How to Choose the Perfect Mandap for Your Wedding

Start with your ceremony

Before thinking about colours or flowers, consider what will happen beneath the mandap. Speak with your pandit and your families about the rituals you plan to include, how long the ceremony will last and who will be seated under the canopy. Customs vary widely between regions and communities, and these details shape the size and layout you need.

Ask whether your ceremony will include a havan, how many family members will join you on the stage, and whether any rituals require extra floor space, such as the pheras around the fire or the seven steps of Saptapadi.

Let your venue guide the scale

A mandap that looks magnificent in a vast ballroom can overwhelm an intimate room, while a delicate design may feel lost under a high ceiling. Measure the space early. Most mandaps need roughly 3m x 3m to 5m x 5m of floor space, plus room around them for movement, and around 3m to 4m of ceiling clearance.

Check your venue’s rules on access, set-up times and open flames too. Our guide to how much space a mandap needs covers measurements in more depth.

Choose a mandap style that feels like you

Once you know the practical requirements, the fun begins. Think about the overall mood you want to create and how it connects to the rest of your wedding.

• Traditional: carved pillars, red and gold detailing and a sense of heritage, as seen in our traditional mandaps
• Floral: romantic canopies dressed in garlands and blooms, explored in our floral mandaps
• Modern: architectural frames and clean lines for contemporary venues
• Minimal: understated elegance where the setting and the ceremony speak for themselves
• Luxury: domes, chandeliers and statement styling for grand celebrations
• Outdoor: designs with weighted bases for gardens and lakesides

Think about colour, florals and lighting

Your mandap should sit comfortably alongside your outfits, décor and venue interior. Traditional reds and golds remain much loved, while blush, ivory, peach and pastel palettes have become popular for daytime and garden weddings. Our guide to choosing a mandap colour palette can help you narrow things down.

Decide whether you would prefer fresh flowers, premium faux florals or a combination of the two. Consider lighting as well: an evening ceremony benefits from warm uplighting, candles or a chandelier, all of which make a real difference in photographs.

Consider practicalities and the guest view

A mandap should look beautiful from every angle your guests will see it. Think about where people will be seated, how the aisle will lead to the stage and whether pillars or heavy draping could block anyone’s view.

• Sightlines from the furthest rows of seating
• Comfortable seating for the couple, parents and priest
• Space for the havan kund and puja items
• Whether the room is turned around between ceremony and reception
• A wet-weather plan for any outdoor ceremony

See it in person before you decide

Photographs are a wonderful starting point, but nothing replaces seeing the craftsmanship, scale and finish of a mandap with your own eyes. Viewings are available by appointment, and they are a good opportunity to ask questions about installation, florals and timings.

Browse our full mandap collection for inspiration, then contact us to arrange a viewing and receive a tailored quote.

Frequently asked questions