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Wedding professionals constantly ask the same question in different costumes: what GST rate applies to my service? The unhelpfully consistent answer for most of the industry is 18% — but the SAC codes differ, catering has its own rules, and the registration threshold means many vendors shouldn't be charging GST at all. Here's the service-by-service breakdown.
The Rate Table
| Service | GST rate | SAC code |
|---|---|---|
| Photography & videography | 18% | 998387 |
| Makeup / beauty services | 18% | 999721 |
| Mehendi application | 18% | 999721 |
| Hair styling | 18% | 999721 |
| Event management / planning | 18% | 998596 |
| Decoration / floral | 18% | 998596 |
| DJ / sound & lighting | 18% | 998596 / 999652 |
| Choreography (instruction) | 18% | 999293 |
| Outdoor catering | 5% (no ITC) | 996334 |
| Venue rental (banquet) | 18% | 997212 |
Two things stand out: nearly everything is 18%, and catering is the exception — outdoor catering attracts 5% without input tax credit (18% with ITC applies in certain premises-linked cases; most independent wedding caterers fall under 5%).
First Question: Should You Be Charging GST at All?
GST applies only if you're registered — and registration is mandatory only above ₹20 lakh annual turnover for services (₹10 lakh in special category states). A huge share of independent wedding vendors are legitimately below this line.
- Below threshold, unregistered: you charge no GST, issue ordinary invoices, and are often 18% cheaper for families than registered competitors
- Registered (mandatory or voluntary): you must charge the applicable rate on every taxable invoice — no picking and choosing per client
Never charge "GST" without a GSTIN on the invoice. Collecting tax while unregistered is a serious violation, and families increasingly know to check for the 15-character GSTIN.
Intra-State vs Inter-State: The Split
For any rate, the split follows one rule (details in our GST invoice format guide):
- Client and place of supply in your state: CGST + SGST (18% → 9% + 9%)
- Different state — e.g., a destination wedding in Goa, Udaipur, or Kerala: IGST at the full rate
Destination weddings are exactly where wedding vendors get this wrong, because the place of supply for event-linked services is generally where the event happens, not where the client lives.
The Mixed-Package Problem
A makeup artist who bundles "bridal makeup + mehendi + hair" is fine — all 18%, same SAC family. But packages that mix rates create composite/mixed supply questions:
- A composite supply (naturally bundled, one principal service) takes the principal service's rate
- A mixed supply (independent services for one price) takes the highest rate in the bundle
Practical guidance: itemize your invoice lines per service rather than selling one opaque "wedding package" price. Itemization keeps each line at its correct rate, gives clients clarity, and — for caterers bundling 5% catering with 18% decor — prevents the whole package being dragged to 18%.
What Wedding Clients Can and Can't Claim
Families paying for weddings are end consumers — they claim nothing, so your GST is a real 18% cost to them. Corporate events are different: a company running an offsite or client event can claim input credit on 18% services (not on 5% no-ITC catering). This is why B2B event work tolerates GST-registered pricing easily while the family wedding market is price-sensitive to it — worth factoring into your pricing strategy.
Vendor Checklist
- Confirm whether your turnover requires registration (₹20 lakh services threshold)
- If registered: correct rate + SAC on every invoice, CGST/SGST vs IGST by place of supply
- Itemize multi-service packages line by line
- Issue receipt vouchers for advances (wedding advances arrive months early — this rule is made for you)
- State inclusive/exclusive GST clearly in quotes so the 18% never surfaces as a surprise at balance time
Handling all of this manually per invoice is where errors breed. A GST invoice generator built for Indian service professionals applies the right rate, SAC code, and state-based split automatically — and if you run bookings, advances, and balances across a wedding season, Brightdesk keeps the whole paper trail compliant from inquiry to final receipt.