What is the Marriage Planning?
Indian weddings inflate at roughly 6–8% a year — venues, catering and jewellery all rise faster than general CPI. A ₹25 lakh wedding today becomes about ₹40 lakh in seven years.
Because the date is usually flexible but the scale is not, this is a goal where starting a dedicated SIP early avoids the common outcome: a wedding funded by a personal loan at 14%.
Formula & worked example
SIP = (Future cost − existing savings grown) × i / (((1+i)N − 1) × (1+i))
Worked example: ₹25,00,000 in today's terms, 7 years away at 7% inflation → ₹40.1 lakh. With ₹3 lakh saved (growing to ₹6 lakh at 10%), you need ₹34.1 lakh more, requiring about ₹27,900 a month.
How to use this marriage planning calculator
- Enter a realistic budget in today's prices.
- Set the years until the wedding.
- Use 6–8% inflation for wedding costs.
- Move to debt funds in the final two years so the amount is certain.
Smart tips
- Never fund a wedding with a personal loan at 14%. The debt outlives the celebration by years.
- Gold bought gradually over the years costs far less than buying it all in the wedding month.
- Shift to debt funds 18–24 months before the date — a market fall cannot be rescheduled.
- An off-season or weekday wedding can cut venue and catering costs by 20–30%.
- Agree the budget with family early. Scope creep is the single largest cause of wedding debt.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Indian wedding cost?
Enormously variable — from ₹5 lakh to several crore. Urban middle-class weddings commonly run ₹15–40 lakh including jewellery.
How early should I start saving for a wedding?
Five to ten years ahead makes it comfortable. At seven years, a ₹25 lakh goal needs roughly ₹28,000 a month; at three years it needs over ₹75,000.
Should I take a loan for a wedding?
Avoid it. Personal loans at 11–24% mean paying for one day over three to five years. Save ahead or reduce the scale instead.
Where should wedding savings be invested?
Equity funds if the wedding is 5+ years away, shifting to debt funds or FDs in the final two years to lock in the amount.
Want the theory behind the numbers? Read our goal planning guides on the Money Blog.