# GST Rates for Wedding Services in India: Photography, Makeup, Catering, Decor & More

> The applicable GST rate for every wedding service — photography, makeup, mehendi, catering, decoration, DJ, venue — with SAC codes and the exemptions small vendors can use.

Canonical: https://brightdesk.app/blog/gst-rates-wedding-services-india  
Last updated: 2026-07-14  
Author: Brightdesk Team  
Category: Finance

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](https://brightdesk.app/blog/gst-registration-freelancers-india)):** 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](https://brightdesk.app/blog/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](https://brightdesk.app/blog/how-much-do-wedding-photographers-charge-india).

## Vendor Checklist

1. Confirm whether your turnover requires registration (₹20 lakh services threshold)
2. If registered: correct rate + SAC on every invoice, CGST/SGST vs IGST by place of supply
3. Itemize multi-service packages line by line
4. Issue **receipt vouchers** for advances (wedding advances arrive months early — this rule is made for you)
5. 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](https://brightdesk.app/gst-invoice-generator) applies the right rate, SAC code, and state-based split automatically — and if you run bookings, advances, and balances across a wedding season, [Brightdesk](https://brightdesk.app/auth/login) keeps the whole paper trail compliant from inquiry to final receipt.

## Related

- [All blog posts](https://brightdesk.app/blog)