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Shaadi Hisab
اردوPlan

Checked 2026-11-04

Wedding rules in Pakistan

What the law allows at a mehndi, baraat and walima in each province: the menu, the closing time, decorations and dowry. Taken from the legal text where it is published online, and from news reports for notifications.

Rules and notifications change, and districts enforce them differently. Before you book, confirm the current rules with your district administration and your hall. This page is information, not legal advice.

Punjab

Punjab Marriage Functions Act 2016 (Act XXIX of 2016)

Food
One dish only at a public place: one salan, one rice dish, one salad, hot and cold drinks, roti, naan and one sweet dish (s.2(d), s.4). This binds the host and also the hall owner, manager and caterer (s.5). A meal at home is not covered.
Closing time
All functions end by 10:00 pm (s.6, the venue owner or manager must ensure it).
Also
  • Covers mayun, mehndi, baraat, nikah, rukhsati and walima (s.2(c)).
  • Public places include halls, marquees, hotels, clubs, community centres, parks, open spaces and private property hired for the wedding (s.2(f)).
  • No lights on streets, roads or parks outside the venue; no crackers, fireworks or aerial firing; no public display of dowry; no nuisance to neighbours (s.3).
  • Food served against the law is forfeited (s.10).
  • Enforced in 2025 and 2026: Lahore halls sealed over one-dish and timing breaches (Dawn, Oct 2025); 562 venues inspected and 14 sealed in three days (ProPakistani, Dec 2025).
Penalty
Up to 1 month’s simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs50,000 to Rs2,000,000 (s.8); tried summarily by a magistrate (s.9).
We found no amendment to the 2016 Act on the Punjab Code (searched 4 Nov 2026).

Sources

Islamabad (ICT)

Marriage Functions (Prohibition of Ostentatious Displays and Wasteful Expenses) Ordinance 2000, as amended in 2006

Food
One dish in a club, hotel, restaurant, wedding hall, community centre or any other place: one salan, rice with roti, one sweet dish, with hot and cold soft drinks (s.4 as amended). A meal at home for family and house guests is exempt.
Closing time
Halls close by 10:00 pm (district administration notifications; energy-saving timings kept by the federal Cabinet Division on 17 Sep 2026).
Also
  • No lights on houses, streets and roads beyond ordinary lighting; no crackers, firearms or fireworks (s.3).
  • Enforced in 2026 by Assistant Commissioners; a second violation means the venue is sealed and owners arrested (ProPakistani, May 2026).
Penalty
Up to 1 month’s imprisonment or a fine (s.6). The fine amounts are not legible in the official scan we read.

Sources

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Marriage Functions (Prohibition of Ostentatious Displays and Wasteful Expenses) Act 2018 (Act VIII of 2018)

Food
At rukhsati, baraat and walima: one rice dish, one gravy (salan) dish, one dry dish, naan or roti, salad and a sweet dish (s.2(e)). At engagement, mehndi and nikah: drinks only (s.4(b)). Applies to private residences and farmhouses too (s.2(g)).
Closing time
All functions end by 11:00 pm (s.6).
Also
  • Gifts and articles from the bride’s parents or family may not exceed Rs100,000 in all (s.3).
  • Loudspeakers indoors as far as possible; no lights on houses or streets; no crackers or firing (s.4–5).
Penalty
A fine of at least Rs200,000, or up to 3 months’ imprisonment, or both; demanding dowry: up to 2 months and a fine of at least Rs300,000, or both (s.7).

Sources

Sindh

No provincial marriage-functions Act found; executive notifications apply

Food
A Sindh austerity notification in March 2026 said only a single dish shall be served and capped functions at 200 guests (Dawn). Whether it is still in force: not verified.
Closing time
Sindh’s April 2026 notification allowed marriage halls and banquets to operate from 8 pm to 12 midnight (The News).
Also
  • Karachi halls also pay a KMC tax per function based on guest numbers (May 2025).
Penalty
Set by each notification; not verified.
We could not reach the Sindh Code website to confirm there is no Act. Ask your hall what the current notification says.

Sources

Balochistan

No provincial marriage-functions Act found

Food
No one-dish law found.
Closing time
The federal energy-saving timings (halls by 10 pm) applied outside Sindh from April 2026; check the current district notification.
Penalty
Not applicable.
Only part of the Balochistan Code list could be checked, so this is not fully verified.

Sources

Dowry

Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act 1976

  • Caps dowry and the bride’s parents’ presents at Rs5,000, and bridal gifts at Rs5,000 (s.3); other presents at Rs100 (s.4); total wedding spending at Rs2,500 (s.6). These 1976 caps are widely reported as unenforced.
  • Dowry and gifts belong absolutely to the bride (s.5). Lists must be given to the Nikah Registrar (s.8).
  • Salami and neundra are not “presents” under the Act (s.2).
  • Punjab’s 2016 Act bans the public display of dowry; KP caps gifts from the bride’s family at Rs100,000 and makes demanding dowry an offence.
We could not open the official Pakistan Code copy of the 1976 Act; the text above was read from a law firm’s published copy.

Sources

Registering the nikah

  • Every Muslim marriage must be registered; the union council licenses nikah registrars (Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961, s.5).
  • In Punjab the registrar must fill every column of the nikahnama with the couple’s own answers; leaving them blank is punishable (s.5(2A), added in 2015).
  • A nikah solemnised by someone other than the registrar must be reported to the registrar (s.5(3)).
  • After registration, ask the union council for the computerised marriage registration certificate. Punjab launched a civil registration app with NADRA in Dec 2025.

Fees and processing times for the computerised certificate vary by union council and were not verified; ask yours.

Sources

Budget with the one-dish menuShaadi checklist

Common questions

What is the one dish law in Punjab?

Punjab Marriage Functions Act 2016 (Act XXIX of 2016). One dish only at a public place: one salan, one rice dish, one salad, hot and cold drinks, roti, naan and one sweet dish (s.2(d), s.4). This binds the host and also the hall owner, manager and caterer (s.5). A meal at home is not covered.

What time must weddings end in Punjab?

All functions end by 10:00 pm (s.6, the venue owner or manager must ensure it). Up to 1 month’s simple imprisonment and a fine of Rs50,000 to Rs2,000,000 (s.8); tried summarily by a magistrate (s.9).

What time must weddings end in Islamabad?

Halls close by 10:00 pm (district administration notifications; energy-saving timings kept by the federal Cabinet Division on 17 Sep 2026). Food: One dish in a club, hotel, restaurant, wedding hall, community centre or any other place: one salan, rice with roti, one sweet dish, with hot and cold soft drinks (s.4 as amended). A meal at home for family and house guests is exempt.

What are the wedding rules in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa?

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Marriage Functions (Prohibition of Ostentatious Displays and Wasteful Expenses) Act 2018 (Act VIII of 2018). Food: At rukhsati, baraat and walima: one rice dish, one gravy (salan) dish, one dry dish, naan or roti, salad and a sweet dish (s.2(e)). At engagement, mehndi and nikah: drinks only (s.4(b)). Applies to private residences and farmhouses too (s.2(g)). Time: All functions end by 11:00 pm (s.6).

Is there a one dish rule in Karachi and Sindh?

No provincial marriage-functions Act found; executive notifications apply. A Sindh austerity notification in March 2026 said only a single dish shall be served and capped functions at 200 guests (Dawn). Whether it is still in force: not verified. Sindh’s April 2026 notification allowed marriage halls and banquets to operate from 8 pm to 12 midnight (The News).

Is there a legal limit on dowry in Pakistan?

Caps dowry and the bride’s parents’ presents at Rs5,000, and bridal gifts at Rs5,000 (s.3); other presents at Rs100 (s.4); total wedding spending at Rs2,500 (s.6). These 1976 caps are widely reported as unenforced. Dowry and gifts belong absolutely to the bride (s.5). Lists must be given to the Nikah Registrar (s.8). Salami and neundra are not “presents” under the Act (s.2). Punjab’s 2016 Act bans the public display of dowry; KP caps gifts from the bride’s family at Rs100,000 and makes demanding dowry an offence.