Most we cater sit between 40 and 150. Smaller works fine with a grazing-led menu; larger starts to need buffet or stations to keep service moving.

Grazing tables and roaming canapés suit the mingling format most engagements have. If it is a seated family event, a buffet or shared banquet works better.

Yes — Indian, Sri Lankan, Middle Eastern, Afghani and other traditional engagement ceremonies are a regular part of our work. Tell us what the ceremony involves and we plan food timing around it.

Yes. Tell us which tradition and what is expected at each stage, and we will build a menu and timing that fits rather than cutting across it.

Yes, and most couples who do find it easier. We plan the menus together so guests attending both are not served the same dishes twice.

For engagement parties, usually yes. It gives guests something immediately on arrival, photographs well, and keeps people fed through the speeches and photos.

Yes, or you can take drop-off and run service yourself. Staff become worth it above about 60 guests or when you want to actually enjoy your own party.

Yes, and a lot of engagements are at home or in a family backyard. We need to know about kitchen access, power and parking.

Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free are built into every menu, halal is available on request, and specific allergies get clearly labelled separate portions.

Four to eight weeks is comfortable. Peak season and December need more notice.

Yes, and for engagements joining two families it is often the right call. We group the stations so each cuisine reads as a coherent offering.

Yes. Dessert tables and mithai counters are popular for engagements and work well alongside a grazing table.

Yes, we cater roka, sagai and ring ceremonies across Melbourne, from small family gatherings of around forty guests up to three hundred. We plan the menu around both families’ regional tastes and any religious dietary rules, and we time food service around the ceremony so the ritual is not interrupted by a buffet opening.

Roaming entrees plus a substantial main course works best, because engagement parties involve a lot of standing, mingling and photographs before anyone sits down. Tandoor items like Chicken Reshmi Kebab and Paneer Tikka travel well on platters. A charcoal grill on the table or a chaat station adds something for guests to gather around.

Yes, and we build engagement menus this way as a matter of course. We ask where each family is from and include dishes both will recognise — for example a Punjabi curry section alongside South Indian Rice and a milder regional dish. Sections stay clearly separate on the line rather than being blended into a compromise.

Engagement parties we cater usually run between forty and three hundred guests, with roka ceremonies at the smaller end and sagai functions at the larger. Under about eighty guests a home or small hired room works well. Above that, a function venue is easier for seating, parking and the ceremony space itself.

Yes, we can supply sweets timed to the ceremony rather than only as dessert, since sweets are often exchanged or distributed as part of a roka or sagai. Gulab Jamun and kulfi varieties are the usual choices. Tell us when in the run order the sweets are needed and we will have them ready and plated for that moment.

Three to six weeks ahead is usually enough for an engagement party, though peak weekends from October to March go earlier. Engagements are often planned faster than weddings, so we are used to shorter lead times. If you want a tasting before locking the menu, allow an extra two to three weeks in your planning.

Yes, as one booking with two service phases. The ceremony portion usually needs light, mild, often vegetarian food served quickly, while the evening party takes a fuller buffet or stations. Running both under one plan means a single team, one setup and no gap where guests have nothing to eat. Confirm both timings together so staffing covers the full day.

With separate preparation, separate equipment and clear labelling on the buffet. Halal-certified meat is sourced on request and kept apart from non-halal items throughout prep, cooking and service. Vegetarian dishes get their own serving points and utensils. State the requirement at booking rather than in the final fortnight, since sourcing and the prep schedule both depend on it.

After the main ritual, with something light available before it. Guests arriving for an afternoon or evening engagement will have waited an hour or more by the time the ceremony concludes, so a snack table or passed canapes during that window prevents the room going flat. The substantial buffet then lands straight after, when attention naturally turns to eating.

Yes. Small roka functions at home are common work — often thirty to sixty guests, vegetarian, and timed around a morning or midday ritual. We work to your kitchen and power situation, bringing holding equipment where needed. Send photos of the serving space and tell us the ritual finish time so the food is ready without crowding the ceremony area.

Yes, as part of the service team where the format needs it. Engagement events generate gifts, sweet boxes and mithai that need a dedicated table kept tidy and stocked. Staff can replenish the sweet display, clear wrapping and keep the area presentable through the night. Flag it at booking so the headcount includes someone for that role.

Two to four months for most, longer if your date falls on a peak Saturday between October and March. Engagements are often planned faster than weddings, so shorter notice happens and we work with it where capacity allows. If the date is already set with both families, lock catering first — the guest list and menu can be refined later.