Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Might Ask
The questions couples and families ask us most — about planning, pricing, temples, destinations and planning a Kerala wedding from abroad. If yours isn’t here, just ask.
About Exa
Getting to Know Us
We are a planning house, not a logistics vendor. We design and steer the whole celebration — concept, vendors, traditions and day-of execution — for a small number of couples at a time, and we remain the single point of accountability throughout.
Our studio is on TB Road at Eerayil Kadavu, Kottayam 686001. We plan weddings across Kochi and the whole state, and at destinations beyond it.
Only a limited number each season. It is deliberate — it is how we keep our attention, and our standards, where they belong.
Kerala is our home and the bulk of our work, but we plan destination and NRI weddings elsewhere in India and abroad for existing and referred clients.
Please do. The first consultation is complimentary, and local families usually prefer to come to the studio. We are open Monday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm.
Planning & Process
How We Work
A planner manages your entire celebration end to end — budget, venue sourcing, vendor selection and negotiation, design, guest logistics, run-sheets and day-of execution — and acts as the single point of accountability between both families and every supplier.
Budget planning, venue sourcing and negotiation, vendor appointment, wedding design, timelines and run-sheets, guest management, ritual coordination and complete on-ground execution across every event — followed by vendor settlement and delivery of your photography and film.
Day-of coordination runs a wedding you have already planned. Full planning means we design and build the celebration with you over months, appoint and manage every vendor, and remain accountable for the whole thing rather than the final 48 hours.
Yes — partial planning, day-of coordination, design-only and venue sourcing are each available on their own. We will tell you honestly which fits your situation.
For a peak-season Kerala wedding, 10 to 12 months. The venue is usually the binding constraint, and the best photographers and caterers are appointed early.
Pricing
Fees & Budgeting
Fees vary with guest count, venue tier, number of events and season. We quote a flat planning fee against a defined scope rather than a percentage of your spend, and share an itemised proposal after a complimentary first consultation.
A percentage of total spend pays the planner more the more you spend, which puts your interests and theirs in quiet opposition at every decision. A flat fee against a written scope removes that tension entirely.
No. Our fee comes from you and only from you. Where a supplier extends us a trade rate, it passes through to you rather than to us.
The first conversation is complimentary. If we are a good fit, we follow it with a detailed, itemised proposal for your wedding, with no obligation.
Almost always catering, because it scales directly with guest count. Trimming a guest list changes a Kerala budget more than any other single decision — which is a conversation we prefer to have honestly at the outset.
Temple Weddings
Ceremonies & Rituals
Guruvayoor, Vaikom Mahadeva, Ettumanoor Mahadeva, Thirunakkara Mahadeva and Chottanikkara among the major ones, as well as family and kuladevata temples. Each has its own arrangements, and we plan to the temple’s requirements rather than a generic template.
Ceremony slots are allotted by each temple’s Devaswom, with documentation — age proof, identification for the couple and both sets of parents, photographs, enrolment forms and witnesses — completed beforehand. We assemble and check the full file before submission, and confirm current procedures with the temple for every wedding.
Most temples conduct Hindu marriages only and ask the couple to declare their faith as part of the booking. Requirements vary by temple, and we confirm them before planning.
The temple issues a marriage certificate after the ceremony, which you then use to complete legal registration at the registrar’s office along with identification, photographs and witnesses. We handle that follow-through.
Traditional Kerala temple dress is required of everyone entering — mundu for men, saree or set-mundu for women — and it applies to all guests, not just the wedding party.
Destinations & Venues
Where to Marry
There is no single best venue — only the best fit for your guest count, budget, season and travel. Kumarakom suits backwater weddings, Kochi handles large city celebrations, Munnar works beautifully in winter, and temple towns serve traditional ceremonies. We shortlist against your specifics.
For peak season — November to May, December and January especially — 10 to 12 months ahead. The venue is almost always the binding constraint, so secure it before appointing any other vendor.
Yes, and rates are considerably lower. It requires genuine contingency — covered walkways, a real indoor fallback for every outdoor moment and honest guidance to guests. Handled well, monsoon weddings are among the most atmospheric we plan.
We do, and we come with you. Site visits are where the questions that matter get asked — about capacity at your headcount, restrictions, inclusions and what a space is like at the hour you will actually marry.
Yes. Venue sourcing is included in full planning, but we also take it on its own — shortlist, visits, negotiation and contract review — for couples managing the rest themselves.
NRI Weddings
Planning From Abroad
Yes — it is a core part of our work. We handle venue sourcing, vendor selection and negotiation, design, documentation and full on-ground execution while you approve decisions remotely. Many of our couples arrive in Kerala only days before the wedding.
We schedule video calls around your time zone rather than ours — evenings in the Gulf, mornings in North America, whatever suits. You are never expected to plan your own wedding at 3am.
We visit in person and send honest walkthrough footage rather than marketing reels, meet and vet every vendor, and share the actual contract before any deposit is paid. You approve on real information.
Vendor contracts and payment schedules are shared with you for approval before anything moves, and our fee comes only from you — no hidden vendor commissions. Where a trade rate is offered, it passes through to you.
It is, when the planning is done in advance. We front-load every decision and plan the timeline backwards from your arrival, so your time at home is spent celebrating rather than troubleshooting.
Families across the Gulf, the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Wherever you are, if the wedding is in Kerala, we can plan it with you.
Enquiries
Getting Started With Us
We typically reply within one business day. During peak season it may take a little longer, but every enquiry is answered personally.
Yes — for NRI families and anyone who prefers it. We run video consultations and share venue shortlists and proposals online, so you can plan from anywhere.
If we are a good fit, we follow the complimentary first conversation with a clear, itemised proposal for your wedding — scope, approach and a flat fee, with no obligation to proceed.
Yes. Our engagement terms, including cancellation and refund provisions, are set out in the proposal and agreement we share before you commit. You can also read our refund policy on the website.
Let's Begin
Still Have a Question?
If your question isn’t answered here, send it over. We reply to every enquiry personally, usually within a business day.
Exa Weddings, TB Road, Near Kalyan Silks, Eerayil Kadavu, Kottayam, Kerala 686001
hello@exaweddings.com · +91 97440 75035