Planning · October 2026

How to Choose a Wedding Venue in India: 9 Questions Before You Sign

A venue fixes more of your wedding than any other decision: the date, the guest list, the food, the décor limits and a large share of the budget. Choose it from a photograph and you inherit every rule in its contract. These are the nine questions we ask before a family signs.

Does it fit every function?

Question one: does it fit every function? Count spaces, not just seats. A typical wedding needs separate settings for haldi, mehendi, sangeet, the pheras and the reception. Check each space holds your highest guest number with room for a stage, a bar and a dance floor.

Is your date free?

Question two: is your date free, and for how long? For a peak-season destination wedding between November and February, iconic venues book 12 to 16 months out. Ask whether the venue is holding the whole span you need, including set-up the day before.

Where will guests sleep?

Question three: where will guests sleep? For a destination wedding, the room block matters as much as the lawns. Ask how many rooms the venue can hold for you, until what date, and what happens to rooms your guests don't take.

What are the food and vendor rules?

Question four: what are the food and vendor rules? Most hotels insist on in-house catering with a minimum spend. Farmhouses are more flexible on outside caterers. Ask about corkage, which runs ₹500 to ₹1,500 a bottle if you bring your own alcohol, and entry fees for outside decorators.

When does the music stop?

Question five: when does the music stop? Ask for the curfew, the noise limits and the overtime rate. In Delhi NCR, published overtime runs ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh an hour, and weddings run late routinely. Get the hourly rate written into the contract.

What happens if it rains?

Question six: what happens if it rains? Every outdoor function needs a covered backup that can be set up in the time you'll actually have. Ask to see it, and ask who decides when to move.

Can your elders get around?

Question seven: can your elders get around? Check the distance from the airport or station, ramps and lifts, the walk from parking to the mandap, and the toilets nearest each space. The guests who struggle most are rarely the ones who will complain.

Have you seen it at the right hour?

Question eight: have you seen it at the right hour? Visit at the time of day your function will run. A lawn that glows at five in the afternoon can sit in deep shadow by seven, and a ballroom's power and service entrances only show up when you walk them.

What does the contract say about your money?

Question nine: what does the contract say about your money? Published venue-group guidance puts the signing advance at typically 10 to 25 percent of the contract value. Read the cancellation clause line by line, and get GST treatment, overtime and every extra fee in writing before you pay.