Indian Wedding Planning Checklist, Month by Month

A wedding planning checklist for India starts 10 to 12 months before the wedding, with the muhurat and the hall. Clothes and jewellery come in the middle months, along with the invitations. The last month is for payments and trials, and after the wedding comes the marriage registration under section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955.

Six months is enough for a small wedding. A large one with 800 guests needs the full year.

Before the Checklist Starts

The checklist below begins after both families have said yes. If the match is not fixed yet, the first step is still the biodata, so make the biodata first and come back here.

Settle the big questions between the families before any booking: dates, budget, who pays for what, and the guest count. Our list of questions to settle before an arranged marriage has a section just for the parents.

12 to 9 Months Before the Wedding

This is the stage of decisions. Nothing gets printed or stitched yet.

1. Fix the muhurat with your family priest or jothidar. You can also look up marriage dates on Drik Panchang's vivah muhurat page, after setting your own city, and then confirm with the priest.
2. Agree on a total budget, and write down each family's share. A notebook works. So does a sheet on the phone with four columns for the item, the estimate, the advance paid and the balance.
3. Make a rough guest list from both sides. The hall size depends on it.
4. Book the marriage hall or venue, and the reception venue if it is separate.
5. Book the priest or pandit for the date, along with the cook or caterer.
6. Book rooms for outstation guests if the wedding is away from home.

Muhurat days fill up first. Many Tamil families avoid the month of Aadi, and many North Indian families avoid Kharmas, so the good dates in the remaining months get booked early.

8 to 6 Months Before

Now the vendors. Talk to two or three for each job and get the rate in writing.

Pay advances only with a receipt. Write the vendor's name and phone number on one sheet, and give a copy to someone on each side.

5 to 3 Months Before

The middle months are about things you can hold in your hand.

• Buy or order the jewellery. Mangalsutra or thali first, then the rings and the bride's set.
• Finalise the invitation card wording in both families' names, and print it.
• Plan the engagement function (nichayathartham, roka or sagai) if it is separate.
• Do the medical tests both families agreed on, such as blood group and thalassemia screening.
• Start collecting documents for the marriage registration: age proof and address proof for both, plus passport photos.
• Book the mehendi, sangeet or haldi venues, if these are separate events.

Send the first invitations to relatives who live far away, three months ahead. Close family abroad need time to plan leave.

2 Months to 1 Month Before

This is the month of trials and payments.

1. Distribute the invitations in person to close relatives, and by post or WhatsApp to the rest.
2. Do the final fitting of the wedding clothes and the makeup trial.
3. Confirm the menu with the caterer, and the number of plates for each meal.
4. Pay the second instalment to vendors, as agreed.
5. Buy the return gifts and the items for the rituals, using the list the priest gives.
6. Make a seating and room plan for guests staying overnight.
7. Keep the bride's and groom's original documents in one folder for the registration.

The Last Two Weeks

The last 14 days are for confirming, not deciding.

• Call every vendor and confirm the date and reporting time once more, and the hall address.
• Collect the clothes and jewellery and keep them in one locked cupboard.
• Get cash ready for small payments on the day, in an envelope per person to be paid.
• Hand one person on each side the vendor sheet and the phone list.
• Pack a small bag for the bride and one for the groom: safety pins, medicines, a phone charger, a spare shirt.

The Day Before and the Wedding Day

The day before, check the hall arrangements and the stage. Make sure the priest has every item on his list.

Write the muhurat time in large letters on a card and give it to the person in charge on each side. If the muhurat is at 6:15 am, ask the makeup artist what time she must start, and give her that time in writing too.

On the wedding day, assign one person on each side to stay near the couple. Give another person the job of paying vendors, so the parents can be with their guests.

Ask the photographer to take one clear photo of the couple with the main ritual. The registrar office may ask for a wedding photo, and this one will do.

Who Does What, Bride's Side and Groom's Side

Customs differ by community, so treat this as a starting split to discuss at the engagement, and change it as your families agree.

Write the split down. A written list, kept by both fathers, saves arguments in the last month.

More planning guides are in our Indian wedding planning section.

Paperwork After the Wedding

After the wedding, register the marriage first and update other documents after that, because the marriage certificate is the proof for every later change.

Marriage Registration

Under section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, each state makes its own rules for registering Hindu marriages, and a state can make registration compulsory. Forms and fees differ from state to state, so check with the registrar office named in your state's rules.

Common items are age proof and address proof for both, wedding photos, the invitation card and witnesses. Go soon after the wedding, while the photos are fresh and the witnesses are still in town.

Name Change on Aadhaar, PAN and Passport

Changing the surname after marriage is a choice, not a legal must. If the bride decides to change it, update the documents in this order.

1. Aadhaar first. Carry the marriage certificate to an Aadhaar centre, and check the accepted documents in the list on UIDAI's enrolment and update page.
2. PAN next. Apply for a change in PAN data so the name matches Aadhaar, since the two are linked.
3. Passport after that. Apply for a reissue with the changed name, or to add the spouse's name, on the Passport Seva website. Check the current fee there before paying, because the fees were revised from 1 July 2026.
4. Bank accounts, the employer's records and insurance nominations last.