Blog
Wedding meal choices: veg, Jain, non-veg RSVPs
Ask for the meal choice per person, not per family, inside the RSVP, with only the options your caterer will actually cook: for example vegetarian, Jain, non-vegetarian, and pure vegetarian without onion or garlic. Ask once, with the invitation, and give the caterer a count per function about a week before. A family's "we're all veg" is often not true for every member.
Why per person, and why per function?
A family of five might have two Jain elders, two vegetarians and one person who eats everything. Counting the family as "veg" cooks the wrong food for two people. Functions differ too: the haldi lunch might be vegetarian for everyone, while the reception has a non-vegetarian counter. The caterer needs a number for each counter at each function, and only a per-person, per-function answer adds up to that.
Which choices should you offer?
- Vegetarian.
- Pure vegetarian, no onion or garlic, for families who observe it.
- Jain: no root vegetables, and often no food after sunset. Ask the caterer whether they can do it properly before you offer it.
- Eggetarian, if the menu has egg dishes.
- Non-vegetarian, and halal where it matters to your guests.
- Vegan, if any guests have asked.
Offer only what the kitchen will cook. A choice the caterer can't honour is worse than no choice, because the guest arrives expecting it.
How should you word the question?
For each person coming, please choose a meal: Vegetarian · Pure veg (no onion/garlic) · Jain · Non-vegetarian. Tell us about any allergy in the note.
Put it next to each name, not once at the bottom of the form. Add a free-text note for allergies, because nut and gluten allergies don't fit in a menu choice and a caterer needs to know about them early.
When to send the numbers to the caterer
- With the invitation: ask for replies and meal choices together.
- Two to three weeks before: remind only the families who haven't answered.
- About a week before: give the caterer a count per function and per choice, as your caterer asks.
- The day before: update for late changes, and add a margin for guests who come without replying.
How ShaadiMode collects them
On ShaadiMode's Plus plan (₹2,999 once per wedding) each family replies per person and per function, and each person picks a meal: vegetarian, pure vegetarian (no onion or garlic), Jain, eggetarian, non-vegetarian, halal or vegan. The replies land on one list, and a sheet for the caterer can be downloaded on every plan. On Signature (₹6,999) guests can reply inside WhatsApp itself, with reminders sent to those who haven't.
Turning the answers into numbers for the caterer
Caterers plan by counter and by function, so give them a small table, not a guest list. As an illustration, for a reception with 180 replies:
| Counter | Replies | Plan for (illustration, with a margin) |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetarian | 96 | 105 |
| Pure veg, no onion or garlic | 14 | 16 |
| Jain | 22 | 25 |
| Non-vegetarian | 48 | 52 |
Ask your caterer how much margin they add for guests who come without replying, and tell them the count of children separately if they charge differently for them. Send the table again whenever the numbers move by more than a few plates.
Questions people also ask
Do I need a meal choice for every function?
Only for functions where the menu differs. If the haldi lunch is vegetarian for everyone, ask only for Jain and allergies there, and the full choice for the sangeet and reception.
What if guests don't answer the meal question?
Count them at the default for that function, usually vegetarian, and tell the caterer how many answers are missing. A reminder to the families who haven't replied, two to three weeks before, usually closes most of the gap.
Should children get a meal choice?
Yes, if they eat from the same counters. Ask the caterer whether they count children as full plates.
Should I ask about meal choices in the wedding invitation?
Yes, as part of the RSVP, per person. Asking separately later gets fewer answers.
How do I handle Jain guests at a wedding?
Ask in the RSVP, tell the caterer the count per function, and check that the Jain food is cooked separately without root vegetables. For evening functions, some Jain guests prefer to eat before sunset.
Read next
Replies, meal choices and the caterer's sheet all come from the same list. See how replies work
← All posts