# Indian wedding reception: timeline, guests and how to plan it > How to plan an Indian wedding reception: a sample run of the night, guest count, seating, what drives the cost and RSVP tips for the biggest event. - **URL**: https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/reception Also called: Wedding reception, Wedding party The short answer The reception is the evening party that celebrates the newly married couple, usually on the wedding night or the day after. It is typically the largest event of a South Asian wedding, with a grand entrance, speeches, dinner and dancing. With the most guests and a full dinner, it's usually the biggest single cost of the weekend. - **When:** The evening of the wedding or the next day - **How long:** Typically 4 to 6 hours - **Typical guests:** Usually the largest list, often 200 to 400 or more - **Hosted by:** Varies: the bride's family, the groom's family or both - **What to wear:** Evening wear, often the most glamorous outfits of the weekend What it is ## What is a reception? The reception is the most Western-looking event of a South Asian wedding, and for many families it's the one with the widest guest list: colleagues, neighbors and family friends who may not come to anything else. The couple arrives as a married pair, often with a choreographed entrance, and spends the night with their guests. A typical reception has cocktails, the couple's entrance, welcome speeches, a first dance, a cake cutting in some families, a full dinner, and then open dancing. Some families add family performances if there was no sangeet, or a short slideshow. In Pakistani and many Muslim weddings, the walima often plays the role of the reception. Some couples hold the reception on the wedding night, right after the vidaai. Others hold it the next day, or even weeks later in another city for guests who couldn't travel. The planning below works for all three. Timing ## When it happens and how the reception runs A sample evening reception: 1. Arrival: Cocktail hour with appetizers while the room is finished. 2. First hour in: Guests seated, the couple's grand entrance, welcome from the hosts. 3. Next: Speeches, first dance, family dances, cake cutting if you have one. 4. Dinner: Buffet or plated dinner. Allow enough time for a big crowd to eat. 5. Late: Dance floor opens, last song, send-off. Keep speeches to a fixed number and length. Long speeches are the most common reason a reception runs late. Guests ## How many guests come to a reception? The reception usually has the biggest guest list of the weekend. For a large South Asian wedding, 200 to 400 guests is common and some go well past that. Smaller weddings may keep it to 100 or 150. Because it's the largest, the reception is where the guest count matters most for cost. Count it separately from the other events, and expect some guests who were invited to everything to come only to this one. If you want a per-event estimate of turnout, [try the guest attendance calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-guest-attendance-calculator). Checklist ## Reception planning checklist ### 9 to 12 months before - Book the venue. Large ballrooms and banquet halls are booked a year or more ahead in wedding season. - Book the caterer if the venue allows outside catering, and ask about minimums. - Book the DJ, photographer and videographer for the evening. ### 2 to 4 months before - Plan the order of the night: entrance, speeches, first dance, dinner, dancing. - Choose who speaks and set a time limit for each speech. - Finalize the menu with dietary options clearly labeled. - Start the seating chart once RSVPs come in. Group by family and side. ### The final 2 weeks - Give the caterer and venue your final count. - Send the DJ the entrance song, first dance and any do-not-play list. - Export the seating chart and send it to the venue. - Confirm the end time and any overtime rates. Costs ## What drives the cost of a reception The reception is typically the most expensive event. Costs depend on your city, the season and your guest count, so we don't quote ranges here. Get two or three quotes for each line below, and see [what an Indian wedding costs in the US](https://www.planme.club/articles/how-much-does-an-indian-wedding-cost) for published ranges with sources. | Cost | What to ask for in the quote | What drives it | | --- | --- | --- | | Venue | Typically the largest line after food | Ballrooms and banquet halls often have food and drink minimums. | | Catering | Priced per head, plus service and tax | Service charges and tax can add a lot on top of the plate price. | | Decor and lighting | Quoted per event; ask for stage, centerpieces, uplighting and florals as separate lines | Stage, centerpieces, uplighting and florals. | | DJ and entertainment | Usually priced per event plus overtime | Add dhol, a live act or performers as extras. | | Bar | Depends on open bar, beer and wine or dry | Ask the venue how they charge. | The guest count is the biggest lever. Our guest list cut calculator shows how many guests you'd need to trim to hit a number. Venue minimums and per-plate prices vary by city and season, so get quotes. To price your own weekend event by event, use the [Indian wedding budget calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-budget-calculator). RSVPs and guests ## RSVP and guest tips for the reception - Give a clear start time and say when dinner will be served, so guests don't arrive hungry at 9 pm. - Put table numbers on your website or send them ahead so guests aren't hunting at the door. - Tell guests if there's a dress code, and whether the bar is open, beer and wine, or dry. - Arrange rides or share transport options if alcohol is served and the venue is far from hotels. Since some guests come only to the reception, see [how to run one RSVP per event](https://www.planme.club/articles/wedding-rsvp-multiple-events) and [when to set your RSVP deadline](https://www.planme.club/tools/wedding-rsvp-deadline-calculator). With PlanMe ## How PlanMe helps you plan the reception The reception is its own [festivity](https://www.planme.club/features/festivities) in PlanMe, with a guest list, RSVP, seating chart and budget. For the biggest night of the weekend, you get: - A reception RSVP separate from the other events, so the caterer gets a real number. - A [seating chart](https://www.planme.club/features/seating-chart) with round or rectangular tables, the stage and dance floor, exported as PDF or CSV for the venue. - A run of show for the entrance, speeches and dinner, with the people responsible for each part. - Venue, catering and DJ quotes compared side by side, with payments tracked in the [budget](https://www.planme.club/features/budget). - [Email or text a reminder](https://www.planme.club/features/guest-messaging) to guests who haven't replied yet, using RSVP status or a tag like Bride side. [Start planning free](https://app.planme.club/sign-up) - [See all features](https://www.planme.club/features) Free during beta. No credit card needed. Questions ## Reception questions Related reading - [How much an Indian wedding costs](https://www.planme.club/articles/how-much-does-an-indian-wedding-cost) - [Indian wedding seating chart](https://www.planme.club/articles/indian-wedding-seating-chart) - [Guest list cut calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-guest-list-cut-calculator) - [Catering headcount calculator](https://www.planme.club/tools/indian-wedding-catering-headcount-calculator) ### When is the reception in an Indian wedding? Usually the evening of the wedding day, or the next day. Some couples hold it weeks later in another city. ### What happens at an Indian wedding reception? Cocktails, the couple's entrance, welcome speeches, a first dance, dinner and dancing. Some families add family performances or a cake cutting. ### How many guests come to an Indian wedding reception? It is usually the largest event, often 200 to 400 guests for a big wedding. Smaller weddings may have 100 to 150. ### Who pays for the reception? It varies. In some families the bride's side hosts it, in others the groom's side, and many split it. Our who-pays article covers the common splits. ### How long does a reception last? Typically four to six hours, including cocktails. Check your venue's end time and overtime rates before you plan a late finish. ### Is a walima the same as a reception? In Muslim weddings the walima is the feast the groom's family hosts after the nikah, and many families treat it as their reception. See our [walima guide](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/walima). More wedding events ## Plan the rest of the weekend - [Roka and engagement: The families agree, the couple exchanges rings, and wedding planning officially starts.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/roka) - [Haldi: Turmeric paste, close family and a lot of yellow, usually the day before or morning of the wedding.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/haldi) - [Mehndi: Henna for the bride, music and food for close family, usually one to three days before the wedding.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/mehndi) - [Garba and raas: A Gujarati night of circle dancing and dandiya, often one of the liveliest events of the weekend.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/garba) - [Baraat: The groom arrives with dancing family and friends, and the bride's family welcomes them in.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/baraat) - [Wedding ceremony: The religious ceremony itself: mandap and pheras, Anand Karaj or nikah, with most of the guest list there.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/wedding-ceremony) - [Walima: The groom's family hosts a feast after the nikah, often the final big event of a Muslim wedding.](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events/walima) - [Sangeet: Our full sangeet planning guide.](https://www.planme.club/articles/how-to-plan-a-sangeet) Not sure what order they go in? See [Indian wedding events in order](https://www.planme.club/articles/indian-wedding-events-in-order), or [all wedding event guides](https://www.planme.club/wedding-events).