Start 12 months out, and before you book anyone, agree the events, the budget and the guest numbers for each ceremony. The venue and caterer come first, then the photographer and decorator. Aim to have the mehndi artist, hair and makeup and music booked by six months. The legal notice has a fixed deadline: at least 29 days before the ceremony. Two weeks out, confirm final numbers and send every vendor the same timing sheet.
Before you start: three decisions
Every task below depends on these. Make them first, with both families in the room if you can.
- The events. Which ceremonies are you holding, on which dates, and which family hosts each one? A Punjabi Sikh wedding might have a jaggo, a mehndi, the anand karaj and a reception. A Pakistani wedding might have dholki evenings, a mehndi, a nikkah, a baraat and a walima. A Gujarati Hindu wedding might have a garba night, the wedding and a reception. Every family does it differently.
- The guest numbers per event. Not one total. Our guide to how many guests at an Asian wedding shows how to count by household.
- The budget per event. Split your total across ceremonies and categories with the free wedding budget planner.
Free toolNo account needed
12 months or more
9 to 12 months
6 to 9 months
3 to 6 months
1 to 3 months
The final month
The week itself
These are the first tasks in each stage. Ticks last for this visit only. The full list, to tick off and share with family, is coming to the app.
Save it in the appJoin the waitlist12 months before
- Agree the events, dates and hosts, and write them down.
- Set the total budget and the split per event.
- Draft guest numbers per event, by household.
- Shortlist venues for the biggest event and visit them. Use our questions to ask your venue.
- Check whether each venue has its own kitchen or requires approved caterers.
- For a religious ceremony, speak to your mosque, gurdwara or mandir about dates, requirements and whether the building is registered for legal marriages.
10 to 12 months before
- Book the main venue, or venues, and get the terms in writing.
- Book the caterer. Ask for an itemised quote per head and per event, and check the food hygiene rating. Our questions to ask your caterer help.
- Book the photographer and videographer for every event you want covered. See questions to ask your photographer.
- If you are having a civil ceremony separately, decide where: the register office or an approved venue.
8 to 10 months before
- Book the decorator and stage for each event. See questions to ask your decorator.
- Book the mehndi venue if it is separate from the main venue.
- Start outfits. Bridal wear made to order, whether in the UK or abroad, can take many months including alterations.
- Plan any travel for family coming from abroad, including visas.
6 to 8 months before
- Book hair and makeup, with a trial.
- Book the mehndi artist for the bride, and guest mehndi if you want it. See questions to ask your mehndi artist.
- Book entertainment: dhol players, DJ, live musicians, and a sound system for any event that needs one.
- Book transport for the baraat or the groom's arrival.
- Book the priest, granthi or imam if they aren't arranged through the place of worship.
4 to 6 months before
- Design and order invitations, with a separate card or line for each event.
- Menu tasting with your caterer, and agree the menu per event in writing.
- Plan favours and mithai boxes.
- Buy or order jewellery and accessories.
- Check every booking has a written confirmation and a payment schedule.
2 to 3 months before
- Send invitations. Ask for RSVPs by event, not just yes or no.
- Give notice at your local register office if you haven't already. It must be at least 29 days before the ceremony, and you must have lived in the district for the past 7 days.
- Confirm the ceremony details with your place of worship: timings, dress code, what may and may not happen inside.
- First outfit fittings.
- Book any extra help: ushers, a family coordinator, childcare.
1 month before
- Chase RSVPs and draft final numbers per event.
- Write a timing sheet for every event: arrival, ceremony, food, speeches, finish.
- Confirm access, set-up and finish times with each venue, including any curfew.
- Final fittings.
- Book the bride's mehndi appointment time. Many artists suggest one to two days before the wedding, as henna darkens over 24 to 48 hours.
2 weeks before
- Confirm final numbers with caterers and venues, in writing.
- Send the timing sheet to every vendor, with one family contact per event.
- Pay balances as they fall due, and keep every receipt.
- Prepare cash envelopes, gifts and anything else the family customs need.
The wedding week
- Hand one trusted family member the vendor contact list and the timing sheets.
- Keep one bag per event: outfits, jewellery, documents, chargers, safety pins.
- For the legal ceremony, bring what the registrar asked for.
- Eat something.
After the wedding
- Return hired items and collect deposits held by venues.
- Pay anything outstanding and file the paperwork.
- Chase photo and video delivery dates.
- Leave honest reviews for vendors who earned them.
What changes by faith and region
The checklist above is the common spine. Each tradition adds its own tasks, and customs vary by family and region. A few to plan for:
| Tradition | Extra tasks to plan | Our guide |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim | Mosque requirements, wali and witnesses, the mehr, whether the nikkah venue is registered | Muslim wedding timeline |
| Sikh | Gurdwara booking and meetings, dress code, milni, langar, the jaggo | Sikh wedding planning |
| Hindu | Priest, auspicious date and time, mandap, fire rules at the venue, haldi and sangeet | Hindu wedding planning |
Regional differences matter just as much. A Bengali family's gaye holud, a Gujarati family's garba and a Punjabi family's jaggo each need their own space, music and food.
The events on this list, explained
If a relative uses a word you don't know, our glossary has short explanations of each event and custom:
| Event | What it is |
|---|---|
| Dholki | Evenings of singing with the dholki drum before the wedding |
| Mayun and haldi | Turmeric paste applied to the bride and groom by family |
| Mehndi | Henna, music and food, sometimes one event for each side |
| Sangeet | A night of music and dance, from North Indian tradition |
| Jaggo | A Punjabi night-before celebration with a lamp-lit pot |
| Nikkah | The Islamic marriage contract, with the agreed mehr |
| Anand karaj | The Sikh marriage ceremony at the gurdwara, after the milni |
| Baraat | The groom's party arriving for the wedding |
| Rukhsati and vidaai | The bride's farewell to her family |
| Walima | The wedding feast, often hosted by the groom's family |
Planning in the north
Nodus starts in the north of England. If you're marrying in Bradford, Leeds, Manchester, Bolton, Blackburn, Preston or Huddersfield, our city pages list local vendors as they join, alongside local notes on venues and caterers. Give notice at the register office for the district where you live, which may not be the city where you marry.
Three habits that save the most stress
Keep every quote in writing. A WhatsApp voice note is not a quote. Ask for an itemised quote that lists what's included per event, the deposit, the balance and the date each is due. Read our deposit and booking checklist before you pay anything.
Give every vendor the same information. List every event, date, venue postcode and guest number in one message. Vendors can only quote well for what they know about.
Keep one list both families can see. A lot of planning goes wrong in the gap between what one relative agreed and what the other relative thinks was agreed.
Where the full checklist lives
The free wedding checklist tool shows the timeline and the first tasks for each stage. A full task manager with a South Asian template, organised by ceremony, is coming to the Nodus app, along with a budget tracker and guest list with RSVPs by event.
In the app you can browse vendors, message them and keep quotes and bookings in one place. When you book, you pay a deposit to confirm, then the balance before your event, each paid directly to your vendor through Stripe.
Questions
Around 12 months before is a good start, and earlier for a summer Saturday or a popular hall. The venue, caterer and photographer book up first. If your date is less than 12 months away, do the 12-month and 10-month tasks together in the first fortnight.
The venue for the biggest event, then the caterer, since many halls either have their own kitchen or a list of approved caterers. After that, the photographer and videographer, then the decorator. Everything else fits around those dates.
At least 29 days before the ceremony, and within the 12 months before it, at your local register office in England and Wales. You need to have lived in the district for the past 7 days. Book the appointment well ahead.
Many artists recommend one to two days before the wedding, because henna darkens over the following 24 to 48 hours. Ask your artist what works for their paste and your schedule.
Yes. Our free wedding checklist tool shows the timeline and the first tasks for each stage. The full interactive task list, organised by ceremony, is coming to the Nodus app.
Start with your first three decisions
Set your events, guests and budget, then start messaging vendors. Nodus is free for couples.
Start planning Join the waitlist