Maharashtrian Wedding Planning Checklist - A Month-by-Month Guide
A month-by-month Maharashtrian wedding checklist: muhurat, hall, caterer, Paithani, jewellery, rituals, legal age, marriage registration and the last week.
Raj Patil · Founder, Vivah Swapn
Raj Patil is the founder of Vivah Swapn and writes about matchmaking, building strong matrimony profiles, and Maharashtrian marriage traditions.
To plan a Maharashtrian wedding, start six to eight months ahead: fix the muhurat and budget, book the mangal karyalaya and caterer, then order the Paithani and jewellery, print the patrika, plan the sakharpuda, kelvan and halad, and confirm every vendor in the last week. After the wedding, register the marriage within 90 days. This checklist puts each task in the month it belongs, so both families know what is due and when.
6-8 months before the wedding
The big decisions.
- Fix the muhurat with your family priest, and keep two or three backup dates. If you are looking at next year, our list of shubh vivah muhurat dates for 2027 and the guide to Maharashtra's wedding seasons show which months are open.
- Set a realistic budget. Agree openly with the other family who pays for what, and where you want to spend more and where less.
- Shortlist and book the mangal karyalaya. Visit in person and check capacity, parking, kitchen, toilets, rooms for both families, and backup power. Popular halls go first on the big muhurat dates.
- Book the caterer. Ask for a tasting, and check they can do the full Maharashtrian menu (varan bhaat, masale bhaat, aluchi bhaji, batatyachi bhaji, jilebi or shrikhand puri). Our Maharashtrian wedding food guide covers what usually goes on the plate.
- Book the photographer and videographer.
- Start looking for the bride's nauvari or Paithani. A handwoven Paithani can take weeks to make.
4-6 months before
Clothes, jewellery and invitations.
- Finalise the groom's clothes (dhoti-kurta, sherwani or suit), and the pheta if your family wears one.
- Buy or book the bridal jewellery: mangalsutra, nath, mundavalya, thushi, chinchpeti, kolhapuri saaj, patlya and the hirva chuda.
- Buy clothes for immediate family.
- Finalise and print the wedding patrika. Many families also send a digital invitation on WhatsApp.
- Book the priest (guruji) and ask for the order of rituals your family follows.
- Book the makeup artist and the nauvari drape artist for the bride.
- For an out-of-town wedding, book rooms for close relatives.
2-3 months before
Pre-wedding events and arrangements.
- Plan the sakharpuda, if it has not happened yet: venue, guest list and the gifts each side will give. Our sakharpuda guide explains the customs.
- Plan the kelvan. Relatives traditionally host the bride and groom for meals in the weeks before the wedding, so share the dates with them.
- Plan the halad (haldi): at home or at the hall, who applies it, and the turmeric, oil and other puja items.
- Ask the priest about the devak pratishthapana and seemant pujan, usually held the day before the wedding or on the morning of it, and what you need for each.
- Plan the mehendi if you are having one.
- Finalise the decoration: mandap, flowers, lighting and stage.
- Arrange the varat: the groom's procession with a horse or car, and a band or dhol-tasha.
- Book sanai-chaughada for the ceremony and a DJ or music for the reception, if you want them.
- If your family holds a gondhal or jagran after the wedding, book the gondhali group now.
- Buy return gifts for guests, if you are giving any.
1 month before
Confirmations and details.
- Finish distributing invitations. Call the key relatives to confirm they are coming.
- Give the caterer a firm headcount.
- Final fittings for the bride, the groom and immediate family.
- Write out the order of rituals with the priest. A common sequence is Ganpati puja and punyahavachan, devak, seemant pujan, Gaurihar puja for the bride, antarpat and mangalashtak, kanyadan, vivah homa, saptapadi and the tying of the mangalsutra, then the varat and griha pravesh at the groom's home. Families and communities vary, so follow your priest. Our wedding rituals guide explains each step.
- Collect the mangalsutra and rings.
- Prepare the rukhwat (the display of the bride's handiwork and sweets), if your family keeps the custom.
- Check the legal basics. The groom must be at least 21 and the bride at least 18 on the wedding day, under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. Keep age proof for both.
- Confirm honeymoon bookings, if any.
1 week before
Final checks.
- Reconfirm every vendor: hall, caterer, photographer, decorator, makeup and drape artist, priest, transport, band and DJ.
- Pack a day-of kit: safety pins, needle and thread, spare bindis and chandrakor, kunku, a small mirror, tissues, water and snacks.
- Choose one trusted cousin or friend as the day-of coordinator, so the couple and parents can stay with the rituals.
- Walk through the venue: seating, stage, sound and the kitchen.
- Check that the halad, devak and puja items are packed.
- Keep cash ready for the priest's dakshina, tips and small expenses.
- Put the marriage registration documents in one folder: age and address proof for both, passport photographs, the patrika, and ID for three witnesses. Our marriage registration documents list has the details.
The wedding day
Breathe. Enjoy it. The planning is done.
- The bride should start getting ready three to four hours before the muhurat; a draped nauvari and jewellery take time.
- Check the mandap, stage and decoration are ready on time.
- Give the order of rituals and the priest's number to the coordinator.
- Keep the day-of kit within reach.
- Ask one person to stay in touch with the caterer about meal timings.
- Ask the photographer to make sure there are clear photographs of the ceremony; you will need them for registration.
- Above all, be present. This day is yours.
After the wedding: register the marriage
Every marriage in Maharashtra must be registered under the Maharashtra Regulation of Marriage Bureaus and Registration of Marriages Act, 1998. Under section 6, the memorandum is to be filed with the Registrar within 90 days of the wedding, with both of you and three witnesses present. It can still be registered later, with a small penalty. A marriage certificate is needed for passports, visas, bank accounts and name changes, so do not leave it for later. Our marriage registration guide walks through the process.
A note on budget and dowry
Every family's budget is different, and a good wedding does not need an extravagant one. Spend on what matters most to you, whether that is the food, the hall, the photographs or the clothes, and be comfortable saying "this is enough" everywhere else.
Sharing wedding costs between families is a normal conversation. Demanding money, gold or goods as a condition of the marriage is dowry, and giving, taking or demanding it is an offence under the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961. Our post on dowry law and wedding costs explains where the line falls.
Frequently asked questions
How early should we start planning a Marathi wedding? Six to eight months is comfortable. If your date is one of the most popular muhurats of the season, book the hall and caterer even earlier.
What should we book first? The muhurat, then the hall, then the caterer. Everything else is planned around those three.
What are the pre-wedding events in a Maharashtrian wedding? Usually the sakharpuda, kelvan, halad, and the devak and seemant pujan close to the wedding. Mehendi and sangeet are newer additions some families include.
When must the marriage be registered in Maharashtra? Within 90 days of the wedding under the 1998 Act. Registration after that is still possible, with a penalty.
If the planning has not started because you are still looking for the right person, begin on Vivah Swapn's Marathi matrimony pages. Find your match first; this checklist will be here when you are ready.