THIS ARTICLE IS POWERED BY
-Priyadarshi Shastri | IMAWS (cbedit@imaws.org)
The wedding business in Uttar Pradesh (UP) is a rapidly growing sector, fueled by the state’s rich cultural heritage and large population. With cities like Lucknow, Agra, and Varanasi being major wedding hubs, the demand for services such as event planning, catering, decoration, bridal wear, and photography is high. The market thrives on grand celebrations and traditional ceremonies, offering opportunities for local vendors and entrepreneurs. Additionally, UP’s flourishing middle class and increasing disposable income further drive growth. Digital platforms are also gaining traction, allowing wedding businesses to reach a wider audience and cater to modern preferences. In an exclusive chat with Kitchen Herald, Mr Vijay Kumar, President of the Tent, Caterers, and Decoration Welfare Association of Uttar Pradesh gave more insight into challenges, trends, and opportunities.
How has the event catering industry in Uttar Pradesh evolved over the past decade?
Working in this industry for the past 15 years I have seen major changes in food and decorations. Regarding, food, clients in Uttar Pradesh want to have Banarasi Chaat i.e. Tamaatar Chaat and Muradabadi Daal on their menu. Mix Veg Soup and Manchow Soup are also becoming people’s top choices for starters.
How does the Association help its members grow their businesses and maintain high service standards? Are there any initiatives for training, certifications, or networking opportunities?
Every year we do a get-together where all the caterers or say people working in this industry come together to learn, grow and help each other in any way possible. This has been going on for the past 12-15 years, even in small towns and districts, we have started organising such events to support small emerging businesses trying to gain more work opportunities.
The catering and food industry in UP is vast and people working in this have a lot of potential but because of their economic background and illiteracy, they are struggling. To overcome this, we are working toward starting a certification programme where we can train them to contribute with standardized services in the industry. We have a strong support system i.e. godowns needed to store goods and relevant contacts needed to build a company in the market. Last year, we conducted an event in Indira Gandhi Pratishthan, Lucknow where we invited big companies from the lighting, decor and food industries to showcase their new products, utensils and designs. This allowed us to merge everyone and support each other in their business. Moreover, it helped us to work together as a team in the state and provided us with a strong networking community.
Are there any specific challenges related to sourcing ingredients, especially when dealing with large-scale events? How do catering businesses in Uttar Pradesh tackle these challenges?
Logistically, we have been facing challenges such as transporting goods during weddings has always been a huge challenge for us. For example- to work for a single event, we essentially require around 15 to 20 mini trucks to transport goods – such as tents, stages, sofa sets to name a few. The problem arises mostly due to overloading or the presence of labourers riding in the trucks which leads us to issues with traffic rules. Many times, police authorities frequently issue challans—₹10,000 for labourers sitting on trucks and ₹20,000 for violating no-entry zones. These fines increase our costs as well as put us under pressure to make timely deliveries, as delays can disrupt wedding rituals and affect our reputation.
To tackle such an issue, I reached out to the Police authority and requested a special permit for our transportation operations. I am grateful to say that he was that he was understanding of our situation and kindly granted us the necessary permit, allowing us to resolve the problem and improve our service efficiency.
The wedding season is always a busy time for the industry. What are some of the major trends you’ve noticed this year in wedding planning, catering, and decoration in Uttar Pradesh?
In the past 7-10 years, client’s demand has changed over time for example- they like to spend more money on food and decorations. They want an over-the-top wedding. Pizza stalls, bakery and mithai shops have emerged as a new trend in wedding food menus. In Mathura, the wedding food menu must have atleast 15-20 varieties of mithai while in Luckow, fast food and different options of snacks are in demand.
