# Punjabi Wedding Events in Order: Roka to Reception

> Every Punjabi and Sikh wedding event in order, from roka and paath to jaggo, choora, Anand Karaj, doli and reception, with real sample weeks and guest lists.
- **Author**: PlanMe team
- **Published**: 2026-11-02
- **Modified**: 2026-11-02
- **Category**: Events
- **URL**: https://www.planme.club/articles/punjabi-wedding-events-in-order

---

Your mami wants to know which night is the jaggo, the gurdwara wants a date for the Anand Karaj, the henna artist says the mehndi can't be the day before, and your cousin in another state is asking how many nights to book. A Punjabi wedding is a week of events (functions, as most families call them) with different hosts and different guest lists. Here's each one in order, who usually hosts it, who usually comes, and how real couples have laid out the week.

*Audience: For Sikh and Hindu Punjabi couples and parents planning a wedding mostly in the US, Canada and the UK, for people marrying into a Punjabi family, and for guests who want to know what they're invited to*

### On this page

1. The short answer: Punjabi wedding events in order
2. Months before: roka, kurmai, chunni and sahe chithi
3. The paath: akhand path or sehaj paath
4. The wedding week, event by event
5. Anand Karaj morning: sehra bandi, milni and laavan
6. Gurdwara checklist for hosts
7. Doli, reception and phera pauna (pag phera)
8. If you're Hindu Punjabi, or Punjabi from Pakistan
9. Sample schedules: real weeks from Reddit
10. Who gets invited to which event: a worked example
11. Running a different guest list for each event
12. Running the week in PlanMe
13. Sources
14. Common questions

Most guides to Punjabi wedding events and functions are written as glossaries: what a jaggo is, what a choora means. That helps, and we link the good ones below. This one is written for the people hosting, because the order of events is also the order of decisions: who hosts which night, whose list it follows, which events can share a venue, and when the bride needs a rest day.

Customs vary by family, village, region and faith. Sikh families marry with the Anand Karaj at a gurdwara; Hindu Punjabi families usually marry with pheras around a sacred fire. Both share most of the events around the ceremony. Plenty of families skip, rename or combine events, so treat the sequence below as the default most relatives and vendors expect, then make it yours.

## The short answer: Punjabi wedding events in order

A typical Sikh Punjabi wedding runs in this order: the roka and engagement (kurmai or sagai) months before, then in the wedding week a paath, the mehndi, the ladies sangeet, the jaggo, the maiyan and the choora, then the wedding morning with the sehra bandi, the milni and the Anand Karaj, followed by the doli and the reception.

| Event | Usually when | Usually hosted by | Who usually comes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Roka / thaka | Months before, once the match is agreed | Both families, often at one family's home | Parents, siblings, grandparents |
| Kurmai / sagai and chunni chadhana | Months or weeks before | Groom's family visits the bride (or a joint party) | Close family; bigger if it's an engagement party |
| Akhand path or sehaj paath (bhog) | The week before, or the days just before | Each family, at home or the gurdwara | Close family and friends, plus anyone from the sangat |
| Mehndi | At least two days before the wedding | Bride's family (the groom may have his own) | Mostly the bride's side, often women |
| Ladies sangeet | A night in the wedding week | Bride's family, or both families jointly | Each side's guests, or both if joint |
| Jaggo | Traditionally the night before the wedding; many families now hold it a night or two earlier | The maternal family (nanke) at each home | A big, loud gathering of family, friends and neighbors |
| Maiyan | The days before, often a morning | Each family at its own home | Close family |
| Choora | The day before the wedding, or that morning | Bride's family; her mama places the choora | Closest family only |
| Sehra bandi, milni, Anand Karaj | The wedding morning | Groom's family (sehra), bride's family (milni, gurdwara) | Both families and their guests; the gurdwara is open to all |
| Doli | After the ceremony (or after the reception) | Bride's family | Family and whoever is still there |
| Reception | The wedding evening or the next day | Either family, or both jointly | By invitation; often the biggest list |

That spine matches the guides that cover it well, from [Punjabi Wedding Organizer's order of a Sikh wedding](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/blog/order-of-a-sikh-wedding) to [The Knot's guide to Sikh wedding traditions](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding) and UK-based [Kalyanam's nine steps of a Punjabi wedding](https://blog.kalyanam.co.uk/indian-pakistan-tamil-weddings/9-steps-of-a-punjabi-wedding/). Where they differ is the middle of the week: whether the sangeet comes before or after the mehndi, and which events share a night. That's also where every real couple's plan looks different.

For the pan-Indian version of this list (haldi, sangeet, baraat, pheras, vidaai), see [Indian wedding events in order](https://www.planme.club/articles/indian-wedding-events-in-order). This page stays on the Punjabi and Sikh sequence.

## Months before: roka, kurmai, chunni and sahe chithi

These first events are small and family-led, and they can be months apart from the wedding week. Punjabi Wedding Organizer's [glossary](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/glossary) sums them up:

- **Roka (or thaka):** both families agree to the match and the search "stops." Our [roka guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/roka) covers the guest list, gifts and running order, so we won't repeat it here.
- **Kurmai, mangni or sagai:** the engagement, with rings and an ardaas, often at the gurdwara.
- **Chunni chadhana:** the groom's family drapes a chunni over the bride and gives her jewelry, sweets and her wedding outfit, welcoming her into the family. Some families hold it on its own; others fold it into the engagement, the sangeet or the choora day.
- **Sahe chithi:** the letter that fixes the wedding date. Planner Jessie Khaira tells [The Knot](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding) that traditionally the bride's family delivers it to the groom's family as a formal invitation.

The chunni is the one that trips up diaspora families. A bride on r/DesiWeddings planning a 2026 wedding [asked when people do it](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1hzrktf/order_of_events_for_sikh_wedding/), because her partner's family lives in another state and would all have to fly in. Replies show three answers: at the sangeet in a hall, on the choora afternoon, or months earlier when the families are together anyway.

**Planning notes for hosts:** If the groom's relatives are flying in, put the chunni on a day they're already there rather than asking for a separate trip. In a July 2026 [r/DesiWeddings thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1uyk8em/sikh_bride_wedding_events_order/), one commenter went further and suggested the groom's side arrive a day early anyway, so they don't travel and then dance in the baraat on the same day.

## The paath: akhand path or sehaj paath

Many Sikh families open the wedding with a full reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, ending in a [bhog](https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhog) (the closing prayers, ardaas, hukamnama and karah prasad, usually followed by langar). There are two kinds:

- **Akhand path:** a continuous, unbroken reading of about 48 hours by a team of readers, per the [Punjabi Wedding Organizer glossary](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/glossary), often timed so the bhog falls just before the wedding.
- **Sehaj paath:** the same complete reading at a gentler pace, over days or weeks, ending with a bhog on a date the family chooses.

In the r/DesiWeddings threads, couples put it anywhere from "the week before on Sunday" to the Tuesday of the wedding week, "just close family." Some hold it at home, some at the gurdwara.

**Planning notes for hosts:** Book the gurdwara or the readers first, then build the week around the bhog. If it's at home, you're feeding everyone who comes for langar or tea, so give the caterer or the family cooks a rough count. Plenty of Hindu Punjabi families hold a puja or a jagran here instead; the planning logic is the same.

## The wedding week, event by event

### Mehndi

Henna for the bride and the women of the family, with music, chai and food. The one hard rule comes from the henna, not tradition. When a 2025 bride shared a plan with the mehndi the day before the wedding, the top reply on [r/DesiWeddings](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1fwpb05/order_of_wedding_events_sikh_punjabi_bride/) was blunt:

> "No mehndi artist will do your mehndi the day before the wedding. The stain need at least 48 hours to be dark."
> 
> 
> u/Ecstatic_Strength502 on r/DesiWeddings

The same commenter adds that bridal mehndi takes 4 to 6 hours and at least 2 hours to dry, and asks how the bride will put on the choora while the mehndi is still on. So the mehndi goes at least two days out, and before the choora. One bride who married in summer 2024 had her own henna (with her mom and sister) during the day and guests in the evening. Our [mehndi planning guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/mehndi) covers artists, timing and the guest list, and the [mehndi artist calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-mehndi-artist-calculator) works out how many artists you need for the guests who want henna.

### Ladies sangeet

A night of songs around the dholki, boliyan, giddha and dancing, traditionally led by the women. In the diaspora it's often a bigger party in a hall, sometimes joint with the groom's side. If you're planning a performance-heavy night, our [sangeet planning guide](https://www.planme.club/articles/how-to-plan-a-sangeet) has a run of show, and [combined mehndi and sangeet](https://www.planme.club/articles/combined-mehndi-and-sangeet) covers doing both on one night.

### Jaggo

"Jaggo" means wake up. The maternal family (the nanke) arrive with gifts and dance through the night, with an aunt carrying a gaggar, a pot lit with candles or lamps, on her head, and someone shaking a stick hung with bells. In village Punjab it was a procession to announce the wedding. Planner Jessie Khaira tells [The Knot](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding) it's now common to see the pots lit with LED lights. It isn't a close-family event: the jaggo is a big, loud gathering of family, friends and neighbors.

The jaggo is [traditionally the night before the wedding](https://www.weddingkart.co/wedding-glossary/jaggo); many families now hold it a night or two earlier, so there's a rest day and everyone is fresh for the morning ceremony. [Punjabi Wedding Organizer's jaggo guide](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/events/jaggo) lists the logistics hosts forget: a dhol player for the whole night, late-night food and a chai counter, noise permission if you're outdoors, and someone briefed on the gaggar, because wax drips burn.

### Maiyan

Vatna, a paste of turmeric, gram flour and oil, is applied to the bride and the groom at their own homes, and families wear yellow. The Knot's Sikh guide notes it's the Punjabi version of the haldi and is often combined with the mehndi; plenty of families combine it with the jaggo instead. For how the ritual differs across communities, see our [haldi guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/haldi).

### Choora

The bride's mama (maternal uncle) places her choora, traditionally 21 red-and-white bangles, after every relative present has touched it and added a blessing. Friends and cousins then tie the kaleere. [Punjabi Wedding Organizer](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/events/choora) describes it as a 2 to 3 hour event for closest family only, usually 15 to 40 people, the day before the wedding or that morning. The groom's family usually doesn't attend; his parallel is the sehra bandi.

**Planning notes for hosts:** Each of these is a different list. The mehndi and choora are small; the sangeet and jaggo can be big; the maiyan happens in two homes at once. Decide who is invited to each before anyone books a dhol player, then send each household only the events that are theirs.

## Anand Karaj morning: sehra bandi, milni and laavan

The Sikh wedding is a morning event, and the morning has a fixed order. Punjabi Wedding Organizer's [Anand Karaj explainer](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/blog/anand-karaj-explained) and [The Knot](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding) agree on the shape:

1. **Sehra bandi (groom's home):** the sehra is tied onto the groom's turban and he's sent off with an ardaas. Traditionally he then rides a decorated mare. Our [baraat guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/baraat) covers the procession.
2. **Milni (at the gurdwara):** the groom's party arrives, an ardaas is said, and matching elders from each side (the two fathers, the two mamas, and so on) meet pair by pair, exchange garlands and often gifts. [Bradford gurdwara's guide](https://bradfordgurdwara.com/intro-to-sikhism/sikh-marriage-ceremory-anand-karaj/) notes tea, pakora and other refreshments follow in the langar hall.
3. **Kirtan and ardaas:** the couple sit before the Guru Granth Sahib, ragis sing shabads, and everyone stands for the opening prayer.
4. **Palla:** the bride's father places one end of the groom's scarf in her hand.
5. **The four laavan:** for each of the four hymns composed by Guru Ram Das, the couple walk clockwise around the Guru Granth Sahib, the groom leading. After the fourth, they are married.
6. **Anand Sahib, ardaas, hukamnama and karah prasad,** then langar for everyone.

[The Knot](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding) puts the religious part at about 45 minutes, and Bradford gurdwara says the laavan themselves take about 20. The morning as a whole runs much longer: one bride on r/DesiWeddings describes "a 3-4am start for the bride" for hair, makeup and photos. Our [Indian wedding day timeline](https://www.planme.club/articles/wedding-day-timeline) shows how to plan the clock backward from the ceremony, and the [wedding ceremony guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/wedding-ceremony) compares the Anand Karaj with Hindu and Muslim ceremonies.

**Planning notes for hosts:** The milni needs a pairing list made in advance: which elder from the bride's side meets which elder from the groom's, in what order, and what gift (if any) each gives. Write it down weeks before and give a copy to whoever is announcing the pairs, so nobody's uncle is left out on the day.

## Gurdwara checklist for hosts

Every gurdwara sets its own rules, so this is a list of questions to ask yours, not a rulebook. It pulls from [The Knot](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding), [Zola's Indian wedding guest guide](https://www.zola.com/expert-advice/what-to-wear-to-an-indian-wedding) and [Punjabi Wedding Organizer](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/blog/anand-karaj-explained).

- Book the date and time, and ask about the granthi and ragi jatha (or bring your own, if allowed).
- Head coverings for everyone. Planner Jessie Khaira tells The Knot that everyone, including vendors, must have their heads covered in the darbar hall. Keep a basket of spare scarves at the door.
- Shoes off and seating on the floor (Zola's guest guide notes religious venues ask guests to remove their shoes). Ask about the gurdwara's rules on alcohol and tobacco on the grounds, and tell non-Sikh guests ahead.
- Langar is vegetarian. Ask who prepares it, whether you sponsor it, and how many people to plan for.
- Ask the rules for photographers and videographers inside the darbar hall before you sign their contracts.
- Check the legal step. In the US, a religious ceremony counts as a legal marriage only with a state marriage license and an officiant your state authorizes; in Canada rules are set by each province; in England and Wales it depends on whether the gurdwara is registered for marriages. Ask the gurdwara and your local clerk or register office. This is general information, not legal advice.

## Doli, reception and phera pauna (pag phera)

The **doli** (or vidaai) is the bride's farewell as she leaves with her husband's family, often after a joota chupai, when her sisters and cousins hide the groom's shoes and bargain for their return. A guest who attended three Sikh weddings in one year described another version on [r/DesiWeddings](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1fwpb05/order_of_wedding_events_sikh_punjabi_bride/): after the Anand Karaj the groom goes to the bride's house, completes some small dares, has snacks, and then she leaves with him. Some families skip a separate doli to save a meal; one commenter in the [BC budget thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1sles02/help_minimize_sikh_punjabi_wedding_events_and/) suggests doing it straight from the gurdwara.

The **reception** is the big party with bhangra, dinner and the couple's entrance. The Knot points out it isn't required in Sikh tradition, and families split on timing. One r/DesiWeddings commenter says the wedding and reception "should be the same day"; another replies:

> "Where we live it is super rare to have the wedding and reception on the same day."
> 
> 
> u/kkkbkkk on r/DesiWeddings

After the wedding comes the **phera pauna** (also called [pag phera](https://www.weddingkart.co/wedding-glossary/pag-phera)), when the bride visits her parents' home after the wedding. It isn't the pheras of a Hindu ceremony. Timing varies by family: some do it the day after the wedding, others a few days later, and one bride in the threads did hers after the honeymoon. Our [reception guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/reception) covers the run of show and guest count.

## If you're Hindu Punjabi, or Punjabi from Pakistan

Hindu Punjabi weddings share almost all of the events above: roka, chunni, mehndi, ladies sangeet, jaggo, maiyan or haldi, choora, sehra bandi and milni. The ceremony is different: instead of the Anand Karaj, the couple marry under a mandap with the jaimala, kanyadaan and pheras around a sacred fire, usually after a horse-led baraat. For that sequence, see [Indian wedding events in order](https://www.planme.club/articles/indian-wedding-events-in-order).

Punjabi Muslim families, including many from Pakistan, keep the dholki, mayun and mehndi and marry with a nikah, followed by the baraat, rukhsati and walima. That sequence is in [Pakistani wedding events in order](https://www.planme.club/articles/pakistani-wedding-events-in-order).

## Sample schedules: real weeks from Reddit

The most common question in r/DesiWeddings is how to fit all the functions into one week. Here's what couples who have done it, or are planning it, posted. Days are as they wrote them; we've only shortened the wording.

| Shape | What the week looked like | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Six days, one event a day | Tue sehaj paath bhog (close family) - Wed mehndi (bride by day, guests in the evening) - Thu jaggo and ladies sangeet - Fri maiyan and choora (11 am to about 5 pm) - Sat Anand Karaj - Sun reception | A bride married in summer 2024 |
| Full week with a joint sangeet | Paath the Sunday before - Mon maiyan (morning) and jaggo (night) at home - Tue mehndi at home - Wed joint ladies sangeet, both families - Thu choora in the evening - Fri wedding and doli - Sat reception - Sun phera | A bride in the 2025 thread |
| Five days | Tue sangeet in a hall (chunni ceremony held here) - Wed mehndi at home - Thu maiyan at home - Fri wedding - Sat reception | A commenter in the 2025 thread |
| Compact, cost-conscious | Day 1 mehndi at home, very close family ladies - Day 2 jaggo and maiyan in a backyard tent, about 100 people - Day 3 choora, close family - Day 4 Anand Karaj at the gurdwara - Day 5 reception, undecided | A bride planning in BC's Lower Mainland, 2026 |

Sources: ["order of wedding events, sikh punjabi bride"](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1fwpb05/order_of_wedding_events_sikh_punjabi_bride/), ["Order of events for Sikh wedding?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1hzrktf/order_of_events_for_sikh_wedding/) and ["Help minimize Sikh Punjabi wedding events and costs in Lower Mainland BC"](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1sles02/help_minimize_sikh_punjabi_wedding_events_and/).

A few patterns show up across these and the replies to them:

- **Pairs that combine well:** jaggo with ladies sangeet, jaggo with maiyan, and maiyan with choora. One commenter who had been to three Sikh weddings that year said jaggo plus ladies sangeet looked "the most efficient for guests to dress up," with one set of decor and one venue.
- **Finish early before the wedding.** Brides who ran the choora the day before tried to wrap up by late afternoon to rest. One bride said she was "Trying to get everything done before 6pm so we can rest."
- **A longer week can be calmer.** The bride with the full week wrote: "Yes it's a long week, but the days are more chilled."
- **Not everyone loves it.** Another bride, mid-planning:

> "It's honestly way to long and I wonder if in the future generations we will do any of the pre wedding stuff at all!"
> 
> 
> u/Actual-Bar-7302 on r/DesiWeddings

If you only have a long weekend, a common compact shape is: mehndi on Thursday, maiyan and choora on Friday afternoon, a combined jaggo and ladies sangeet on Friday night, then the Anand Karaj on Saturday morning and the reception that evening or Sunday. The trade-off: the jaggo lands on the night before the ceremony, as it traditionally did, with no rest day in between, so plan an early finish. That shape is our example, not a Reddit post.

## Who gets invited to which event: a worked example

Here's how the lists play out on paper. Take our fictional showcase couple, Anaya and Rohan, and give them a six-day Sikh Punjabi wedding week in Fremont, California, with 360 people on the master list: 160 on the bride's side, 150 on the groom's side and 50 shared friends of the couple. The numbers below are our own example to show the shape, not survey data.

| Event | Host | Bride's side | Groom's side | Couple's friends | Invited |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sehaj paath bhog (Sunday, gurdwara) | Bride's family | 45 | 0 | 5 | 50 |
| Mehndi (Tuesday, bride's home) | Bride's family | 50 | 0 | 10 | 60 |
| Joint ladies sangeet (Wednesday, hall) | Both families | 110 | 70 | 40 | 220 |
| Jaggo and maiyan (Thursday, bride's home) | Bride's family and nanke | 100 | 0 | 20 | 120 |
| Jaggo and maiyan (Thursday, groom's home) | Groom's family and nanke | 0 | 90 | 10 | 100 |
| Choora (Friday morning) | Bride's family | 30 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Anand Karaj and langar (Saturday morning) | Bride's family (gurdwara) | 160 | 120 | 50 | 330, plus sangat |
| Reception (Sunday) | Groom's family | 130 | 130 | 40 | 300 |

Three things jump out, and they're the reason to build a table like this early:

- **Two jaggos at once.** Each family runs its own maiyan and jaggo at home on the same night. That's two hosts, two caterers and two lists that must not overlap by accident.
- **The Anand Karaj count is a planning number, not a gate.** The gurdwara is open to the sangat, so the langar sevadars (or caterer) need your guest number plus a margin for walk-ins. Ask the gurdwara what it usually sees on a wedding morning.
- **The 30 at the choora and the 300 at the reception get different messages.** A friend invited only to the reception shouldn't see the choora time on their invitation or the wedding website.

Run each event's invite count through the [guest attendance calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-guest-attendance-calculator), then turn the yes count into plates with the [catering headcount calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-catering-headcount-calculator). If the families are splitting the bills, the [wedding cost split calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-cost-split-calculator) adds up what each side pays, and [who pays for a Desi wedding](https://www.planme.club/articles/who-pays-for-an-indian-wedding) covers the common ways families divide it.

Turn each invite list into a realistic headcount

Invited isn't the same as coming, especially when the nanke are flying in from another state or country. Enter how many local and out-of-town guests you're inviting to the jaggo, the ladies sangeet or the reception, and the guest attendance calculator estimates how many will turn up, right on the page. No sign-up.

[Open the attendance calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-guest-attendance-calculator)

## Running a different guest list for each event

You don't need eight spreadsheets. You need one master list and a clear answer, for every household, to "which events are you invited to?" Our guide to [separate guest lists for each wedding event](https://www.planme.club/articles/separate-guest-lists-for-each-wedding-event) goes deep on this. The short version for a Punjabi week:

1. **One row per household,** with headcount, children and dietary notes (vegetarian, no alcohol, allergies).
2. **Tag each household by side and branch:** bride's side or groom's side, and nanke or dadke. The nanke tag tells you who runs the jaggo and who sits with the mama at the choora.
3. **Mark the events each household is invited to,** and let the host of each event sign off on its list.
4. **Collect an RSVP for every event, not one for the week.** Set each deadline from that caterer's final-count date; the [RSVP deadline calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/wedding-rsvp-deadline-calculator) works it out.
5. **Show each guest only their events.** Zola's guest guide warns guests that a wedding may have other events "you might also be invited to," which is the confusion you want to avoid. Most multi-event tools solve this with tags: Joy's help center, for example, describes tagging guests so [each guest sees only the events they're invited to](https://withjoy.com/help/en/articles/11085588-how-can-i-use-joy-to-manage-rsvps-and-schedules-for-multiple-events-when-not-everyone-is-invited-to-every-event).

For the RSVP side, our guide to [RSVPs for a multi-event wedding](https://www.planme.club/articles/wedding-rsvp-multiple-events) covers partial yeses and reminders, and [RSVP for multiple events](https://www.planme.club/rsvp-for-multiple-events) shows how it looks for guests. Once the reception yes count is in, the [Indian wedding seating chart](https://www.planme.club/articles/indian-wedding-seating-chart) guide helps you seat it. Every single-event guide lives in our [wedding events hub](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events).

## Running the week in PlanMe

You can run all of this in a spreadsheet and a family group chat, and many families do. It usually breaks in the middle of the week, when two jaggos, a joint sangeet and a 30-person choora all need different lists and different numbers. If you'd rather keep it in one place, PlanMe.Club is our product, built for weddings with several events and two families. In PlanMe, each event (mehndi, sangeet, wedding, reception and so on) is called a festivity.

- **A festivity for every event.** Add the paath, mehndi, ladies sangeet, jaggo, choora, Anand Karaj and reception (or just the ones you're having), each with its own date, venue, menu and schedule. See [festivities](https://www.planme.club/features/festivities).
- **One guest list for both families.** Add every household once, tag it (bride's side, groom's side, nanke, dadke), and invite it to just its events. Each guest RSVPs to each event they're invited to, so every event keeps its own yes, no and pending count. See [guest management](https://www.planme.club/features/guest-management).
- **Messages by tag or RSVP status.** Send email or SMS broadcasts to guests you pick by tag or by RSVP status, for example everyone on the groom's side who hasn't replied yet. Tag your choora guests if you want to message only them. See [guest email and SMS](https://www.planme.club/features/guest-messaging).
- **A shared checklist.** Put the gurdwara booking, the milni pairing list, the choora set and the gaggar on one [checklist](https://www.planme.club/features/checklist) with owners and due dates.
- **Seating for the reception.** Build a [seating chart](https://www.planme.club/features/seating-chart) from the guests who accepted. You place tables and guests yourself; nothing is seated automatically.
- **Budget categories and vendor quotes for the wedding.** Track the dhol player, caterers, decorators and halls as quotes by category inside the same wedding, and see what's paid and what's due. See [budget](https://www.planme.club/features/budget).
- **Both families in the same plan.** Invite parents, siblings or a planner as [collaborators](https://www.planme.club/features/team-collaboration), so the groom's family can manage its own jaggo list. If a sibling is next, save the whole week as a [template](https://www.planme.club/features/event-templates).

*One list for both families, tagged by side, then invited to each event. Fictional Anaya & Rohan showcase.*

*Each event keeps its own accepted, declined and pending count. The showcase uses mehndi, sangeet, wedding and reception; a Punjabi week would add the jaggo, choora and the rest. Fictional Anaya & Rohan showcase.*

What PlanMe doesn't do, so you can plan around it: it doesn't book gurdwaras, halls or hotel rooms, and it sends by email and SMS, not WhatsApp. If you're choosing between tools, [compare PlanMe with Zola, Joy and The Knot](https://www.planme.club/compare), or read our roundup of the [best South Asian wedding planning tools](https://www.planme.club/articles/best-south-asian-wedding-planning-tools), which says where other tools beat us.

Put the whole wedding week in one plan

Add the paath, mehndi, ladies sangeet, jaggo, choora, Anand Karaj and reception with their own dates, venues and schedules, tag every household by side, invite each one to just its events and collect an RSVP for each. Both families can work in the same plan. Free during beta.

[Start planning in PlanMe](https://app.planme.club/sign-up)

## Sources

Checked November 2, 2026. Reddit quotes are as posted by the commenters and are not verified. The 360-guest invitation example, the long-weekend shape and the Anand Karaj count are our own and use fictional data.

- [The Knot: How to Host a Sikh Wedding: Traditions, Attire and Etiquette](https://www.theknot.com/content/sikh-wedding)
- [Zola: What to Wear to an Indian Wedding](https://www.zola.com/expert-advice/what-to-wear-to-an-indian-wedding)
- [Joy Help Center: Managing RSVPs and schedules when not everyone is invited to every event](https://withjoy.com/help/en/articles/11085588-how-can-i-use-joy-to-manage-rsvps-and-schedules-for-multiple-events-when-not-everyone-is-invited-to-every-event)
- [Punjabi Wedding Organizer: The order of a Sikh wedding](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/blog/order-of-a-sikh-wedding)
- [Punjabi Wedding Organizer: The Anand Karaj explained](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/blog/anand-karaj-explained)
- [Punjabi Wedding Organizer: Jaggo](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/events/jaggo)
- [Punjabi Wedding Organizer: Choora](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/events/choora)
- [WeddingKart: Jaggo](https://www.weddingkart.co/wedding-glossary/jaggo)
- [WeddingKart: Pag phera](https://www.weddingkart.co/wedding-glossary/pag-phera)
- [Punjabi Wedding Organizer: Punjabi-Sikh wedding glossary](https://www.punjabiweddingorganizer.com/glossary)
- [Kalyanam: 9 Steps of a Punjabi Wedding](https://blog.kalyanam.co.uk/indian-pakistan-tamil-weddings/9-steps-of-a-punjabi-wedding/)
- [Bradford Gurdwara: Sikh Marriage Ceremony (Anand Karaj)](https://bradfordgurdwara.com/intro-to-sikhism/sikh-marriage-ceremory-anand-karaj/)
- [SikhiWiki: Bhog](https://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php/Bhog)
- [r/DesiWeddings: order of wedding events, sikh punjabi bride](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1fwpb05/order_of_wedding_events_sikh_punjabi_bride/)
- [r/DesiWeddings: Order of events for Sikh wedding?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1hzrktf/order_of_events_for_sikh_wedding/)
- [r/DesiWeddings: Help minimize Sikh Punjabi wedding events and costs in Lower Mainland BC](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1sles02/help_minimize_sikh_punjabi_wedding_events_and/)
- [r/DesiWeddings: Sikh bride - wedding events order?](https://www.reddit.com/r/DesiWeddings/comments/1uyk8em/sikh_bride_wedding_events_order/)

## Common questions

### What is the order of events at a Punjabi wedding?

A common order is the roka and engagement (often months before), then in the wedding week a paath at home or the gurdwara, the mehndi, the ladies sangeet, the jaggo, the maiyan and the choora, then the wedding day itself (sehra bandi, milni and the Anand Karaj for Sikh families, or pheras for Hindu Punjabi families), the doli and the reception. Families reorder and combine the wedding-week events all the time, so treat this as the default sequence, not a rule.

### What is the order of events at a Sikh wedding ceremony?

On the morning of the Anand Karaj, the groom's family arrives and the milni is held, usually followed by tea or breakfast. Inside the gurdwara, the ceremony runs roughly: kirtan, ardaas, the palla ceremony, the four laavan (the couple walks around the Guru Granth Sahib once for each hymn), Anand Sahib, a final ardaas and hukamnama, and karah prasad. Langar is usually served afterward. The Knot puts the religious part at about 45 minutes.

### How many days is a Punjabi wedding?

The Knot says a Sikh wedding's events usually run three to five days, and Punjabi Wedding Organizer gives the same 3 to 5 days for the main week, with the roka and engagement often held months earlier. On r/DesiWeddings, brides describe weeks of five to eight days, while families who want it simpler combine events into three or four.

### When should the mehndi be before a Punjabi wedding?

Give it about two days. A commenter on r/DesiWeddings warns that no mehndi artist will do bridal henna the day before the wedding because the stain needs at least 48 hours to darken, and bridal mehndi takes 4 to 6 hours to apply plus time to dry. It also has to be dry before the choora goes on, which is why the mehndi usually comes before the choora.

### What is the difference between the jaggo and the ladies sangeet?

The ladies sangeet is a night of songs, dholki and dancing, traditionally led by the women of the family. The jaggo is a louder, late-night celebration where the maternal family (the nanke) dances with a gaggar, a pot lit with candles or lamps, to wake up the neighborhood and announce the wedding. Many families now combine the two on one night to save a venue and a dress-up day.

### Is the reception on the same day as the Anand Karaj?

It can be, but many families hold it the next day. The Anand Karaj is usually in the morning, so a same-day reception means a long day for the couple; one bride on r/DesiWeddings describes a 3 to 4 am start. Another commenter says that where they live it is super rare to have the wedding and reception on the same day. The Knot notes a reception isn't required in Sikh tradition at all.

### Who is invited to each Punjabi wedding event?

It changes by event. The paath, maiyan and choora are usually close family, the mehndi is often the bride's side, the jaggo is led by the maternal family, the ladies sangeet may be one side or both, and the reception is by invitation and often the biggest list. The gurdwara is open to everyone, so plan the Anand Karaj and langar for your own guests plus some sangat. Keep one master list and record which events each household is invited to.

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