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12-month wedding timeline · NRI edition.

Month-by-month plan accounting for the things only NRI couples have to handle — OCI for foreign guests, FX timing, time-zone coordination.

⚡ Wedding hub → 🏛️ Destinations →
12mo
Lock the big rocks
Date · destination · budget
  • Pick wedding date (avoid monsoon Jun–Sep, exam season Mar)
  • Pick destination (see 8 venue picks)
  • Set budget — be realistic about ₹40L–5Cr range for destination NRI weddings
  • Visit + book primary venue (1-week trip back to India)
9mo
Vendors
Hire planner + lock photographer
  • Hire wedding planner (top NRI-friendly options: WeddingSutra Curates, Dreamzkraft, Q Events)
  • Lock photographer + videographer (book early — Stories By Joseph Radhik / Cupcake / Mahesh Shantaram book up 12mo+ ahead)
  • First Sabyasachi / Manish Malhotra appointment for bridal lehenga (4-6 fittings needed)
6mo
Guest list
Save-the-dates + OCI for foreign-passport guests
  • Send save-the-dates (digital — paper invites come at 2mo)
  • Foreign-passport guests need to apply for OCI cards or India visa NOW (60-90 day processing)
  • Block hotel rooms (most palaces require 50% deposit at this stage)
  • Open dedicated NRE/wedding-fund page if doing virtual gifting (build template)
3mo
Final details
FX timing · catering · decor sign-off
  • Move bulk FX from foreign account to NRE — avoid moving in single tranche (compare rates on FX Compare)
  • Catering tasting trip (1 weekend in India)
  • Final decor sign-off + payment milestones
  • Send paper invites — physical to India guests, digital to NRI guests
  • Bachelor / bachelorette parties planned
1mo
Wrap up
RSVPs + final fittings
  • Final RSVPs locked (chase the slow ones — palace per-head pricing kicks in)
  • Bridal lehenga final fitting (last fitting must be before you fly)
  • Mehndi artist + makeup artist trial
  • Confirm vendor payment schedule for the day-of
1wk
Fly + execute
Land. Verify. Wedding.
  • Land 5–7 days before — recover from jet lag, allow buffer for surprises
  • Final venue walk-through with planner
  • Pre-events: mehndi, sangeet, haldi (over 3 days typical)
  • Wedding + reception
  • Honeymoon — plan some buffer days first to recover (see honeymoon picks)

Continue · Wedding planning

📸
Who
NRI-friendly vendors
Planners, photographers, decorators, makeup artists.
📋
Checklist
Wedding in India · checklist
Step-by-step pre-trip + day-of checklist.