Mandap Planning Timeline: 12 Months to Your Wedding

A sensible mandap planning timeline starts about 12 months before the wedding: set the venue and date, agree a rough budget and shortlist designs. Book between nine and six months out, finalise details in the three months before, then confirm access and timings in the last month. Each stage has a few clear tasks.

Why plan your mandap on a timeline?

The mandap touches many other decisions: venue, ceremony timings, colour scheme, photographers and family arrangements. Choosing it in isolation, or too late, can leave you with fewer designs and more pressure. A timeline spreads the work across the months so each choice builds on the last.

These timings are a guide. Every couple's situation differs, and some families plan in six months while others take two years. Use the stages below as a checklist and adjust the dates to fit yours.

It also helps to decide who owns each task. In many families the couple, parents and a trusted relative all have opinions, so agree early who gathers quotes, who speaks to the venue and who has the final say on design. A shared note or spreadsheet with dates and names keeps everyone looking at the same plan and stops the same questions being asked of suppliers three times.

Twelve months out: venue, date and rough budget

Start with the things that constrain everything else. Confirm the venue and date, then ask the venue about decorating rules, access times and any restrictions on structures, flames or fresh flowers. Our guide to havan fire rules at wedding venues explains what to ask if your ceremony includes a fire.

At this stage, set a rough mandap budget. Our guide prices run from £1,495 for Essential designs, through Standard (£1,995 to £2,995) and Premium (£3,495 to £4,495), up to Luxury (£5,495 to £7,995). These are guide prices, and the exact figure depends on location, requirements, time on site and more, confirmed in the quote. Read how much mandap hire costs in the UK for a fuller breakdown.

• Confirm venue, date and ceremony location within the venue.
• Ask the venue for room dimensions, ceiling height and decorating rules.
• Talk to your priest and elders about what the ceremony needs, as customs differ.
• Agree a rough mandap budget and what you want it to include.

Nine to six months: compare and book

This is the main decision window. Browse designs on our mandaps page, save favourites and use the compare tool to view up to five side by side. Filter by price band if you already have a budget, for example Standard designs or Premium designs.

Once you have a shortlist, request quotes. A like-for-like comparison matters, so use our guide on how to compare mandap quotes and check what each quote includes. Our companion guide on what is included in mandap hire lists the usual extras, such as stage, carpets and entrance archways.

Six to three months: details, colours and extras

With the mandap booked, move on to the details. Decide on colours, optional flower upgrades, stage and aisle decoration, and any extras you want. Remember that additional artificial or fresh flowers are always an optional upgrade, so ask what each adds to the price. If you are weighing the two, read our guide to fresh versus artificial flowers.

This is also the time to share plans with other suppliers. Tell your photographer and videographer the design you have chosen. Tell your decorator or planner how the mandap fits with the rest of the room. Your caterer and DJ may need to know where the stage sits so equipment and service routes work.

Liaise with the venue

Ask the venue to approve the supplier's access plans in writing. Questions to cover include delivery route, loading times, parking, lift or door sizes, floor protection and whether other events are using the room before or after yours.

Check design against the room

Compare your chosen design to the measurements you collected. If anything looks tight, speak to the supplier now. Our guide to space, ceiling height and outdoor weddings lists what to measure.

The final month: timings, access and confirmation

A few weeks before, write a one-page schedule and send it to everyone involved. It should list the arrival time of the setup team, the finish time for the mandap, the time photographers can enter, the time guests are admitted and the dismantle time. Our guide to mandap setup and dismantle times helps you judge how much time to allow.

1. Reconfirm date, venue address and the name of the on-site contact.
2. Check the final design, colours and any flowers or extras with the supplier.
3. Pay the balance by the due date and keep the receipt.
4. Send the schedule to the venue, supplier, photographer and a family helper.
5. Confirm the plan for the priest's items and any ceremony furniture.

The week of the wedding and the day itself

In the final week, expect a quick call or message to confirm arrival times. Keep a phone number for the supplier and the venue contact to hand, and give the same numbers to a trusted relative who can act on your behalf. You should not be fielding calls on the morning of your own wedding.

On the day, someone other than you should meet the setup team, check the mandap against the agreed design and point out any worries early. Small fixes are easier while the team is still on site. Allow a short time for photographers to capture the finished mandap before guests arrive.

What if you are short on time?

If your wedding is closer than a year, keep the order but shorten the gaps. Confirm the venue rules first, set a rough budget, then shortlist and request quotes at the same time. Be flexible on design, as your first choice may not be available for your date. Our FAQs on booking cover common questions about timing.

To start your own mandap planning timeline today, browse all mandap designs, save a shortlist in the compare tool and send one enquiry through our quote page.