What you get
Mangalyam is a wedding planner app for Indian couples, and it costs nothing to use. Instead of juggling a spreadsheet, a notes app and three WhatsApp groups, you plan from one account:
- Wedding website with RSVP for each ceremony, plus WhatsApp-friendly invite links and QR codes.
- Guest list organised by side and family, with plus-ones.
- Guest wishes wall for messages from the people who love you.
- Budget in ₹ with categories, showing committed against paid.
- Checklist and timeline so you know what comes next.
- Vendor directory and quotes for photographers, caterers, decorators and more.
How it works
- Start at /start. Add your names, your dates and the ceremonies you are holding.
- Set the foundation. Build your guest list, set a total budget and open the checklist. Each piece connects to the others, so your guest count and your spending are not separate worlds.
- Invite and collect. Send personal invite links on WhatsApp. Guests reply per ceremony, and their answers appear in your guest list.
- Book and track. Request quotes from vendors, record what you have committed, and mark payments as you make them.
You do not have to use every part on day one. Many couples begin with the guest list and the website, then add the budget when the first deposits come due.
Why it suits Indian weddings
It expects more than one event. Most planning apps are built around a single ceremony and a single guest list. An Indian wedding is a run of events, and different people are invited to different ones. Here every ceremony has its own list of invitees and its own RSVP.
It understands families. You rarely invite one person. You invite a household, a side, a circle of relatives. Grouping by side and family makes the numbers readable, and plus-ones are recorded against the guest who brings them.
It works with WhatsApp. Your family already lives there. Invite links are made to be pasted into a chat, and QR codes can go on printed cards. You are not asking anyone to learn a new app just to say yes.
It reflects how money moves. Wedding spending in India is gradual: an advance here, a balance there. The budget separates committed from paid, so you can see what you have promised versus what has actually left your account. You can see the detail in our wedding budget planner.
Planner app versus spreadsheet and chat groups
A spreadsheet is flexible, and a group chat is fast. Neither is a system.
- Guest replies. In a chat, replies are messages you have to read and copy by hand. In the app they arrive per ceremony and update the guest list.
- Budget. In a spreadsheet you decide what each column means and keep the formulas working. In the app, categories and the committed-versus-paid split are already there.
- Tasks. In a chat, a to-do is a message that scrolls away. In the app it sits on a checklist and a timeline.
- Vendors. In a chat, a quote is a screenshot. In the app you find vendors and ask for quotes from the same place you plan.
The point is not to replace how your family talks. It is to stop your planning data from living inside those conversations.
Plan faster with an AI assistant
If you use Claude or ChatGPT, you can connect it to Mangalyam. Describe your wedding in a chat and the assistant can build your wedding website from it. You stay in control: open the result, change what you want, and publish when you are happy.
A sensible order to plan in
You do not need a perfect plan on day one. A workable order for most couples looks like this.
First, the guest list and the date. Your head count shapes everything else, from venue size to catering. Enter your guests by side and family, mark plus-ones, and note which ceremonies each person is invited to. Rough numbers are fine; you can refine them as replies arrive.
Second, the budget. Set a total, divide it into categories and decide which ones matter most to you. Record each booking as committed and each payment as paid, so you always know where you stand.
Third, the checklist and timeline. Put dates against the tasks that cannot slip, such as booking the venue and sending invitations. A visible timeline turns a vague worry into a list you can work through.
Fourth, vendors and invitations. Browse the directory, request quotes, then send invite links on WhatsApp once your website is ready. Replies feed back into your guest list without any copying.
Because everything lives in one account, a change in one place shows up where you need it. A larger guest list reminds you to revisit the catering line; a confirmed quote becomes a committed amount in your budget.
Start planning
Wedding planning in India involves many people and many moving parts. Your tools should make that easier. Create your free account at /start and set up your ceremonies in a few minutes. When you are ready for vendors, browse the wedding vendors directory. If a website with RSVP is your first priority, see the free wedding website page. Mangalyam is free for couples, always.