How To Stay Sane During Indian Wedding Season

It’s officially wedding season for us Desis, and it’s already got me doing mental gymnastics. Back-to-back weddings from September all the way through April is a lot to handle!

Planning, prepping, and double-checking calendars is how we survive this chaotic but fun season. Its my favorite season since we get the opportunity to see so many of our friends, family, and community members in a fun, joyful setting. There is nothing like a Punjabi Wedding!!

We usually find out about weddings anywhere from a month to six months in advance—sometimes even a year if it’s close family. Once we have the dates, they immediately go into the calendar. Typically, there’s an invitation for the wedding itself and/or a card for the reception or pre-wedding events.

Prepping

My sister and I stock up during the annual Sephora sale every single year. We take inventory of what we have—makeup, skincare, hair products, and clothing. I don’t get my hair and makeup professionally done for weddings. Thanks to the 2016 YouTube makeup era (arguably the best era for makeup tutorials), I’ve learned to do it myself. Between the two of us, we usually have everything we need—and sometimes duplicates—because by the end of the season, we’ve used up nearly everything.

Planning

“Lizzie McGuire, you are an outfit repeater!” With back-to-back events, often with the same crowd attending, figuring out what to wear becomes a whole process. It’s about matching the outfit to the occasion, the weather, and the overall vibe. Here’s my general rule of thumb for each event:

House Events (Mehndi, Chooda, Jaggo, or Mayyian): The outfits here lean more toward functionality. There’s a lot of movement—sitting, dancing, running around the house, and mingling with friends and family. I keep these looks elegant but less flashy than my reception and sangeet outfits. Plus, with fewer people to impress, comfort and ease take priority.

Wedding Ceremonies: The outfits are usually simpler and more practical—something comfortable enough to sit cross-legged during the ceremony.

Sangeets and Receptions: These are the moments to bring out the glam—the bling, the can-can skirts, and the heels. I love wearing lehengas and going all out with my makeup and hair on these days.

Once the outfits are selected, we move on to picking out the jewelry, shoes, and accessories to complete the look.

The key to surviving wedding season is preparation. Know exactly what you’re wearing each day, and make sure everything is ironed, steamed, and hung up, ready to go. That way, when you get back from work, you’re not running around like a chicken with its head cut off!

Calendar Checks

Once we’ve got the dates, outfits, and everything ready for the day, we double-check the calendars to ensure we haven’t double-booked ourselves. If there’s a wedding event at night, I’m sorry, but I’m skipping brunch that morning—I need to conserve my energy!

These events last well into the night, and we still need to wake up the next day, attend work, recover, and do it all again. During this time, I make sure not to overbook myself and always block at least one rest day each week to recharge.

Wedding season may be chaotic, but with a little planning and preparation, it’s a beautiful and memorable time!

Have you ever been to a Desi wedding?