Most multi-day Asian weddings in the UK run over three or four days: an evening mehndi, a morning haldi or maiyan, a sangeet or jaggo, the wedding day itself with a ceremony and an evening reception, and often a walima or second reception the day after. For photo and film, that usually adds up to somewhere between 20 and 35 hours of coverage across the week.
Below: a sample four-day timeline, the hours each event needs on camera, one crew or two, crew sizes for 300 to 600 guests, travel, outfit changes, banqueting hall light and how your films arrive.
The short answer: plan three to four days. A typical UK wedding week runs a mehndi on Thursday evening, haldi or maiyan and a sangeet on Friday, the ceremony and reception on Saturday, and a walima or reception on Sunday. Book coverage event by event: two to four hours for the smaller events, ten to fourteen for the wedding day.
How many days is an Asian wedding in the UK?
There is no single answer. A Gujarati Hindu wedding, a Punjabi Sikh wedding, a Pakistani Muslim wedding and a Tamil wedding each have their own events, and every family adds, drops or merges them. Some couples fit everything into a Friday and Saturday; others hold a civil ceremony months earlier and a reception a fortnight after. Use the shape below as a starting point, then swap in the events your family actually holds.
| Event | Common in | Usually held | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ganesh puja, mandap mahurat, grah shanti | Many Hindu families | At home, days before | Prayers to begin the wedding, close family only |
| Mehndi | Almost every tradition | 1 to 3 days before, evening | Henna for the bride (and often the groom), music, food |
| Haldi, pithi, maiyan, mayun, gaye holud | Hindu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Pakistani, Bengali families | Day before or wedding morning | Turmeric paste, blessings, a lot of laughter and mess |
| Sangeet, garba, dholki | Punjabi, Gujarati, Pakistani families | Evening before, or two days before | Rehearsed performances, dancing, dhol |
| Jaggo | Punjabi Sikh and Hindu families | Night before | A decorated pot of lights carried through the party with singing |
| Chooda and kalire | Punjabi brides | Wedding morning or the evening before | The bride’s maternal family give the chooda; friends tie the kalire |
| Ceremony | Every tradition | Wedding day | Anand Karaj at the gurdwara, the mandap ceremony, the nikah |
| Reception | Most families | Wedding evening or later | Entrances, speeches, first dance, dancing |
| Walima | Muslim families | After the nikah, often next day | The groom’s family’s reception |
| Civil ceremony | Many couples | Often a separate day | The legal marriage, if the religious ceremony isn’t registered |
That last row matters. In England and Wales a religious wedding is legally binding only in a building registered for marriages, with an authorised person or a registrar present, according to GOV.UK’s guidance on planning your ceremony. Some gurdwaras and mandirs are registered and many are not, and a ceremony at a hotel or banqueting hall is not. Our guide to getting married legally in England and Wales explains the options, and many couples simply add the civil ceremony as one more event on the timeline.
A sample four-day Asian wedding timeline
Here is the week we plan most often. Clock times are typical, not rules: your priest sets the muhurat, your gurdwara sets its slots, and your imam or family decides the shape of the nikah.
| Day | Event | Typical time | Where | Coverage we’d suggest | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Mehndi | 18:00 to 23:00 | Home, marquee or hall | 3 to 4 hours | 1 photographer, 1 filmmaker |
| Friday morning | Haldi, maiyan or pithi | 11:00 to 13:00 | Home or garden | 2 hours | 1 photographer, plus a filmmaker if you want it in the film |
| Friday evening | Sangeet, garba or jaggo | 19:00 to midnight | Hall or marquee | 4 hours | 1 to 2 photographers, 1 to 2 filmmakers |
| Saturday | Preparations, ceremony, reception | 07:00 to 23:30 | Home, gurdwara, mandir, mosque or venue, then a banqueting hall | 10 to 14 hours | 2 photographers, 2 filmmakers |
| Sunday | Walima or reception | 18:00 to 23:00 | Hall or hotel | 4 to 5 hours | 1 to 2 photographers, 1 to 2 filmmakers |
Thursday: the mehndi
The mehndi is usually the most relaxed night of the week. Photograph the finished henna in daylight if you can, then let the party take over. Our guide to mehndi and sangeet photography covers lighting a living room or marquee after dark.
Friday: haldi or maiyan, then the sangeet
Turmeric rituals are small, loud and full of family. They need about two hours, ideally outside or by a big window. The sangeet, garba or jaggo is a different job: performances, a dhol, a room that gets darker and louder. Send your crew the running order so they are in front of each performance, not stuck at the back.
Saturday: the wedding day
The wedding day changes most from one tradition to another.
- Sikh weddings. The Anand Karaj takes place at the gurdwara, usually in the morning, after the baraat and milni. Sikh Council UK’s guidance on the Anand Karaj says it should take place in a gurdwara rather than a hotel or other venue. Our Sikh wedding day timeline gives clock times from the chooda to the reception, and our guide to photographing and filming in a gurdwara covers head coverings, positions and the palla. For the history and meaning of each ritual, see our older piece on Sikh wedding ceremony traditions.
- Hindu weddings. The ceremony may be at a mandir or at your venue, under a mandap, and its timing follows the muhurat your priest chooses. Ceremonies run from about an hour to several hours. Our guide to the Hindu wedding moments to plan for walks through each one, from the baraat to the vidaai, and our earlier post on the Hindu wedding ceremony and the seven steps explains the saptapadi.
- Muslim weddings. The nikah may be at a mosque, at home or at your venue, and the walima may follow the same evening or another day. See nikah photography etiquette for privacy and segregated spaces, and our realistic same-day nikah and walima timeline if you are holding both on one day.
For Sikh and Hindu weddings, the groom’s arrival is its own event. Planning the baraat and dhol covers the route, timings and safety so it is filmed well.
Sunday: walima or reception
A second reception is simpler to cover: no ceremony, fewer moving parts. Four to five hours from your entrance to the first hour of dancing covers most of it.
How many hours of photography and film does each event need?
Events often last longer than you need covered; the wedding day needs more than you might expect.
| Event | Usually lasts | Coverage that works | What you’d lose with less |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mehndi | 4 to 5 hours | 3 to 4 hours | The finished henna in good light, or the late-night dancing |
| Haldi or maiyan | 1 to 2 hours | 2 hours | The quiet moments before and after the turmeric |
| Sangeet, garba or jaggo | 4 to 6 hours | 4 hours | Half the performances |
| Wedding morning (preparations, baraat, ceremony, doli) | 7 to 9 hours | 7 to 9 hours | Preparations at one house, or the doli |
| Reception | 5 to 6 hours | 4 to 5 hours | The last hour of the dance floor |
| Nikah on its own | 1 to 2 hours | 2 hours | Family portraits straight after |
| Walima | 4 to 5 hours | 4 hours | Late family groups on the stage |
Our minimum is two hours, which suits a small haldi or a civil ceremony. Most couples choose six to ten hours for a single-day wedding; for a multi-day wedding, each event is priced on its own, so you only pay for what you book. Our page on Asian weddings explains how we cover each event.
One crew or two?
One crew across the whole week is the ideal. By the wedding day they know your grandparents by sight and which aunt runs the family photographs, the style stays consistent, and you only explain your family once.
You need two crews when events overlap:
- Both families’ preparations at once. On many Sikh and Hindu wedding mornings, the bride’s chooda or haldi and the groom’s sehra bandi happen at the same hour in different houses. One pair stays with the bride, a second pair goes with the groom and the baraat, and both meet at the ceremony.
- Two mehndis on one night. If each family holds its own, you choose one or book a second team.
- Women-only spaces. For some Muslim and South Asian families, a female photographer or filmmaker covers the bride’s preparations or a ladies’ event. Ask early, because it depends on who is free on your date.
- A very long wedding day. If the morning starts at 06:00 and the reception ends after midnight, a fresh second team for the evening keeps the reception sharp.
How many photographers and filmmakers for 300 to 600 guests?
The average UK wedding has 80 guests, according to the Bridebook UK Wedding Report 2026, and Bridebook’s photography price guide suggests a second photographer from about 80 guests. Many of the Asian weddings we photograph are several times that size, so the crew grows with them.
| Guests | Ceremony | Reception | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 150 | 1 photographer, 1 filmmaker | 1 photographer, 1 filmmaker | One pair can see the whole room |
| 150 to 300 | 2 photographers, 1 filmmaker | 2 photographers, 1 to 2 filmmakers | Entrances and reactions from two sides |
| 300 to 600 | 2 photographers, 2 filmmakers | 2 photographers, 2 filmmakers | Couple and guests covered at the same time, stage photographs while the room carries on |
| 600 and more | Talk to us about a third person | Talk to us about a third person | The room is too big to see from two places |
Size isn’t the only factor: a gurdwara with a fixed position may need fewer people, and a hall with the stage and dance floor at opposite ends needs a second filmmaker even at 250 guests.
At many receptions guests come up to the stage in turn to be photographed with the couple, which can take more than an hour at 400 guests. Our guide to planning your family photo list, even for 300 guests shows how to group households and appoint a family caller so it runs smoothly.
Travel between venues
Many Asian wedding days use four venues: both family homes, the ceremony venue and the banqueting hall. Every move costs time.
- Allow real London traffic. On a Saturday, 45 to 90 minutes across London is normal.
- The crew must arrive first. We need 30 to 45 minutes before your entrance to set lighting, connect microphones with the DJ and agree positions.
- Use the gap. If the doli ends at 15:00 and your entrance is at 19:30, those hours hold your rest, your outfit change and the crew’s travel. If the gap is shorter, a second crew at the reception solves it.
- Write it down. One run sheet with every address, start time, parking note and a family contact for each event saves calls on the day.
Travel is included within 50 miles of our Beckenham studio. Still choosing a hall? Start with our older guide to Asian wedding venues.
Outfit changes: how long to allow
Going from a ceremony lehenga or saree to a reception outfit usually means new jewellery, re-pinning the dupatta, a hair change and a make-up refresh. Allow 60 to 90 minutes for the bride and 20 to 30 for the groom. If you love your ceremony outfit, plan 20 minutes of couple portraits before you change, not after, and tell us whether you want the reveal of the reception outfit filmed or kept private.
The Asian bride’s getting-ready checklist covers timings for hair, make-up, dupatta pinning and jewellery, for the wedding morning and the reception.
Light at banqueting halls, and when to plan portraits
Banqueting halls are built for parties, not photographs. Many have few windows and mix coloured uplighters, LED walls, stage spotlights and haze, which can look wonderful in the room and turn skin tones purple or green on camera.
What helps:
- Ask your decorator for warm white on the stage and top table, and keep the backdrop from flashing during speeches.
- Tell us about haze and cold sparks for the entrance, so we are ready for them.
- Plan daylight portraits. We bring quiet, flattering light and our cinema cameras handle low light well, but a few minutes outside gives your gallery a different feel.
When daylight runs out depends on the month. In London, sunset is around 15:50 to 16:20 from late November to mid-January, so winter portraits belong straight after the ceremony. In June and July, evening golden hour starts around 20:15 to 20:30, during the reception: step out for 15 minutes between courses. The clocks go back on 25 October 2026 and 31 October 2027, according to GOV.UK, and the evenings shorten sharply after that. Our guide to golden hour wedding photos in the UK has times month by month.
Plan for rain too: even in July, London Heathrow averages about eight days with at least 1 mm of rain, according to Met Office 1991 to 2020 figures.
How films and galleries are delivered for a multi-day wedding
With several events, decide at booking how the films are cut.
| Option | What it is | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| One highlight film | Three to five minutes across the whole week | Sharing with everyone |
| A short film per event | A highlight for the mehndi, the sangeet, the wedding, the reception | Families who want each event to stand alone |
| Ceremony in full | The whole Anand Karaj, mandap ceremony or nikah, with clean audio | Grandparents and relatives abroad |
| Speeches uncut | Every word, including the ones in two languages | Everyone who gave a speech |
| Feature film | 15 to 20 minutes that tell the week as one story | Couples who want the full story in one sitting |
| Same-day edit | A short film shown at your reception that night | A reception with a screen |
Expect a sneak peek within days. Our full galleries usually follow within four weeks and films within two to three months, depending on the season. With several events, ask whether you get one gallery with a folder per event or a gallery for each, and how the extra events change the timescale. Our article on how long it takes to get wedding photos and film back explains why, and what goes into a wedding film explains each edit.
How much does a multi-day Asian wedding cost to photograph and film?
The cost follows the number of events, the hours and the crew. For context, the average UK couple spends £1,484 on a photographer and £1,514 on a videographer, according to Bridebook’s 2026 price guides, but those figures describe one wedding day, not a week. Monday to Thursday events and winter weddings cost less with us.
Our full guide to what photo and film cost for a multi-day Asian wedding breaks down how events, hours and crew add up. For your own figures, get a price for each event.
What to send your photographer and filmmaker before the week
Send this four to six weeks before the first event:
- Every event with its date, address, start and finish time, and the hours you have booked.
- The order of service from your priest, granthi or imam, with approximate timings.
- Names and relationships of the people in each ritual: who ties the kalire, who gives the kanyadaan, who stands in the milni, who signs the nikah.
- Your family photograph list, grouped by household, and the name of the relative who will gather people.
- The running order for performances and speeches, with the DJ’s or sound engineer’s contact.
- Any rules from the gurdwara, temple, mosque or venue.
- Moments or guests that should not be photographed or shared.
If your wedding brings two traditions together, our guide to fusion weddings with two ceremonies covers how to give each ceremony room.
From behind the camera
Before every multi-day wedding I ask the couple one question: which moment would your mother never forgive us for missing? The answer is rarely on the timeline. It is a grandmother at the haldi, an uncle who flew in from abroad, a song only one aunt knows. We write those down and brief the whole team.
A week of events also teaches you that the small days carry the big one. By the Saturday your family no longer notice the camera, and we know who to look at when the palla is placed or the kanyadaan begins. In our experience, couples who add one smaller event, even two hours of a haldi at home, get pictures that feel more like their family.
And plan the gaps. The best timelines we work with have 15 minutes of slack before every move, so a late milni doesn’t cost you your couple portraits.
Frequently asked questions
How many days is an Asian wedding in the UK?
Most of the Asian weddings we photograph in the UK run over three or four days, with one or two evening events, a morning ritual such as the haldi or maiyan, the wedding day and sometimes a walima or second reception. Some families fit everything into a weekend; others spread events over several weeks, with a civil ceremony well before.
Do you need a civil ceremony for a Sikh or Hindu wedding in the UK?
Often, yes. In England and Wales a religious wedding is legally binding only in a building registered for marriages, with an authorised person or a registrar present. Some gurdwaras and mandirs are registered, many are not, and a ceremony at a hotel or banqueting hall is not. Check with your gurdwara or temple and your local register office.
Do we have to book photography and film for every event?
No. Most couples book the ceremony and reception, then add the mehndi, sangeet or haldi if they can. If you have to choose, keep the events with the most family in them and the most ritual. A two-hour booking for a small haldi at home often gives you some of the most loved pictures of the week.
How many photographers do we need for a 400-guest Asian wedding?
For the ceremony and reception at 300 to 600 guests, we suggest two photographers and two filmmakers. One pair stays with the couple while the other covers guests, entrances, stage photographs and reactions. Smaller events such as a mehndi at home usually need one photographer and one filmmaker.
Can one team cover two events on the same day?
Yes, if the events don’t overlap and there is time to travel and set up between them. Allow the journey time plus 30 to 45 minutes before the second event starts. If the bride’s and groom’s families hold events at the same time in different places, you need a second team or a choice about which to cover.
Keep reading
- What does photo and film cost for a multi-day Asian wedding?: how events, hours and crew size turn into a quote.
- Sikh wedding day timeline in the UK: a clock-time plan for the gurdwara morning and the evening reception.
- Hindu wedding photography: the moments to plan for: every ritual from haldi to vidaai, and where the camera should be.
Planning a wedding week of your own? Tell us each event, its date and the hours you need, and we will price them all together.
