How to plan an Indian wedding

February 19th, 2018 by OYO Team

You have always dreamt of your “wedding day.” Fortunately, the day has arrived. A different chapter of life is soon to strike with surprises. The wedding memories are always pristine and beautiful. Every couple has a story to recite, with million awestruck moments. It is the time of your life which can be made worth remembering with careful planning.  

Here is a comprehensive guide on how to plan an Indian wedding and avoid last-minute glitches.

  1. Plan Ahead to Reduce the Stress
  2. Set A Budget & Stick to it Before Planning an Indian Wedding
  3. Wedding Timelines and Booking Schedules
  4. Venue Selection and Guest Accommodation
  5. Choose an Invitation Style
  6. Wedding Theme and Flower Arrangements
  7. Gaming & Fun
  8. Food and Catering Services
  9. Candid Moments and Featured Photography
  10. Entertainment and DJ Services

1. Plan Ahead to Reduce the Stress

Already feeling exhausted and overstressed? Don’t know where to start?

No worries 🙂

“Planning” could be the ultimate stress removal therapy. You have always referred to guides to solve intricate questions. Didn’t you? So, why not refer to a small wedding planning guide to simplify the procedure. Follow these sure shot wedding planning tips. The following tips will guide you through the whole event.

  • Decide whether you want a traditional wedding or a conventional wedding with glamour elements.
  • Use email invitations instead of wedding cards.
  • 6 Months of Pre Planning will help you deal with logistics, music, and decorations.
  • Be pragmatic and flexible while taking investment under consideration.

2. Set A Budget & Stick to it Before Planning an Indian Wedding

People tend to spend a lot without designing a budget. A wedding is not a single day celebration. It comes with lots of events. Plus, there are equal investments in outfits, jewelry, gifts and more.

The list is vast so, it is advised to have a budget. Don’t end up messing with all; sit, relax and understand.

Take help of the experienced specialists. There are many informative sites and articles on the Internet which can guide you on how to plan an Indian wedding. You can always ask for the assistance of wedding planners to design your budget. Under normal circumstances, the actual cost may shoot up by anything between 10-30%. So keep a buffer working on the budget.

3. Wedding Timelines and Booking Schedules

Managing wedding timelines means making a closed loop of different ceremonies and guests. Guests invited to a wedding should be intimated well in advance. It should be anything between three to six months before the wedding day.

This will help guests plan their trips accordingly. The wedding guest list consists of some confirmed attendees along with a few dicey ones. It is done to make sure you don’t end up expanding budget with any additional arrangement. Then comes the task of listing the number of functions such as Mehendi, Haldi, and Sangeet.

These days cocktail parties are also organized frequently. Plan the space according to different functions and events. You may want to book separate spaces for three different functions. So, it is suggested to see if a particular venue offers flexible space for various big and small functions.

4. Venue Selection and Guest Accommodation

Selecting a wedding venue in India may be overwhelming. Here are few important points which would ease the process of venue selection:

Venue Location: Site inspection would solve the problem of location. Understand the locale to attract the guest with a great first impression. A lush green open space would be best to engage the guests.

Capacity: Availability of flexible gathering space is essential for various events. A simple social gathering might involve 200 guests. However, a big wedding event might be crowded with more than 600 guests.

Type: Check whether your event would need a Banquet, Marriage Hall or outdoor space.

Availability: Availability of wedding space depends upon the status of wedding season. Make sure that the desired space is available on your wedding date.

Rates/Negotiations: Rates and Negotiations also depend on the seasons. The early you will book the space the better deal you may get.

Safe Parking: Parking is a great concern for wedding guests. Wedding means a lot of attendees and all commuting with different vehicles. Understanding parking concern means making your guests comfortable. Once their parking concern is solved, they would be able to enjoy the function.

Accommodation: Most of the Banquets and Hotels usually have a full arrangement of a comfortable stay. Wedding guests would need night stay facility. So, the hotels are facilitated with both “Deluxe” and “Standard Rooms.” Rooms should have WiFi facilities, a hot and cold supply of water with regular food supplies. Packages can be customized with breakfast lunch and dinner itineraries.

Extra Services: Extra services include power backs, extra food for unplanned guests and additional space for small events.

Food And Catering: Check whether the venue has food service included.

Reviews and Rating: You can always check the ratings of Banquets to make wise selections.

5. Choose an Invitation Style

This is one area where you can save a significant amount of money. Many people spend a lot on wedding invitations in India. However, you can save a lot by adopting a more practical and technological approach.

  • Get some copies printed for the near and dear ones or the local family and friends.
  • Use E-Cards for volume invitations.

Recently, e-cards are gaining tremendous popularity among urban youth and environment conscious couples. Plus, it would be a meaningful effort toward saving paper.

E-cards can also be designed with one of your customized candid couple shot. So, what are you waiting for? Get your candid shot clicked and let the designer do the rest.

6. Wedding Theme and Flower Arrangements

Wedding themes lay the foundation for a wedding decoration. Any decoration including stage setup, backdrop, entrance, flowers falls short without a stated theme. Even the food representation style is aligned as per the wedding theme. Quickly take a look at some themes that can be selected while planning an Indian wedding.

Exotic Flower Based Theme: Jasmine, Rajnigandha, Marigold, and Rose all are made available for exotic flower theme. All these flowers add multiple pops of colors in the decoration. Flowers can be a part of centrepieces, stage, mandap, and entrance. Carnations can also be a part of various events like Mehendi, Haldi, and Sangeet. Flower arrangements enhance the look and feel of the event. Exotic flower theme is always the first choice because of its simplicity and freshness.

Royal Theme: They say marriage is a divine bond, so why not design it in golden words. A Rich Royal Theme captures the epitome of Treasured Indian Traditions.  It is for those who are looking for an event other than the usual self. The Rajwadi style is captured flawlessly in the wedding event with possible royal decorations. A royal theme is inspired by gold jewels and ornaments. Over the top decorative artifacts is the real charm of this theme. Booking a palace for the wedding could be expensive but having a similar feel on the day is easy. You might not get elephants on the venue, but an antique car would solve the purpose. The bride can commute on a royal palki to the stage. The guest would long remember your royal affair.

7. Gaming & Fun

No wedding is complete without gaming or some quirky stuff. You should plan your fun time separately but the budget should be in your mind. This part of the night will lit-up your memories and brighten your wedding functions even more. Musical game, pool side fun games, or doing some acting, to relive your love story or first meeting or the time you spend with your parents will definitely bring tears in your eyes. Relive those moments and capture it in the camera so that you can cherish it forever.

8. Food and Catering Services

Food is something that can make or break the reputation of any marriage party. You need to be extremely careful and sensitive towards the taste of your guests. Choose banquet halls that are known to serve excellent and exotic dishes. The menu should reflect the marriage theme and local culture. Also, the food served should be enough to tempt the taste buds.

9. Candid Moments and Featured Photography

Weddings are about special picture-perfect moments. The representation of each moment is made possible with excellent photography. With family and friends all around, wedding photos could be snapped in candid shots. Candid photography captures real and natural moments.

Featured photography is also very popular nowadays. It is a glamorous version of traditional photos. It consists of tailored shots which feature real emotion. Both Candid and Featured photography should be included in the wedding event.  

10. Entertainment and DJ Services

An Indian wedding is more like a festival, with songs and beats audible from all corner. People gather to dance in their best moods. In a nutshell, weddings are high on fun. Therefore wedding event should blend excitement with unmatched entertainment services like DJ Services, Punjabi Dance, Ghoomar Dance, Folk Dance, Dance Floor Fun and more.

Wedding venues also come with entertainment packages. The entertainment packages have DJ services. Ask the management to arrange the best DJ artist who could understand the music demands of your guests. The Dance floor should be equipped with light and sound arrangements. Jumbo Boofer and Speakers are a ‘must’ on the floor.  

Celebrity DJ Artist: Depending upon your budget scale, the DJ artist can be selected. Celebrity DJ artists are engaged during wedding peak seasons. So, it is suggested to ask for their availability. The wedding specialists would be able to do bookings in advance with prior knowledge.

Dance Artist: Bhangra is an epic hit in desi Indian weddings. The Bhangra dancers woo the guest with their explosive dancing which is high on energy. Professional Bhangra dancers compel the crowd to shake their heads. So, you can always book a troop of bhangra artists to impress your wedding guests.

Folk Dance: It is popular in the Royal wedding setups. Folk dancers dress in regional attire and perform various dance forms. These dancers could be a group of Rajasthani, Gujarati or Marwari folk artists. You can choose your favourite folk dance form for your Indian wedding. The wedding management team will arrange the artists as per your demand.    

Conclusion

Planning an Indian wedding in advance helps in eliminating shortcomings and last minute confusions. Hook on the net to get jaw-dropping deals on banquets, wedding venues, and marriage halls.

It is always good to create a checklist of all small and large activities mentioned in this Indian wedding planning guide. It will not only help you plan a fascinating Indian wedding but also help you save on a lot of unnecessary expenses.

Book Banquet Halls

About OYO Team

We’re people who love to travel and it’s a pleasure to share our experiences from around the world with you here. You’ll see our favourite destinations, quirky stays and budget stay. Also the best wedding banquet halls and the most lit party destinations. You’ll also find insightful opinions about why we travel in the first place and what it’s really like out there. Enjoy the blog and please tell us what you think - feedback welcome!