So the vast majority of couples cater Indian food for the actual wedding and reception but there’s a growing trend towards opting for in-house for their sangeet. The sangeet is the night before the wedding – usually on a Friday night. And on paper, it looks identical to a wedding reception:
- a few hundred guests
- hosted open bar
- same setup as a wedding reception: banquet rounds, dance floor, bars, buffet tables
BUT the big difference is couples are now leaning towards something different in terms of the cuisine for their sangeet. They seek variety and want to give everyone a break from heavy Indian food both nights.
This is GREAT news for venues! What’s more, sangeets are usually on Friday night, so venues get increased occupancy on Fridays too!
{The Best Cuisines for South Asians}
At every South Asian wedding there will be a constituency of guests that are vegetarian, so the menu will always have some vegetarian items, if not all. That’s more great news for venues as vegetarian items are generally lower cost than non-veg.
Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine are very popular amongst South Asians – they’re delicious, filling, and vegetarian friendly.
{How Should Venues Sell This?}
Actively suggest the in-house catering option to your prospective clients. Don’t wait for them to ask about it. Sometimes clients need to be prompted and have that seed planted for them. And talk about the convenience of having one less thing to worry about.
{Impact on RevPAS}
As we know RevPAS (Revenue Per Available Seat) is an important Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for the Catering Department at any full service hotel or venue. And in-house catered events inherently have higher RevPAS than outside catered events. So venues that aren’t paying attention to capturing the sangeet business are missing out.
This article is part of our series:
{FAQs About ShaadiShop}
Is ShaadiShop a wedding planning service?
“Wedding/marriage” in Hindi and Urdu (2 major languages spoken in South Asia).
What’s the difference between Indian and South Asian?
South Asia is the region of the world that includes India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. ShaadiShop is happy to serve the needs of all South Asians vs. Indians only.
{Conclusion}
There’s a growing trend towards opting for in-house catering for the sangeet night at Indian weddings. This is fantastic news for venues on two fronts:
- sangeets are usually on Friday night…so Friday night occupancy
- higher RevPAS in addition to the hosted bar
Some sangeets are as big as the wedding and some are slightly smaller This varies for each wedding but regardless most sangeets have at least 200 guests.
Venues should actively suggest the in-house catering option and talk about offering variety to their clients and letting the venue take that hassle off of their hands.
The best cuisines for South Asians are: Mexican and Mediterranean. They’re filling, delicious and vegetarian-friendly. Having vegetarian-friendly options is important at South Asian weddings as there’s always a constituency of guests who are vegetarian.
{ShaadiShop Testimonials}
“We just booked a full Indian wedding through ShaadiShop at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. In addition to the business, we appreciate the exposure ShaadiShop creates about our venue, as the couple didn’t know about our resort until ShaadiShop told them about us. Additionally, we appreciate the pre-qualification work that ShaadiShop does to match couples and venues that are a good fit for each other. We had all the info needed to conduct the initial meeting. What a great service for venues to market to the South Asian community!” – Angie Florence, Catering Manager at The Waterfront Beach Resort, Huntington Beach, CA
“We’re so glad we joined ShaadiShop to market this hotel to the South Asian community in the Orange County area. Every wedding we close from their leads returns more than 3x our investment. Moreover, they pre-qualify leads and educate consumers creating a much better sales cycle for our catering team. Venues looking to reach this market, join ShaadiShop!” – Ryan Hurd, Catering Sales Manager, Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove
“Shaadishop helped me not only find venues but also understand how they work, the fees, and tips that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. Definitely a need service in the desi community. “ Hinna S., Bride
“Cannot say enough good things about the service from Samta and ShaadiShop who helped us research venues for our wedding this year. We wanted a non-hotel venue, and to get married within 6 months. ShaadiShop immediately found us venues, contacted them and educated us about all the things we needed to think about while selecting a venue. They put all the info together in a fabulous, super impressive, spreadsheet that helped us compare venues – seriously amazing and such a great help. Working with them made the whole stressful process MUCH easier and I can’t believe it was all free! ShaadiShop’s website is fantastic and such a great service for South Asians – so glad I found them!” Anjli S., Bride
“We’re so glad we used ShaadiShop to book our venue. The info on the website is amazing and then they gave us such personalized attention! They were such a valuable resource for selecting venues, helping us understand policies and logistics. Their suggestions saved us a lot money too! They really understood us, what we wanted and helped us get it. AND it’s free! So glad there’s a service like this for South Asians. Awesome that there’s something like this for South Asians!” Janki K., Bride
“I worked with ShaadiShop to find a venue for my daughter’s wedding. The website is easy to use and has so much useful information. ShaadiShop made everything easy for me – getting quotes, suggesting venues, explaining fees and policies. Most importantly, my daughter and son-in-law are happy with the venue. ShaadiShop is a great and service for our community. I’m so glad I found them!” Charu S. Bride’s Mother
cover image: VEK Photo