TL;DR — A full multi-day Indian wedding film covering mehndi through to reception runs £10,000–£40,000 for 3–5 days of coverage. Crew rotation, footage management across 60–120+ hours of raw material, and cultural fluency are non-negotiable. Here is exactly what to plan for.
What a Multi-Day Indian Wedding Film Covers
A traditional Hindu or Punjabi wedding is not a single-day event — it is a sequence of 4 to 6 distinct ceremonies, each with its own ritual structure, guest profile, dress code, and emotional register. Filming them as separate events misses the narrative arc. Filming them as a unified story — mehndi's playfulness, haldi's raw intimacy, sangeet's performance energy, pheras' sacred weight, vidaai's grief, and reception's jubilation — is what creates a film that families watch every anniversary for 30 years.
MKTRL Wedding has filmed Indian weddings spanning 3 to 5 days across multiple UK venues since 2019. Our multi-day projects generate 80–150 hours of raw footage and deliver 6–10 edited films across 3–4 months of post-production.
- Mehndi — informal, candid, usually daytime at home or garden venue
- Haldi — intimate family gathering, messy and joyful, low-light often indoors
- Sangeet — evening performance event, high energy, stage lighting
- Pheras / baraat — the main wedding ceremony, often 4–6 hours
- Vidaai — the bride's departure, rarely more than 20 minutes but emotionally critical
- Reception — speeches, first dance, banquet, often a separate venue the following evening
Ceremony-by-Ceremony Structure
Understanding what happens in each ceremony determines how we position cameras, plan sound, and write the coverage brief. Below is our standard day-by-day breakdown for a 4-day UK Indian wedding.
| Day | Ceremony | Typical Duration | Crew on Site | Key Coverage Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Mehndi | 4–6 hours | 1 camera, 1 photographer | Candid moments, detail shots, henna application close-ups |
| Day 2 (morning) | Haldi | 1–2 hours | 2 cameras | Emotion and spontaneity — waterproof kit required |
| Day 2 (evening) | Sangeet | 4–5 hours | 3 cameras + sound | Stage performances, family dances, audience reaction |
| Day 3 | Baraat + Pheras | 6–9 hours | 4 cameras + drone + sound | Procession, mandap rituals, saptapadi, mangalsutra |
| Day 3 (late) | Vidaai | 30–60 mins | 2 cameras | Emotional departure — handheld, close, no flash |
| Day 4 | Reception | 5–7 hours | 3 cameras + sound | Speeches, first dance, table moments, exit |
Crew Rotation: How We Manage a 4-Day Shoot
No single crew can perform at full capacity for 4 consecutive 10-hour days without quality suffering. Our multi-day Indian wedding model uses a primary team of 3 with a rotational support crew:
- Lead director — present all 4 days, maintains continuity of visual language and story arc
- Second camera (A) — Days 1, 2, and 3 (mehndi through pheras)
- Second camera (B) — Days 3 and 4 (pheras overlap, reception) — fresh eyes for the biggest day
- Sound engineer — Days 2 evening through Day 4 (sangeet, pheras, reception require dedicated sound)
- Drone operator — Day 3 only (baraat procession + venue aerials)
This model is built around 3 principles: the lead never delegates creative decisions, crew rotation prevents fatigue errors, and every day's footage is offloaded and backed up to 2 separate drives before the crew leaves the venue.
Footage Management: 100 Hours of Raw Material
A 4-day Indian wedding with 4 cameras running during pheras alone generates 30–40 hours of raw footage on that single day. Across all days, expect 80–150 hours total. Without a rigorous system, post-production becomes chaos.
Our footage management protocol:
- All cards offloaded same evening to labelled primary and backup drives (4TB + 4TB minimum)
- Footage organised by day, ceremony, and camera label before editing begins
- Selects pass completed within 10 days of the final ceremony day
- Client-facing rough assembly delivered within 6–8 weeks
- Final delivery of all films: 10–16 weeks from the last day of filming
For weddings of 5+ days or 400+ guests, we add a dedicated data manager to the crew — this adds £600–£900 to the project cost and cuts post-production errors by roughly 80%.
Kit for Multi-Day Indian Weddings
Each ceremony demands different kit priorities. The haldi ceremony is physically the most challenging — it involves turmeric paste thrown freely. We use waterproof camera covers, wipeable lenses, and never bring primary bodies into the inner circle. Our full kit matrix:
- 4× Sony FX3 / FX6 cinema bodies with weather sealing
- Waterproof covers and lens shields for haldi
- 3× radio lavalier systems (officiant, couple, spare)
- 1× boom mic + portable recorder for sangeet stage audio backup
- 2× LED panel lights — daylight balanced — for haldi/mehndi indoor coverage
- DJI Mavic 3 Pro with spare batteries for baraat and venue aerials
- 8TB on-site storage across 4 drives with real-time cloning
Packages and Pricing
Pricing is structured by number of ceremonies and crew days, not a flat per-day rate. Below is our standard 2024–2025 pricing matrix for UK multi-day Indian weddings.
| Package | Ceremonies Covered | Crew Days | Deliverables | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Indian | Pheras + Reception | 2 days | 2 films + 2 reels | £10,000–£14,000 |
| Extended Indian | Sangeet + Pheras + Reception | 3 days | 3 films + 3 reels | £15,000–£20,000 |
| Full Celebration | Mehndi + Haldi + Sangeet + Pheras + Reception | 4–5 days | 5–6 films + 5 reels + drone | £22,000–£32,000 |
| Grand Archive | All ceremonies + behind-the-scenes + documentary | 5+ days | Full suite + 90-min documentary cut | £33,000–£40,000+ |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you film all ceremonies or just the main wedding day?
We film as many or as few ceremonies as you want. The mehndi is optional for many couples; the pheras and reception are almost always included. We will never pressure you into covering ceremonies you do not want on film.
How do you handle the haldi — won't the cameras get ruined?
Our cameras are weather-sealed and we use additional waterproof covers for haldi. We position one camera at mid-range for safety and one closer with a disposable cover on the lens hood. We have never lost a camera at a haldi in 6 years of shooting.
Can you cover a baraat procession through the streets?
Yes. Outdoor baraat processions through streets or car parks are some of the most cinematic moments in an Indian wedding. We coordinate with venue staff and use a 3-camera setup — one wide, one following the groom on horseback or in the dhol circle, and one capturing crowd energy.
How long does post-production take for a 4-day wedding?
Typically 12–16 weeks for the full suite. We deliver a rough cut of the main ceremony film at 6–8 weeks so you have something to watch while the full suite is completed. Rush delivery within 8 weeks is available for an additional £800–£1,500.
Will you coordinate with our photographer?
Always. We have a pre-shoot briefing with the lead photographer to agree on positioning, first dance priority, and mandap placement. Conflict between stills and video is one of the biggest causes of missed shots at Indian weddings — we eliminate it in advance, not on the day.
Do you offer subtitles for non-English ceremony content?
Yes. Hindi, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Urdu subtitles are available. We work with specialist translators who understand wedding ritual context — not generic translation services. Allow 4–6 additional weeks for subtitled deliverables.
Can you film across multiple venues in the same city?
Absolutely. Multi-venue days — for example, pheras at a Hindu temple and reception at a hotel 3 miles away — are standard. We factor travel time into the run sheet and always have a crew member at the second venue 60 minutes before you arrive.
What if the pandit runs the ceremony much longer than planned?
Pheras commonly run 30–90 minutes over the schedule. Our crew is briefed to stay for the full duration regardless. Overtime beyond 10 hours in a single day is charged at £120 per camera operator per hour, agreed in advance in the contract.