Planning Dietary Requirements for a Wedding or Event

Collecting dietary requirements

The RSVP is the easiest place to ask. Rather than a single tick-box, give guests room to explain, because "vegetarian" and "severe nut allergy" need very different handling:

• Allergies: what to, and how severe (a trace, or contact, or eating it)
• Intolerances, such as lactose or gluten
• Medical diets, including coeliac disease
• Religious or cultural requirements: halal, kosher-style, Jain, no beef or no pork
• Lifestyle choices: vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian
• Children's meals, and any children with allergies

The 14 major allergens

UK food law requires food businesses, caterers included, to tell customers if any of 14 major allergens are used in the food they serve:

• Celery
• Cereals containing gluten, such as wheat, barley and rye
• Crustaceans, such as prawns and crab
• Eggs
• Fish
• Lupin
• Milk
• Molluscs, such as mussels and oysters
• Mustard
• Tree nuts, such as almonds, hazelnuts and cashews
• Peanuts
• Sesame
• Soya
• Sulphur dioxide and sulphites

Ask your caterer how they record allergens for each dish, how they avoid cross-contamination, and whether they can provide allergen information for your venue.

Make the alternatives as good as the main menu

Guests with dietary needs often expect a lesser plate. They shouldn't get one. Good caterers design the alternatives as part of the menu, not as an afterthought:

• Build some dishes that work for everyone, so fewer separate plates are needed
• Give vegan and vegetarian guests a dish with the same care as the main course
• Choose desserts and canapés that cover common allergies
• Plan dietary versions of evening food too, which is often forgotten

Religious and cultural requirements

Religious requirements are about how food is sourced and prepared, not just what's on the plate, so discuss them in detail:

• Halal: meat from certified halal suppliers, and how it's kept separate. See our halal wedding catering guide
• Kosher-style: no pork or shellfish and no mixing of meat and dairy; full kosher supervision is a separate service
• Jain: vegetarian, usually without onion, garlic or root vegetables
• Hindu and Sikh guests: many don't eat beef, and many prefer vegetarian menus at religious events

Getting the right plate to the right guest

1. Put requirements on the seating plan, so your caterer can map them to tables
2. Use place cards with a discreet marker, agreed with your caterer
3. Label buffets and food stations, with allergens listed for every dish
4. Brief the serving team on which guests have allergies and how severe they are
5. Have a named contact your caterer can check with if something changes

We build dietary requirements into every menu we design, label dishes clearly, and brief our team on allergies before service. See our wedding catering and vegan catering.