# Planning a wedding in India from abroad: a 12-month timeline

Source: https://www.marryloom.com/guides/planning-a-wedding-in-india-from-abroad

Publisher: MarryLoom (https://www.marryloom.com)

Updated: 2026-11-05

By MarryLoom Planning Team. Published 24 September 2026.

**In short:** Planning a wedding in India from abroad takes about 9 to 12 months. Choose the destination and venue first. Send save-the-dates by month nine so guests can sort out leave and visas, confirm vendors by month six, and start on guest travel from month four. A planner in India handles site visits and vendors, and runs the wedding days.

## 12 to 9 months before

- **Pick the season first.** For most of India that’s October to March. Our guide to the [best time for a wedding in India](/guides/best-time-for-a-wedding-in-india) goes region by region.
- **Choose the destination.** It might be the backwaters in Kerala, a beach in Goa, a palace in Udaipur or Jaipur, or the Ganges at Rishikesh.
- **Set a budget in your currency.** Our [cost calculator](/tools/destination-wedding-cost-calculator) gives you a range in dollars, pounds, euros or dirhams in a minute.
- **Book the venue.** Popular dates from December to February go 9 to 12 months ahead, and palaces go even earlier.

## 9 to 6 months before

- **Send save-the-dates.** Your guests need time to arrange leave and flights, and to get visas.
- **Decide your legal route.** Most couples marry legally at home and celebrate in India. Our guide to [getting married in India as a foreigner](/guides/getting-married-in-india-as-a-foreigner) explains both routes.
- **Book the key vendors.** That means the photographer and film team, décor and music.

## 6 to 3 months before

- **Share a guest travel page.** Put the dates, hotels, dress codes, visa steps and airport transfers on one page, and send everyone the link.
- **Plan the functions.** You might have a welcome dinner, a mehndi (henna) afternoon, a sangeet night of music and dance, the ceremony and a reception. Keep the ones that feel like you.
- **Menus and tastings.** If you can’t visit, you can do these by video with the chef.

## 3 to 1 months before

- **Guests apply for visas.** Many nationalities can apply online for an Indian e-Visa, and we remind everyone in good time.
- **Rooming list and transfers.** We match every flight to a car or coach.
- **Final design sign-off.** You approve the mood boards and 3D mock-ups of every setting.

## Wedding week

- **Arrivals.** We meet every guest at the airport.
- **Rehearsal.** We walk through the ceremony with the officiant and both families.
- **The days themselves.** Your planner runs every function, and you get to enjoy them.

## Do we need to visit India before the wedding?

Not necessarily. Many couples come once, about six months before, to see the venue and taste the food. Others plan the whole thing by video, with live walk-throughs of the venue on a phone.

## Questions

### How far in advance should we plan a wedding in India?

Give yourselves nine to twelve months for peak season (December to February), and at least six months at other times of year.

### Can we plan an Indian destination wedding without visiting?

Yes. Many couples plan everything by video call, with live walk-throughs of the venue, and arrive a few days before the wedding.

### When should we send save-the-dates to guests abroad?

About nine months before the wedding. That gives guests time to arrange leave and flights, and to get visas.