Resources · For couples
Free wedding planning resources
The questions to ask before you pay a deposit, written for families planning several ceremonies at once. Read them here, print them, or share them in the family group.
Most booking problems start with a question nobody asked. These sheets list the questions to ask each vendor before you pay anything, in the order a meeting usually goes, with a short note on why each one matters. They are written for families planning a mehndi, a nikkah or anand karaj or pheras, a baraat, a walima or reception, sometimes all in one week.
Before you book
Question sheets by vendor
Planning together
How to use them with your family
Print the sheet, or share the page link in the family group before a meeting. Decide who asks which questions, then write the answers on the sheet or in your notes app. After two or three meetings, put the answers side by side. The vendor with the clearest answers is often the one who will be clearest on the day.
Tools
Free tools to go with them
Use the sheets alongside the free wedding budget planner. When you're ready to keep everything in one place, the Nodus app holds your vendor conversations and quotes together, with more planning tools coming.
Questions
Ask what is included in the price, what the deposit is and when the balance is due, what happens if either of you cancels, who will actually turn up on the day, and whether they have worked your kind of wedding at your guest count. Each sheet here breaks that down by category.
Yes. Every question is on the page for free, and each sheet has a PDF version you can print or share. You never need an account to read them.
Venues and caterers usually come first, because they depend on your date and guest count and the popular dates go early. Photographers, decorators and mehndi artists follow once the date and venue are fixed.
Yes. On Nodus there is no exclusivity, so you can book a different caterer for the mehndi and the walima, or a photographer and a separate videographer.
No. They are general guidance to help you ask the right questions. The deposit and booking checklist gives general information about UK consumer rights with links to the official sources. For advice on your own contract, speak to Citizens Advice or a solicitor.
- Free resourceWedding deposit and booking checklistBefore paying a wedding deposit, get in writing the vendor's business details, an itemised quote, the total price, the deposit and balance with due dates, and what happens if either side cancels or the date moves. Under UK law unfair terms are not binding, and cancellation charges should cover a business's likely losses. General information, not legal advice.
- Free resourceQuestions to ask your wedding catererBefore you book a caterer for a South Asian wedding, ask whether they have cooked for your guest count, how they handle halal, vegetarian and allergy needs, exactly what the per-head price includes, who runs the day, and what the deposit and cancellation terms are. Check their food hygiene rating yourself on the Food Standards Agency site.
- Free resourceQuestions to ask your wedding decoratorBefore booking a decorator for a South Asian wedding, ask to see their own recent work at venues like yours, what the quote includes item by item, how long set-up and take-down take, whether they know your venue's rules, how they handle changeovers between events, what is hired rather than kept, and the deposit and cancellation terms.
- Free resourceQuestions to ask your mehndi artistBefore booking a mehndi artist, ask whether they mix natural henna and what goes into it, whether they offer a patch test, how long the bridal design takes and when to book it, how many guests they can do per hour, whether travel is included, and the deposit and cancellation terms. Avoid so-called black henna, which can contain PPD.
- Free resourceQuestions to ask your wedding photographerBefore booking a photographer for a South Asian wedding, ask to see full galleries from weddings like yours, how many hours and which ceremonies the package covers, whether there is a second shooter, how they work in low light, when you get the photos and in what form, who owns the copyright, and what happens if either side cancels.
- Free resourceQuestions to ask your wedding venueBefore booking a venue for a South Asian wedding, check the seated capacity for your guest count, whether you can bring your own caterer and decorator, access and curfew times, parking, rules on dhol, fireworks and candles, whether it can host a legal ceremony, and exactly what the hire fee includes. Get the deposit and cancellation terms in writing.
Keep going
Where next
- ExploreFree tools for South Asian weddingsFree tools for couples and wedding vendors: budget planner, checklist, guest count planner, catering calculator, earnings calculator and profile check.
- ExploreThe Nodus JournalGuides and practical advice on planning a South Asian wedding in the UK, from vetting vendors to keeping bookings in writing. From the Nodus team.
- For couplesYour South Asian wedding, finally in one place.Find vendors, send enquiries, manage bookings and pay vendors directly through Stripe. The South Asian wedding platform built for the UK. Sign up free.
Also useful: From first search to final payment, in one place. · Wedding deposit and booking checklist · Wedding deposits and cancellations in the UK · South Asian wedding glossary