Most of it comes down to answering the family's questions before they have to ask. Show which ceremonies you cover, a starting price per event and whether you're free on their date. Then reply quickly with an itemised written quote and clear deposit terms, ask every client for an honest review, and plan your year around the Saturday peak.
Know the market you're selling to
South Asian weddings are a large and specific market. The 2021 Census counted 5.5 million people in England and Wales who identify as Asian, Asian British or Asian Welsh, 9.3% of the population. It counted 3.9 million Muslims and 1.0 million Hindus, and Sikh residents make up the highest shares of the population in Wolverhampton (12.0%) and Sandwell (11.5%). In Blackburn with Darwen, 35.0% of residents are Muslim.
What that means for you: families often plan several events in one week, with different hosts and guest lists, and they compare vendors across all of them. A photographer who covers the mehndi, nikkah, baraat and walima is worth more to a family than four separate bookings, if the offer is clear.
Timing matters too. The ONS counted 246,897 marriages in England and Wales in 2022, and 43.6% of them took place on a Saturday. Those figures leave out religious-only ceremonies in unregistered buildings, which many South Asian families hold, but the Saturday squeeze is familiar to every wedding vendor.
1. Show the ceremonies you cover
Families think in events. Say which ones you do and show work from each.
- Photographers and videographers: separate galleries for mehndi, nikkah, anand karaj, the mandap, baraat and receptions.
- Caterers: menus per event, with a mehndi menu and a main-day menu.
- Decorators: stages, mandaps and mehndi setups as separate examples.
- Mehndi artists: bridal and guest work, and a clear note that you use natural henna.
Show you know the rules of the places you work. A photographer who mentions gurdwara dress codes, or a decorator who asks about the venue's fire rules for a havan, earns trust fast.
2. Publish a starting price per event
Families are building a budget per ceremony, often with elders involved. A "from" price per event tells them whether to message you. You don't lose the chance to quote properly, because the exact price still depends on the date, venue and guest numbers.
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| "Prices on request" | "Mehndi coverage from £X. Full wedding week packages from £Y." |
| One package for "the wedding" | A package per event, plus a multi-event package |
| A PDF price list sent by WhatsApp | Prices on your profile, with what's included |
Our guide to pricing your packages goes into how to structure this.
3. Keep your calendar current
Most families have a date before they have anything else. If they can see you're free, they're more likely to enquire. If you're booked, a current calendar saves you both a wasted conversation.
Block dates as soon as they're confirmed, and mark dates you won't work. Our guide to setting up your calendar walks through it, and the wedding season calendar helps you plan the busy months.
4. Reply fast, and reply usefully
Families planning a wedding often message several vendors at once and compare the replies, so speed matters: the first clear answer shapes their shortlist. But a fast reply that says "call me" is less useful than a slightly slower one that moves the family forward. A good first reply:
- confirms whether you're free on their date;
- asks for what you need to quote: events, venues, guest numbers;
- gives a price range for what they asked about;
- says what happens next and by when.
If a family has asked for several events, answer each one. A reply that prices the walima but ignores the mehndi sends them to someone else. Keep templates for your common enquiries so you can reply well in minutes. Our enquiry reply templates are free.
5. Quote in writing, with clear terms
Families spending thousands want to see what they're paying for. An itemised written quote per event, with the deposit, the balance, the due dates and your cancellation terms, is easier to say yes to than a number in a voice note.
Clear terms also keep you on the right side of consumer law. Government guidance to businesses says you "may legitimately keep a deposit in full if it's no more than a small percentage of the price" and make clear when it becomes non-refundable, and that other cancellation charges should reflect a genuine estimate of your direct loss. It also says terms with a significant effect on the customer should be made prominent. Our couples' guide to deposits and cancellations shows what families will be reading.
6. Collect honest reviews
Many families find vendors by word of mouth, and reviews are word of mouth written down. After every event, ask the family for a review, and make it easy.
Keep it clean. Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has banned fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews in the UK, and the CMA published guidance for businesses on 4 April 2025. In short: don't write reviews for yourself or buy fake ones, and if you offer anything in return for a review, make that clear. The CMA's full guidance on fake reviews has the detail.
7. Be easy to check
Families and their elders will check you. Make it easy:
- a registered business name and address that match your invoices;
- for caterers, your food hygiene rating, which families can look up on the Food Standards Agency's site;
- current insurance;
- a portfolio that shows real events, with the family's permission.
To list on Nodus, every vendor goes through the same checks: ID, business details, insurance, and a food hygiene rating for caterers.
8. Work with the other vendors in the room
Many families book the venue first, then ask the venue, the caterer and the decorator who they trust. Vendors who work well together send each other work.
- Introduce yourself to the venues you want to work in, and learn their rules on access, set-up and finish times.
- Share photos with the other vendors after an event, with the family's permission, and credit them.
- Turn up on time and leave the room as you found it. Venue managers remember.
Know the vocabulary too. A photographer who knows the difference between a rukhsati and a vidaai, or when the milni happens, will plan the day better and be recommended more.
9. Fill the quieter months
The Saturday peak is where most families want you. Midweek, Friday, Sunday and winter dates are where you have room. Some families will move a mehndi or a walima to a quieter day for the right price. Say so on your profile.
Where Nodus fits
Nodus is a planning and booking app for South Asian weddings in the UK, starting in the north of England, with city pages for places like Bradford, Manchester and Leeds. See all locations. Families use it to find vendors, message them and book in one place.
For vendors, what matters is money and time:
- No subscription, no cost to join and no minimum term. Commission is taken from each payment you receive through Nodus: 3% for founding vendors for their first 24 months from when they join, then 8%. The standard rate is 8%. Founding places are limited. Couples never pay a fee.
- No exclusivity. Families can book several vendors in one category, so a family can book you for the mehndi and another photographer for the walima.
- Your profile is your storefront. Messaging and public profiles work today. Packages per ceremony, an availability calendar couples can filter by date, and a profile score are coming.
- Payments go straight to you. Couples pay a deposit to confirm, then the balance before the event, each paid directly into your own Stripe account. You set your own deposit and balance terms, and we give you guidance and a standard template. Stripe's processing fees are paid by you. Nodus never holds the money.
See how the numbers work with the vendor earnings calculator, check your profile with the vendor profile check, or compare commission and directory subscriptions.
Questions
Make it easy for families to decide. Show the ceremonies you cover, a starting price per event and your availability. Reply quickly with an itemised written quote. Build a portfolio for each ceremony, and ask every past client for an honest review.
Starting prices help. Families planning several events are building a budget per ceremony, and a 'from' price per event lets them see if you fit before they message. You can still quote exactly once you know the date, venue and guest numbers.
As soon as you can, and with something useful. Families often message several vendors at once, so an early, clear reply gives you a head start. A reply that confirms the date, asks for the missing details and gives a price range moves the family forward. Keep a set of reply templates so speed doesn't cost you accuracy.
Be careful. Since April 2025, UK law bans fake reviews and concealed incentivised reviews. If you offer anything in return for a review, that must be made clear. Read the CMA's guidance on fake reviews before you offer anything.
Nothing to join, no subscription and no minimum term. Commission is taken from each payment you receive through Nodus: 3% for founding vendors for their first 24 months from when they join, then 8%. The standard rate is 8%. Founding places are limited. Stripe's processing fees are paid by the vendor. Couples never pay a fee.
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