Organising and arranging a Hindu wedding

Organising a Hindu wedding is not an easy task and can be stressful as there are many processes to follow and it needs to be arranged according to Hindu methods

limbachia.com Right from the start it must be understood that the wedding is a legal, a social, moral and religious event.

Most Hindus ceremony can be long lasting. However, according to the family involved and their traditions, the process can be customised and curtailed with the help of the priest.

Hindus believe in inviting family members and friends by personally delivering the invitation where possible and request for blessings for the upcoming wedding.

It can be a struggle to plan the wedding. Involve both the families from bride and groom  side and jointly decide the best way to organise the special day.

Organise and plan the event well ahead. You must allow minimum of 6 months for preparation. Year or over a year will will give you and your families’ ample time for preparation.

01. First and foremost you will need to consult your priest to arrange the most auspicious time, date, month and the year for the wedding and ensure you book the priest once you have the arrange the wedding day.

02. Work out your finances for the wedding. Once you have clear idea how much you will be able to afford your need to look for the most suitable venue.

03. You will have to visit several venue sites to consider:-

     A. The price of the venue

     B. Saturday venue will cost you an arm and the leg.

     C. Sunday and weekdays works out much cheaper in price.

     D. The Suitability of the venue

     E. Make sure the venue is easy to find

     F. Whether the havan rituals, sacred fire is allowed. There may be insurance issue.

     G. Is there is flexibility for the caterers or you have to choose from the list provided by the venue owner?

     H. Ensure you are allowed to bring beverages or not and other vital products?

     I. What are other facilities available, rooms, make up facilities etc.

     J. Parking facilities and for how many cars and if coaches are allowed?

03. Once you have decided on the venue immediately arrange for the Mandap as you will find it difficult to get one of your choice as you reach nearer to your wedding date as most of the Hindu wedding take place during certain period of the year.

04. The bride and the groom families and the priest need to finalise the events to include in the wedding.

05. There are many rituals in Hindu wedding. More ceremonies mean more expense. Keep control of your finances.

06. Arrange and book the caterer well in advance.

07. Decide on the menu.

08. Arrange food testing.

09. Make arrangement for the for the legal ceremony.

10. Musicians, Dolak etc.

11. Email out save that date in advance so people can make arrangement to take holidays from work.

12. Direction to the venue.

13. Ensure your wedding invitation is delivered and goes out in time.

14. Arrange for the Puja items (samagri) and all other required material for the occasion when requested by the priest. Without the guest you can’t have a wedding. Google Docs is the best way to organise your guest and other lists.

Workout how many guest will be attending the wedding from the brides and the groom side.

Start creating the list of names and their contact details.

Request for the R.S.V.P. (R.S.V.P. stands for a French phrase, "répondez, s'il vous plaît," which means "please reply"). Earlier the better but at least three months before the wedding to ensure you have final figure of guest attending the wedding.

Don’t look as far as your nose. Make sure your planning are up to the last details.

Collect most up to date details of your guests.
01. Proper name and the correct way to spell their names
02. Home Address
03. Email Address
04. Phone Number – landline and mobile
05. Specify which event or events your require guest to attend
06. Out of Town guest will need more time to organise to attend the wedding. Provide them with hotels and accommodation details if they wish to stay overnight or arrive earlier.
07. Save-the-Date sent
08. Date when invitation sent
09. Sitting arrangement
10. Record gift received from guest and reply them with thank you card or email.
11. Have contingency plan for the for any hiccups. Ensure you keep your appointments as schedules.

Delegate responsibilities to your trustworthy and reliable family member or friends

Use modern technology such as email, Skype, Facetime to save time and money

Publish a website.

Arrange to have your civil ceremony, Hindu wedding and reception at one venue.

Ensure you have the full list items required by priest and it is available at the wedding time.

Calm atmosphere for the wedding ceremony is essential for the prayers.

Make it clear to the Photographer and videographer not to interfere with the wedding procedures and do their jobs discretely.

Weather permitting organise the outdoor venues and plan accordingly.

Communicate is a must a keep all connection connected and ensure that there is no misunderstanding.

Everything must be planned and completed according to the time scale and scheduled.

There are always hiccups, ensure that you have the right person who can handle and rectify the issue.

Food must be provided as specific time and not during the Graha Shanti or during the Wedding ceremony.
If money is no object and you can hire a wedding planner to sort all your planning.