Building a wedding budget that holds
Venue, food and rooms take most of it: how we split a budget, and where couples overspend.
Choosing a Udaipur venue: palace, haveli or lake hotel
Guest count, rooms and the walk to the mandap: what to weigh before you visit.
Udaipur offers three broad kinds of wedding venue. Palace hotels have grand courtyards and lake views, can host several hundred guests, and usually require you to book a large share of their rooms. Haveli hotels in the old city are intimate and full of character, best for 80 to 200 guests, but have narrow lanes that make baraats and deliveries harder. Resorts outside the city have lawns and parking, and more flexibility on music after 10 pm.
Start with your guest count and how many need rooms. A venue that can seat 400 for dinner may only sleep 120, which means shuttles from other hotels.
Then think about how people move. Elderly relatives will walk from their rooms to the mandap several times a day. Check stairs, distances and shade.
Finally, ask about timings. Lakeside venues have music limits, and some restrict fire for havans on certain terraces. A good venue will tell you plainly; we always ask before we shortlist.
