Planning a Destination Wedding in Udaipur

Udaipur is often called the City of Lakes. Its palaces and hotels sit along Lake Pichola and Fateh Sagar Lake, with the Aravalli hills rising behind. It is easy to see why so many couples imagine their wedding here: few places in India combine water, architecture and light in quite the same way.

Planning a celebration in Udaipur rewards a little extra preparation, because the very things that make the city beautiful, its lakes, its old city and its hills, also shape how a wedding comes together.

Choosing where to celebrate

Udaipur’s wedding venues broadly fall into three groups.

• Lake-side palaces and heritage hotels in and around the old city, where the view across the water is the backdrop.
• Island and lake venues, where guests may arrive by boat. These are memorable, but every guest, supplier and piece of equipment has to make the same crossing, so timings need to be planned carefully.
• Resorts on the edge of the city and in the surrounding hills, which usually offer more space for large structures and simpler vehicle access.

Many couples combine them: an intimate function in a heritage setting, and a larger reception or sangeet at a resort with room to build.

Getting guests there

Udaipur’s Maharana Pratap Airport has domestic connections, and the city is also reachable by road and rail. Within the city, the lanes of the old town are narrow and can be congested, so think about how guests will move between their hotel and each function, especially in the evening. For lake venues, ask how boat transfers are scheduled and how long it takes to move everyone across.

If guests are staying in more than one hotel, a simple shuttle schedule, shared in advance, will save a great deal of confusion on the day.

When to go

Like the rest of Rajasthan, Udaipur’s main wedding season runs from roughly October to March. The monsoon brings the lakes to life but also brings rain, and the summer months are hot. Popular venues and dates book well ahead in peak season, so if you have a specific property and month in mind, start early.

Designing for the setting

When the setting is this strong, the best design works with it rather than competing with it.

• Let the view lead. Keep stages and structures low enough not to block the water or the palace behind it, and orient seating towards the view.
• Plan for the evening. Lake-side celebrations change completely after sunset. Lighting the architecture, the water’s edge and the pathways matters as much as the stage.
• Check what the venue allows. Heritage properties often limit fixings, open flames and late-night sound. Confirm these with the venue before designing around them.

Questions to ask before you book

• How do guests and suppliers reach the venue, and what are the access times?
• Is there a covered alternative if it rains?
• Until what time is music permitted by the water?
• Which spaces can be used for set-up, and for how long beforehand?

Plan your Udaipur celebration

Explore the Udaipur destination page for the venues we have verified there, read our guide to choosing a wedding venue in Rajasthan, or see how our wedding planning and management service brings a destination celebration together.