc. In fact, the fun and colourful candies can be a perfect favour option also. You can order personalised wedding confectioneries and wrap them in nice packets for the kids.
And, do not be surprised if you find your friends licking the chocolate off their fingers or eating the heart-shaped candies. After all, there is a kid in all of us, and we just need the right time to show that side of ours!
You can also steal some ideas for the kids' dessert bar from these 7 Interesting Substitutes To Indian Wedding Sweets
To make sure that the kids are happy with your wedding menu, you have to take care of not only the food, but drinks as well. So, have a blast of colours at the drinks bar designed particularly for the kids. You can include various shakes, fruit juices, mocktails, fizzy drinks, etc. Also, do not forget to add some crazy and colourful straws, as they will make the drinks all the more interesting for the kids.
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Yes, you read it right! A salad station for kids is another awesome thing that you can have in your wedding. And, do not get worried that the kids will not love it. As the presentation of food matters a lot to create an interest among people to eat it, ask your caterer to cut the fruits and veggies in some interesting shapes. You can ask them to add some spices, cream, yoghurt, or any other element to make it more delectable. Or, you can act smart and get the salad served to kids in waffle cones.
And, with this smart idea of yours, you will not only impress the kids, but their mothers as well. After all, you will be giving them some wonderful ideas to make their kids eat salad regularly!
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Apart from these fun ideas for your wedding menu, here are a few more things that you must keep in mind while planning a kids-friendly menu:
Make sure you tell your caterer to pay proper attention to the food portions while serving it to the kids. If it is a buffet system, ask the caterer to instruct his people at the food station to serve smaller portions to the kids. This is simply because like everybody else, kids either like to test different food items or gorge on their favorite one. In any case, they have a very limited appetite. So, serving food in smaller portions will prevent wastage. Moreover, kids love foods that are easy to eat and do not require complex coordination of fork, knife and spoon. Pizza slices, French fries, popcorn and wafers are all-time favorites for this very reason.
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You also need to be careful while choosing the cutlery for kids. While 'use and throw' plates and spoons do not look graceful, ceramic cutleries are fragile. And, as there are quite high chances of kids breaking them, they can add to your wedding costs. So, it is better to go for plates, spoons and glasses made of high quality plastic with attractive designs.
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When planning special menu for kids, negotiate the rates also with your caterer. While some may not think twice before quoting the same price for even ice creams, pizzas and other menu items for kids, a lot of them will provide the same at considerably reduced prices and bill them separately.
