Weddings guide
Sangeet Planning Checklist: A to Z
Plan a sangeet without chaos — a checklist covering performances, playlist, stage, sound, rehearsals, logistics and a realistic budget for Indian families.
A sangeet is a small production: two families, a dozen performances, one stage and a hard stop before the neighbours call someone. The checklist below is the order that keeps it from unraveling.
Run it alongside the 12-month wedding timeline — sangeet sits eight to ten weeks before the wedding for most formats.
Budget snapshot (2026, mid-range city format)
| Line | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Venue (banquet / lawn, 3–4 hrs) | ₹40,000 – ₹1.5 lakh |
| DJ + sound + lights | ₹25,000 – ₹90,000 |
| Décor & stage | ₹25,000 – ₹1.2 lakh |
| Choreographer (optional) | ₹15,000 – ₹60,000 |
| Photo/video | ₹15,000 – ₹50,000 |
| Contingency (10%) | Hold separately |
Eight to ten weeks out
- Fix the format and the headcount. Performance-heavy or social mixer? 150 guests or 400? Everything else follows.
- Appoint one show-caller. One person owns the run sheet, the playlist and vendor calls.
- Book the venue and check sound rules. Many venues cap decibels and set hard end times — get both in writing.
- Split performances between families early. Send a sign-up sheet with slot lengths (3–5 minutes each) and a deadline.
Four to six weeks out
- Lock the performance list in running order. Opening act first, couple’s number last — not the other way round.
- Collect music files. Every act submits its track (original or clean edit) to one shared folder. Phone-playback at the venue is how sangeets fall apart.
- Book or assign the choreographer for groups that need help; schedule rehearsals on weekends.
- Confirm technical needs per act: wireless mics, stage marks, props, costume changes, a monitor mix.
- Design the run sheet: timings, act names, MC script beats, cue for the couple’s entry.
Two weeks out
- Full rehearsal at the venue if possible, otherwise at the largest available hall — ceiling height and stage size change choreography.
- Sound check plan: arrive 90 minutes early; every act tests its own track once.
- Confirm logistics: valet, welcome desk, kids’ area, water stations, and a quiet room for elders.
- Print the run sheet for the DJ, MC, show-caller and stage manager — phones die at the worst moment.
Week of
- Reconfirm DJ/MC arrival, lighting cues and the couple’s entry song.
- Charge everything, pack props into one labelled box, and assign one person to carry it.
- Share a one-page WhatsApp note with performers: call time, address, parking, stage size.
Day-of run sheet skeleton
| Time | Item | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| T-90 | Vendor load-in, sound check | Show-caller |
| T-30 | Guest welcome, music starts | DJ |
| T-0 | MC welcome, opening performance | MC |
| +2 hrs | Family performances block | Show-caller |
| +10 min | Couple’s entry + special number | Choreographer |
| +20 min | Open floor, cake/dessert, photos | DJ |
| End | Wind-down music, logistics for exit | Venue |
Five things that go wrong (and the fix)
- Act never submits music → deadline with a hard rule: no file, no slot.
- Sound cuts mid-performance → spare wired mic and a tested backup track at the DJ desk.
- Overrun destroys the schedule → visible timer at the MC table, 3-minute warning cards.
- Outdoor sangeet + weather → written indoor backup confirmed at booking, not on the day.
- Family politics over order → neutral show-caller + published order two weeks out, frozen after that.
Venue and sound rules vary widely — check them against your venue selection checklist before signing. And keep the sangeet spend inside the entertainment bucket of your wedding budget; it is the function most likely to balloon quietly.
The bottom line
One show-caller, one music folder, one frozen run sheet, and a rehearsal that includes the actual stage. Book the venue eight weeks out, freeze the order two weeks out, and treat the sound check as non-negotiable.