Checklist

Indian wedding checklist

Every task, in the order it has to happen, from twelve months out to the week after. Tick items off as you go, or copy the whole list into a shared workspace.

By the shaadi.diy team · Last updated July 2026

An Indian wedding checklist runs in eight phases: budget, guest count and venue at nine to twelve months; caterer, photographer and decor at six to nine; music, outfits and your wedding website at four to six; invitations at two to three months; rooming lists and running orders at one month; final headcounts at two weeks; payments and arrivals in the wedding week; and returns and photos afterwards.

The ordering matters more than the contents. Almost every item here blocks something in a later phase — booking a venue before the guest count is settled, or printing invitations before the website exists, is what turns a manageable plan into an expensive one.

12–9 months before

Decisions that constrain everything else, and the bookings that run out first.

Agree the maximum total budget, and which family or person covers which categories
Draft both families’ household lists and settle a guest count range
Fix the date or muhurat window with both families
Decide which functions you are hosting, and which are large versus family-only
Shortlist and visit venues; check capacity, in-house catering rules and closing time
Book the venue or venues and pay the deposits
Decide whether you are engaging a planner or a day-of coordinator
Open a shared planning workspace both families can see

9–6 months before

The vendors whose calendars fill next, and the first guest communication.

Book the caterer; taste the menu and get inclusions in writing
Book photography and video; confirm which shooter is actually assigned to your dates
Book the decor vendor; ask for an itemised quote rather than a single number
Hold a hotel room block for outstation guests
Send save-the-dates, especially to guests who need to book travel or leave
Book the pandit or officiant and confirm the ritual timings
Start outfit conversations — bridal and groom wear commissioned to measure takes months

6–4 months before

Everything with a lead time, plus the website guests will be pointed at.

Book music, DJ, dhol and any live performers; confirm whether sound and lighting are included
Book mehendi artists and makeup artists for each function that needs them
Commission outfits and jewellery; schedule the first fittings
Publish your wedding website with the schedule, venues, maps and RSVP form
Book the pre-wedding shoot if you are doing one
Plan choreography for the sangeet, and block rehearsal dates while people are free
Confirm transport requirements — baraat, guest shuttles, airport pickups

3–2 months before

Invitations out, replies coming back, and the guest logistics taking shape.

Finalise the guest list per function and confirm addresses and phone numbers
Print invitation cards, including the QR code to your wedding website
Send invitations and open RSVP tracking
Order gifting, favours and shagun trays
Confirm the hotel block against actual outstation RSVPs and release what you do not need
Book beauty and grooming appointments for the week of the wedding
Arrange currency, envelopes and cash for on-day vendor tips and shagun

1 month before

Turning plans into instructions other people can follow.

Chase every household that has not replied
Build the rooming list with real check-in and check-out dates and room capacities
Write a running order for each function: what, when, who is responsible
Confirm setup and access times with the venue for every vendor
Complete outfit fittings, and makeup and hair trials
Confirm balance payment amounts and due dates with every vendor
Circulate an on-day contact list — one point of contact per day, not the couple

2 weeks before

The numbers get fixed. After this, changes cost money.

Send the final headcount per function to the caterer and the venue, in writing
Give the caterer the veg, non-veg, Jain and allergy split
Confirm the transport schedule against actual guest arrival times
Share the rooming list with the hotel front desk in print
Confirm the photography shot list and family group photo list
Pack a wedding-day kit: documents, rings, safety pins, chargers, cash, medication
Reconfirm the pandit, the mandap setup time and the baraat assembly point

The week of

Execution. Nobody should be making decisions this week.

Clear balance payments so nobody is chasing money on the day
Track guest arrivals and hand over room keys against the rooming list
Brief the family point of contact for each function with the running order
Confirm every vendor arrival time by message the day before
Hand tips and shagun envelopes to one nominated person, labelled
Charge everything, and hand your phone to someone else on the day itself

After the wedding

The short list that is always forgotten until it is late.

Return rented items and settle any venue overtime or damage charges
Collect the shared photo gallery from guests while the wedding is fresh
Send thank-you messages, and record who gave what if your family keeps a shagun register
Chase the photographer for the delivery date agreed in the contract
Update names and documents if either of you is changing them

The boxes above are yours to tick while you read, but they do not survive a page reload and only you can see them. If several people are working on this wedding, put the list somewhere shared — shaadi.diy has tasks with owners and dates alongside the guest list, budget and events, free.

Use this as a shared task list

Frequently asked

When should you start an Indian wedding checklist?

As soon as the date window is agreed, ideally nine to twelve months out. The first phase is mostly decisions rather than bookings, and those decisions are what every later item depends on.

What is the first thing to book?

The venue, once the guest count range and the date are settled. Venues on peak muhurat dates go furthest in advance, and everything else — catering scale, decor, transport, room blocks — is downstream of where and how many.

Can this checklist work for a wedding in four months?

Yes, by compressing the first three phases into the first few weeks and accepting a narrower vendor choice. What you lose with a short runway is the ability to walk away from a quote, which is where the cost increase comes from.

How do we share the checklist across the family?

Give each task an owner and a date somewhere both families can see it. Ticking a box in a shared list is faster than the status update message, and it means nobody does the same thing twice.

Keep reading

How to plan an Indian weddingThe reasoning behind this order.How much does an Indian wedding cost?What each of these phases costs.Wedding budget calculatorPhase one, in about a minute.Guest list managerThe list phase two depends on.Free wedding websitePublish before the cards go to print.Send invitations on WhatsAppThe two-to-three-month phase in detail.

A checklist works better when the whole family can see it.

Turn this into shared tasks with owners and dates, next to the guest list, budget and events.

Start planning free

Already have an account? Sign in