Paan Stations for Weddings in Canada
Find the right Paan stations for your wedding, within your budget
Booking a paan station
A paan station at the end of the night is a small booking that guests remember, partly because it is made in front of them and partly because it signals the meal is over and the dancing is not.
It is a station, which means it needs a spot, a person and a queue that does not block anything.
When should the paan station open?
After dinner, usually alongside or just after dessert. Opened too early it competes with the meal; opened too late a third of your guests have gone.
Agree the opening time with the caterer and the DJ, because it works best announced — otherwise only the guests who walk past it find it.
What varieties should you offer?
Meetha paan is the default at weddings and is what most guests expect. Chocolate, fire and flavoured varieties are popular with younger guests and photograph well.
Offer a tobacco-free selection as the standard and be clear about what contains supari. Guests should be able to tell what they are taking.
What does a paan station need from the venue?
A table with a few metres of clearance for a queue, somewhere out of the path between the dance floor and the bar, and usually no power. Confirm whether the venue charges an outside-vendor fee.
Ask how many staff are included and how fast they can serve — one person making paan for 300 guests produces a very long line at exactly the moment people want to dance.
What drives the price
No published Canadian figures for wedding paan stations are specific enough to quote. What sets it: guest count, number of varieties, how many staff, hours of service, decoration of the stall, and travel.
Ask whether it is priced per guest or as a flat station fee with a serving cap, and what happens when the cap is reached.
Paan stations — common questions
Is a paan station worth it for a smaller wedding?
Often more so. At 100 guests one paan maker keeps up easily, everybody gets one, and it costs a fraction of what a station for 400 does. The queue problem that makes it awkward is a large-wedding problem.
Should paan be tobacco-free?
Offer tobacco-free as the default and label anything that is not. Many guests, including plenty who grew up with paan, do not want tobacco or supari, and being able to tell at a glance is the courteous version.
Can the caterer supply paan instead?
Some caterers do, as part of a dessert offering. A dedicated stall is usually better made and is a bit of theatre in a way a tray of pre-made paan is not — but if budget is tight, the caterer's version is a reasonable trade.