The kalyana virundhu — the wedding feast served on banana leaf — is the meal guests remember long after the ceremony. Here is a complete Tamil wedding lunch menu list, the order it is served in, and how much it typically costs per plate in Chennai.
How a Banana Leaf Is Laid Out
The leaf is placed with its narrow tip to the guest’s left. Small portions — salt, pickle, sweets, poriyal and kootu — go on the upper half of the leaf. Rice is served in the lower centre, and gravies are poured over it course by course.
Complete Wedding Lunch Menu List
1. Sweets and Starters
- A sweet such as badam katli, pista roll, Agra paan cashew katli or gulab jamun
- Payasam — tender coconut payasam, jackfruit payasam, palada pradhaman or semiya payasam
- A fried item — onion pakoda, cashew pakoda, vadai or veg cutlet
2. Variety Rice or Biryani
- Mushroom, paneer, jackfruit or vegetable biryani with curd pachadi
- Or variety rice such as tamarind rice, podi sadam or bisi bele bath
3. Side Dishes on the Leaf
- Two poriyals (seasonal vegetables, ivy gourd fry, beans poriyal)
- Kootu (ridge gourd or mixed vegetable)
- Chips — yam chips or potato chips
- Pickle, appalam and mor milagai
4. Rice with Gravies (in order)
- Rice with ghee and paruppu (dal)
- Sambar — small onion sambar, kadamba sambar or ghee sambar
- Kuzhambu — Chettinad vatha kuzhambu or ennai kathirikai kuzhambu
- Rasam — pepper, tomato or pineapple rasam
- Curd or thick buttermilk
5. Finishing
- Ice cream or a second dessert (for grander menus)
- Banana, betel leaf and areca nut (vethalai paakku)
- Water bottle
What Does a Wedding Lunch Cost Per Plate?
At Sri Venkateswara Catering, our banana leaf meals menus range from ₹220 per plate for a classic menu to ₹549 per plate for a grand menu with multiple sweets, starters and ice cream. The number of sweets, the biryani or variety rice, and extras such as ice cream make the biggest difference to the price.
Tips for Planning Your Wedding Lunch
- Keep the menu balanced — two heavy items (for example biryani plus a rich kuzhambu) are usually enough.
- Choose a payasam and sweet that contrast — one milk-based, one not.
- Tell your caterer about guests who avoid onion and garlic so a few leaves can be prepared separately.
- Plan the morning muhurtham tiffin and lunch together so dishes don’t repeat.
See how we handle the full day on our wedding catering page.
Get a Free Quote for Your Wedding Lunch
Tell us your date, venue, guest count and veg or non-veg preference. We will suggest a menu and send a clear per-plate quotation.
Written by the Sri Venkateswara Catering Team
Our kitchen in Edapalayam, Redhills cooks weddings, receptions, housewarmings, seemantham and corporate events across North and West Chennai. These guides draw on the menus, per-plate prices and questions we handle with families every week.
