Start from what each event costs you, then package it the way couples actually book. If a charge always applies, it goes in the price you show.
Step 1
Start with your cost per event
Before you look at anyone else's prices, write down what one event costs you to deliver:
- Time: planning calls, travel, set-up, the event itself, take-down and any editing or follow-up.
- People: every staff member or second pair of hands, at what they cost you per hour.
- Materials: ingredients, flowers, props, henna, prints, fuel, hire items.
- Overheads: insurance, equipment, software, marketing, spread across the events you do in a year.
Add the profit you need on top. That is your floor. Anything below it is a favour, not a booking.
Step 2
Build three layers
1. Packages. Two to four is usually enough. Each one needs a name, the events it suits, what it includes, what it does not, and a price. Name them by what they do ("Mehndi night, up to 150 guests") rather than by metals or gems, so couples can tell them apart at a glance.
2. Piece-by-piece services. A clear list of extras with a price each: an extra hour, a second shooter, a dessert table, an extra artist for guests, a stage upgrade. Couples like to build their own, and families often want to add one thing rather than jump a whole package.
3. Multi-ceremony bundles. South Asian weddings often run over several events: a mehndi, a nikkah or anand karaj or pheras, a baraat, a walima or reception. Families usually plan the whole wedding at once, so a bundle matches how they buy.
Step 3
Pricing several ceremonies together
Cost each event on its own
Use your cost per event from step 1 for each ceremony in the bundle.
Find the real saving
One trip instead of two, shared set-up, one planning call instead of three. Pass on part of that saving, not all of it.
Set the rules in writing
Say what happens if one event moves, shrinks or is cancelled, and how the deposit and balance apply across the bundle.
Step 4
Show your prices openly
Open prices save time on both sides. A couple who sees a "from" price before enquiring is already comfortable with it, so your first reply can be about their day, not about money.
The Competition and Markets Authority's price transparency guidance (CMA209) also sets out what UK consumers should see:
- Show the total price, including mandatory charges. If a couple has to pay it to book you, such as a set-up or travel charge that always applies, it belongs in the headline price.
- "From" prices are fine if they include all mandatory charges and do not mislead about what the price covers.
- Optional extras can be listed separately. An extra hour or an upgrade that couples can decline is not a mandatory charge.
- VAT counts as mandatory for consumer prices, so show prices including VAT if you charge it.
This is general information, not legal advice. Check the CMA guidance or ask your accountant for your own position.
Step 5
Deposits and payment dates
Keep it simple: a deposit to confirm, then the balance before the event. On Nodus you set your own deposit and balance terms, and we give you guidance and a standard template to start from. Keep the deposit to a small share of the total, as the CMA advised wedding venues in 2016, and make sure what you would keep on a cancellation reflects your real loss. Clear, fair terms are easier to enforce and easier for families to agree to.
The numbers
What you keep on Nodus
Nodus takes commission from each payment you receive through it: 3% for founding vendors for their first 24 months, then 8%, and 8% standard. No subscription, no listing charge. Couples never see a fee, so the price they pay is your price.
| Illustrative package price | Commission at 3% (founding) | Commission at 8% (standard) |
|---|---|---|
| £1,000 | £30 | £80 |
| £2,500 | £75 | £200 |
| £6,000 | £180 | £480 |
Illustrative figures only, showing commission arithmetic. Stripe's own card processing fees are paid by you, the vendor, on top of the commission shown.
Storefront packages are coming to the app. When they arrive, each package on your Nodus profile will have its inclusions, exclusions, the events it suits and a fixed, "from" or on-request price, and couples will be able to filter by budget. Try your own numbers in the earnings calculator.
Put it into practice with the package pricing template, see how packages will show on your storefront, and answer price questions quickly with the enquiry reply templates.
Questions
Most vendors do well with two to four packages, each with a clear name, the events it covers, what is included and what is not, and a price. Add a list of piece-by-piece services so couples can build what they need.
Showing at least a 'from' price filters out enquiries that will never book and builds trust. UK guidance from the CMA says a 'from' price is fine if it includes all mandatory charges and does not mislead.
If you are VAT registered and selling to consumers, the CMA treats VAT as a mandatory charge that should be included in the price you show. Check with your accountant for your own position.
Cost each event on its own first: staff, hours, travel, materials and set-up. Then decide what you save by doing them together, such as one travel trip or shared set-up, and pass on some of that saving. State what happens if one event moves or is cancelled.
Nodus takes commission from each payment you receive through it: 3% for founding vendors for their first 24 months, then 8%, and 8% standard. There is no subscription. Couples never see a fee; the price they pay is your price.