When you send us a mandap photograph, tell us what caught your eye. Was it the flowers, the fabric, the chandeliers, or the whole setting? That small conversation can change the quote considerably. You may love the soft draping in a photograph without wanting every floral arrangement around it.
Before comparing two decor prices, make sure both teams are quoting the wedding you actually want. The same reference photograph can lead to very different proposals, especially when one includes the seating and lighting and the other covers only the mandap.
Look closely at the photograph you have saved
Take Niharika and Anirudh’s wedding at Shaheen Bagh in Dehradun. In the photograph below, the mandap has pale draping, floral work around the front, hanging chandeliers and ceremony seating on a raised platform. The surrounding greenery is part of the setting too.
The part of this setting you love should lead the brief. Perhaps it is the draping and chandeliers, with lighter floral work. Or perhaps the flowers matter most, while the venue’s own seating will suit you perfectly. Each choice gives the decorator something specific to price.
Your ceremony space will shape the rest. The backdrop behind the mandap, the available floor area and the family’s route to their seats all affect the design. What works against the garden at Shaheen Bagh will need adjusting on another lawn or inside a hall.
Compare the parts you are paying for
Say you are planning a haldi and an evening wedding for 100 guests. One proposal includes a haldi backdrop and a floral mandap. The second includes those, plus the couple’s haldi seating, aisle flowers, chair styling and lighting. Before deciding which price is better, work through the differences.
For the haldi, the first difference may be furniture. A backdrop alone leaves you to arrange the couple’s seating and any side pieces. If the venue has furniture you like, both proposals can allow for using it.
The mandap description should give its size and floral treatment. A photograph cannot tell you how much of the structure will be covered, which flowers will be used or whether some elements are artificial. The proposal is also the place to agree on substitutions if a chosen flower is unavailable.
Along the aisle, eight floral arrangements in one proposal and none in the other create an obvious difference. You may prefer to concentrate the flowers near the mandap and leave the rest simpler. A revised design and total will show what that choice changes.
Seating needs the same clarity. The venue might supply 100 chairs while the decorator styles only the 20 nearest the aisle. A line called “guest seating” should spell out whether it covers chair hire, styling or both.
For the evening, lighting has to reach both the mandap and the route your guests use. Chandeliers are one part of the design; power, installation and the remaining lights need their own allowance. Sound and entertainment lighting may sit with another team.
Once both proposals cover the choices you have made, compare the revised totals. You may find that the smaller quote needed several additions, or that the larger one included things you did not want. Either way, you now have a useful basis for the decision. Before approving, confirm the taxes, exclusions and who can authorise any chargeable additions.
Decide where you want to spend
If the first design is over budget, tell the decorator which part you would be disappointed to lose. For one couple that will be the mandap; for another it will be the dinner setting or the entrance where the family welcomes guests. Start there.
I would rather simplify a few areas properly than reduce every detail without considering the overall result. Keeping the ceremony flowers and using simpler table arrangements can work well. An extra lounge your guests are unlikely to use may be easier to remove. Each agreed change should appear in the revised proposal.
Reusing decor between functions is worth discussing, but the timings matter. If an arrangement is moving from the haldi to the evening setup, someone has to move it, prepare it and put it in place. Fresh flowers also need to be assessed after the first function. Agree on what can genuinely be reused before counting it as a saving.
Allow for the work around each function
In Mussoorie, Rishikesh or any other destination, the exact venue matters more than the town name. The unloading point, route to the event area and permitted setup hours determine how the team gets the work done. Steps or a short access window can mean more time and people are needed.
When the same space hosts two functions, the programme needs a realistic changeover. Clearing the first setup and completing the next one takes time, even if some pieces are staying. Transport, installation, dismantling and any crew arrangements should be accounted for in the proposal.
For an outdoor function, it is worth walking through the indoor alternative early. A mandap may need resizing, and some pieces may have to change rather than simply move. Agreeing on the cost and decision time for that alternative before the wedding week gives everyone a workable plan.
Bring your ideas together
Our wedding decor service is a useful starting point for exploring the possibilities. You can also explore our starting packages. Your venue, functions and design references will help us put together a proposal for your celebration.
When you are ready to discuss your decor with BnB Weddings, send the venue, dates, functions and photographs you keep coming back to, along with an idea of your budget. Tell us which details you love, and we can work through what to keep, what to simplify and what the quote needs to include.