The short answer: choose a wedding choreographer by watching full performances from real weddings, checking who will actually teach and run your show, and asking how they plan rehearsals, music, staging and coordination with your other vendors. Book around 6 months ahead, especially for peak season (November to March) or a destination wedding. The 12 questions below will tell you most of what you need to know.
Your choreographer shapes some of the most photographed and most remembered moments of the wedding: the sangeet, the couple’s dance, the entries and the varmala. Here is what to ask before you book, from a choreographer with nearly two decades of weddings behind him.
The questions at a glance
| Question | What you are really finding out |
|---|---|
| Can we see full performances? | Real quality, not just a highlight edit |
| Who teaches us and runs the show? | Whether the person you meet is the person you get |
| How are rehearsals planned? | Whether the schedule fits your family |
| Do you create a concept or just routines? | Storytelling versus a playlist of dances |
| Who handles music, costumes, props and staging? | How much you will need to coordinate yourselves |
| Will you work with our decorator, DJ and AV team? | Whether the show runs smoothly on the night |
| Do you travel, and can family abroad learn online? | Fit for destination and NRI weddings |
| What exactly is included in the price? | No surprises later |
12 questions to ask a wedding choreographer
1. Can we see full performances from real weddings?
Why it matters: Highlight reels are edited to look perfect. A full, unedited performance shows you how families actually look on stage after working with this choreographer.
A good answer sounds like: “Yes, here are complete sangeet performances, including families with no dance experience.”
2. Have you done a wedding like ours?
Why it matters: A 40-person family evening, a 1,000-guest production and a destination wedding abroad are very different jobs.
A good answer sounds like: Specific examples at a similar scale, venue type or destination.
3. Who will teach us, and who runs the show on the day?
Why it matters: Many teams use assistants for rehearsals. That can work well, but you should know in advance.
A good answer sounds like: A clear answer about who leads rehearsals, who is backstage on the day and who calls the cues.
4. How many rehearsals are included, and when?
Why it matters: Rehearsal time is the biggest factor in how confident your family looks on stage.
A good answer sounds like: A specific plan. At Sumit Khetan Entertainment, rehearsals run over 6 to 8 days on average, with 2 to 3 dedicated to the couple, usually in the final 3 weeks before the wedding.
5. How do you work with people who cannot dance?
Why it matters: Most families include nervous beginners, busy professionals and grandparents with bad knees.
A good answer sounds like: Choreography designed around the people performing it, with simple steps, slow breakdowns and short moments for elders.
6. Do you create a concept and story, or just teach routines?
Why it matters: The most memorable sangeets tell the couple’s story rather than stringing unrelated dances together.
A good answer sounds like: Ideas about how to structure the evening around your story, not only a list of songs.
7. Who edits the music?
Why it matters: Choreography is built on the exact music cut. Poor edits make even good routines look messy.
A good answer sounds like: Professional medley edits, locked several weeks before the wedding.
8. Do you handle costumes, props, performers and staging?
Why it matters: If not, you will be coordinating several extra vendors yourselves.
A good answer sounds like: A clear list of what they produce and what you arrange. SKE handles concept, music, choreography, professional performers, costumes, props, production and show direction.
9. Will you coordinate with our decorator, DJ, anchor and AV team?
Why it matters: Entries, lighting, sound and screen content all have to land on the right beat.
A good answer sounds like: A cue sheet shared with every vendor, and a technical rehearsal on the actual stage.
10. Do you travel for destination weddings?
Why it matters: Your choreographer needs to be at the venue for final rehearsals and the event.
A good answer sounds like: Experience at destinations like yours, and a clear explanation of travel arrangements and costs.
11. Can family abroad learn online?
Why it matters: For NRI families this decides whether the show comes together at all.
A good answer sounds like: A tried process: online sessions and video tutorials, then in-person rehearsals at the destination. Here is how ours works.
12. What exactly is included in the price?
Why it matters: Rehearsal days, travel, music edits, costumes, performers and effects can all be priced differently.
A good answer sounds like: An itemised quote, so you can compare like with like.
Red flags to watch for
- They only show short highlight clips, never a full performance.
- They are vague about who will actually teach you.
- Every wedding gets the same routines, whatever the family.
- There is no plan for a technical rehearsal on the real stage.
- They push songs that suit the choreographer rather than the people performing.
When to book
Book around 6 months before the wedding. Experienced choreographers fill their calendars quickly in peak season, from November to March, and destination weddings need extra planning. Once you have booked, our sangeet planning checklist takes you through the rest, step by step.
Why families choose Sumit Khetan Entertainment
- Six consecutive WeddingSutra Platinum Awards for Best Wedding Choreographer, and a decade of recognition at the Great Indian Wedding Awards. Read about the 2026 awards.
- A Guinness World Record for choreographing 551 varmala ceremonies in under 60 seconds.
- Over 20 years in dance and entertainment, including Bollywood and television work.
- Weddings across India and abroad, from intimate family evenings to large productions. See our events.
Frequently asked questions
Watch full performances from real weddings, confirm who will teach you and run the show on the day, ask how rehearsals, music edits, costumes and staging are handled, and get an itemised quote. Book around 6 months ahead, especially for peak season or destination weddings.
Around 6 months before the wedding. Experienced choreographers are booked quickly in peak wedding season, from November to March, and destination weddings need extra planning.
It depends on the family and the performance. At Sumit Khetan Entertainment, rehearsals run over 6 to 8 days on average, with 2 to 3 days dedicated to the couple, usually in the final 3 weeks before the wedding.
Ask for an itemised list: rehearsal days, music editing, travel for destination weddings, and whether costumes, props, professional performers and show direction are included.
Yes, if they have a remote process. Sumit Khetan Entertainment teaches families abroad through online sessions and video tutorials, then holds in-person rehearsals at the wedding destination.
About the author
Sumit Khetan is a Mumbai-based wedding choreographer and artistic director, and the founder of Sumit Khetan Entertainment Co. (SKE). He trained at Shiamak Davar’s Institute of Performing Arts and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance in New York. More about Sumit.
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