Designing Culinary Experiences: Reimagining Wedding Dining as Immersive Hospitality

In today’s luxury and large-format weddings, dining is no longer limited to catering it has evolved into a curated hospitality experience that reflects culture, emotion, and storytelling. Guests expect more than variety; they seek engagement, authenticity, and memorable moments around food. Sameer Puri, Managing Director at Kestone Utsav, brings a design-led approach to wedding dining, combining operational excellence with experiential thinking. By blending heritage flavours with contemporary presentation and integrating food into the larger celebration narrative, he is redefining how culinary experiences elevate modern wedding celebrations.

1. Wedding celebrations today are becoming more experiential than ever. How do you design menus that transform food from simple catering into a memorable, immersive experience for guests?

We approach menu design as experience design. Instead of listing dishes, we map guest interaction, how food will be discovered, served, and remembered. Menus are structured around themes, regions, or stories, supported by live stations, chef interaction, and contextual presentation. Format, sequencing, and service style are planned alongside cuisine.

2. With evolving tastes and global influences, how do you strike the right balance between contemporary cuisine trends and the authenticity of traditional Indian wedding flavours?

Balance comes from preserving core flavours while modernizing format where appropriate. Traditional recipes and regional signatures are not diluted; instead, they may be re-presented through refined plating or smaller tasting portions. We typically build layered menus, one anchored in authentic Indian preparations and another exploring contemporary or global options, so guest diversity is respected without compromising culinary identity. For example, a classic dal baati churma may be served both in its traditional format and as a plated tasting trio, while a heritage pickle selection may be paired with artisanal breads for a global style grazing table.

3. In large-scale celebrations, consistency and quality are critical. What operational strategies help you deliver excellence across high guest volumes without compromising taste or presentation?

Execution at scale depends on process discipline. We work with standardized recipes, controlled batch production, and timed finishing cycles. High-risk dishes are prepared in smaller rotations rather than bulk holding. Pre-event tastings, mock runs, and service simulations are conducted for large gatherings. Vendor partnerships are limited to teams with proven large-format capability. Documentation and rehearsal reduce variability. For example, for a 1500 guest reception, plating grids, portion charts, and service time stamps are locked in advance so every plate leaving the counter matches the approved tasting sample.

4. Food often carries emotional and cultural significance at weddings. How do you collaborate with families to create menus that reflect their personal stories, heritage, and preferences?

Menu conversations begin with memory mapping such as regional roots, festive foods, family specialties, and ritual dishes. We translate these into menu anchors so the food reflects lineage and sentiment, not just preference. Adjustments are made for religious practices and dietary disciplines without making the offering feel constrained. Where meaningful, we highlight origin stories or family recipes within the dining experience.

5. As part of Kestone Utsav, how are you elevating wedding dining into a more curated, design-led hospitality experience rather than just a service element?

Dining is integrated into overall event design. Food spaces are planned with the same rigor as décor and guest flow. Presentation, counter architecture, service choreography, and lighting are aligned with the celebration theme. Service teams are trained on narrative and guest engagement, not just delivery. The objective is to make hospitality intentional and design-led, so dining becomes a central experiential layer rather than a background function.