9 Tips to Create the BEST Event Flow for Your South Asian Destination Wedding
Your found your dream venue… but now it hits you - you have no clue how to structure your event flow! No worries, we got you covered
We’ve all been there – sitting around in a convention center or event hall (you know, the same one you have been to dozens of times for past friends and family weddings?) waiting for the post-wedding lunch to be over so you can head to Taco Bell for some real desi-favorite food between events. We’ve also all been to the Sangeet with far too many performances waiting for the oh-so-repetitive afterparty in room 232.
But only if you’ve been to an Indian destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean have you really seen the light of how every moment can be so precious, how there is so much beyond just the events, and how no matter how much you cram in you still didn’t get to do and try everything you wanted to!
One of the absolute best parts of attending a South Asian wedding in Cancun or Punta Cana or anywhere else in paradise is everything that happens before and after each event! So each day, when our clients ask us how to structure their event flow for the weekend, it’s our pleasure to share the light and be a guiding voice in crafting their week in paradise.
With a culture so rich, it’s hard to pick and choose which traditions, customs, and events will make it to your final event flow; Courtesy of Sea & Love Wedding Films
Here are our tips to schedule the perfect event flow for your destination wedding:
Tip 1 – Spread your events out and try to have just one main event per day
If you take nothing else away from this blog, please take this one to the bank! We have organized hundreds of destination weddings in Mexico and the Caribbean and our team is made up of former destination wedding brides and grooms. The biggest tip we can share is to not overload any one day in paradise. Your main events are events like Welcome Night, Mehndi / Sangeet / Garba, Wedding Ceremony, and Reception. Ideally, your structure your event flow with one of these on each day. This allows your guests and more importantly – YOU – to really enjoy each day with friends and family. Instead of jumping from hair and makeup to the wedding back to hair and makeup to cocktail hour to reception to after party, you can carve out just a portion of the day dedicated to your main event and the remainder of the day to enjoy the pools, beach, or excursions with your loved ones. Never been to a wedding that had a reception on another day? Take our word for it – it’s AMAZING and our clients who listen to this advice end up over-the-moon with their decision on this one.
Tip 2 – Don’t forget to schedule your bridal mehndi
I know – you are worried about your mehndi stain being nice and dark for the main event days. Well, guess what? Mehndi stains are most dark after about 2 or 3 days from the date of its application. So if you are getting married on a Saturday, shoot for Wednesday or Thursday latest to get your bridal mehndi done. We recommend carving out 4-6 hours at night right before bedtime to get this done so you can head straight to bed and wake up the next day ready to go!
While many consider hosting a bridal mehndi party, it can certainly be just as fun and less costly to have your bridal mehndi done in your beautiful suite (plus, it’s far more comfortable)! Courtesy of Federico Salmeron Photography
Tip 3 – Skip the post-wedding and post-ceremonial lunches
These are easily the biggest waste of funds we have identified after organizing hundreds of Indian destination weddings over the years. These lunches are totally unnecessary. If you think about the last 5 weddings you went to, we would be the post-wedding lunch was not a top highlight of any of those weddings. More importantly, the only reason we are used to having a post-wedding lunch is because hosts feel like they need to provide for this as guests are waiting around in a convention hall until the reception. But in paradise, there is no waiting around. Every minute could be better spent by the pool, trying new restaurants, or on a fun excursion. There is food literally everywhere! Lastly, we have seen so much food wasted at post-wedding lunches in destination because ultimately even if you choose to have one, most guests will skip and continue on with their vacation.
Tip 4 – Pay attention to the weather and if you are going to battle the sun, invest in shading
We don’t recommend it, but each summer we do have couples that end up choosing a wedding ceremony time between 12-3PM. If you must do so due to auspicious or other reasons, please select an indoor venue (we can definitely recommend some that still have ocean or garden views) or invest in shading for your guests. Bonus points for investing in misters and portable AC units. Refreshments and ice cream or popsicles is also a great touch here. If possible, shoot for a 10AM or 5-6PM start (of course, check for historical sunset times to avoid the dark hitting too early!).
So much to do in paradise; don’t forget that your guests chose to attend your destination wedding because they also wanted a vacation! Courtesy of Sweet Caribbean Photography
Tip 5 – Fewer events means more budget to spend on higher end food, beverage, décor, florals, etc. for the events you do have
Yes, we are targeting you Mehndi night! Having a few mehndi artist stations at your Sangeet or Garba is a great way to combine 2 events into 1. That means eliminating duplicated speakers, lights, and a dancefloor. It also means your décor and floral budget for 2 events can now be invested into 1 much more amazing event! Lastly, it’ll save you photo and video hours.
Tip 6 – Don’t make the mistake of thinking your guests will just come for 3 nights
On average, Shaadi Destinations wedding guests stay for 4+ nights. It is very rare for a group to average less than 4 nights because (1) guests are already investing in airfare, (2) guests get to take advantage of group rates for nights before and after the events, and (3) you’ve already done friends and family a HUGE favor for planning a reunion with zero effort on their part. All that being said, don’t worry about scheduling your bridal mehndi, your pithi or other smaller events on nights before or after the main 3 nights. You will be pleasantly surprised how many guests still attend these events even if they aren’t the main event!
With so many activities, shows, and excursions at their disposal, guests will never want to leave; courtesy of Andre Gouin Photography
Tip 7 – You can pay to extend the party until the wee hours, but there are better uses of those funds
Remember, at all inclusive resorts, there are generally bars, lounges, and clubs that are open until 1-2 AM. Most times, these beverage outlets are mostly empty and ripe for a takeover by your group after the reception. Best of all, it’s included and saves you thousands on extending your private event.
Tip 8 – To cocktail hour or not? Maybe not…
This one might surprise you, but ditching the cocktail hour and just adding an hour to your reception is a great way to save on extra décor for venue that would just be used for one hour. You can still use the first hour of your reception in a more casual cocktail-hour style way. It also encourages guests to come on time since they’ve lost the spongey cocktail hour and they won’t want to miss your entrance. It also allows you to still have your grand entrance as newlyweds (we recommend 45 minutes into the reception once the stragglers have arrived and once guests have had a chance to get some liquor courage and apps to much on!
Grab a cocktail and head to the beach - with all inclusive resorts, feel free to pencil time into your itinerary to have informal family and friend meet-ups at the pool or beach bars; Courtesy of Andre Gouin Photography
Tip 9 – Not every gathering requires the ‘private event’ designation
Take advantage of potentially included semi-private dinner reservations for your VIP crew or relatively inexpensive restaurant buy-out opportunities for meals outside of the main events; we can help guide you on what Shaadi Destinations exclusive perks you can take advantage of to secure more group gatherings without the hefty ‘private event’ tags.
Without further ado… here are some of recommended event flows:
Event Flow A
Wednesday – 7-11PM – Bridal Mehndi
Thursday – 10AM-12PM – Pithi or Pre-Wedding Ceremony
Thursday – 7-11PM – Mehndi and Sangeet
Friday – 10AM-12PM – Wedding Ceremony
Saturday – 7-11PM – Reception
Why Event Flow A works
Flow A allows your guests coming for just 3 nights (again, rare this happens) to still attend every important event and still allows them 6-8 hours each day to relax, unwind, and enjoy paradise without cramming too much on any given day. Guests who end up coming early (again, this is more common than you would think) won’t be overwhelmed by the two events on just one day because the Pithi or Pre-Wedding Ceremony tends to be an easier and lighter event.
No matter what you do; please carve out time for your guests to enjoy paradise! Courtesy of Photo by Julieta
Event Flow B
Wednesday – 7-11PM – Bridal Mehndi
Thursday – 6-8PM – Welcome Party
Friday – 10-12PM – Pithi or Pre-Wedding Ceremony
Friday – 7-11PM – Mehndi and Sangeet
Saturday – 5-7PM – Wedding Ceremony
Sunday – 7-11PM - Reception
Why Event Flow B works
Flow B is becoming quite common. Having a Sunday reception does scare some at first, but at the end of the day, your guests end up taking at minimum 1 day off of work anyways. So sliding the events a day back doesn’t really impact your guest count or how much time a guest is away from work. We also love how Flow B adds in an extra welcome party but keeps it light with it being just 2 hours – it’s a great way to welcome your guests without having to invest too heavily in the event (ie – no dance floor). Sticking to 6-8PM allows guests to mix, mingle, and grab some apps before heading to one of the restaurants at the resort they are dying to try! Plus, anyone unable to come on Thursday wouldn’t miss much as long as they get there by Friday!
Our ‘one event per day’ recommendation leaves enough time to sneak out and experience the local culture the destination you chose has to offer! Courtesy of Sweet Caribbean Photography
Shaadi Destinations is the premier, award winning, modern-day destination wedding travel agency for South Asian couples seeking a streamlined process, incredible experiences, and a party friends and family will never forget! We save our couples thousands of dollars while throwing them the wedding festivities dreams are made of.
We live and breathe destination weddings - with just one consultation, you will be light years ahead in your destination wedding planning process. In less than one week, Shaadi Destinations will find you the most perfect resort that meets your needs, your budget, and your desires. With our vendor relationships and pre-negotiated exclusive perks at resorts across Mexico and the Caribbean, we are confident we can find exactly what you are looking for. You'll find we have the best rates, best incentives, and best booking experience.
