Fifty-year-old Nandkishore Shukla’s eyes welled up during the ‘vidaai’ ceremony of his eldest daughter, but there was a deep feeling of satisfaction in his heart. Satisfaction only a father can feel, despite the wedding expenditure having overshot the estimate by lakhs.
The Delhi-based seafood trader had budgeted Rs 35 lakh for the wedding, but ended up spending beyond Rs 50 lakh.
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This was the first wedding in Nandkishore Shukla’s family since 2003. “Things have changed drastically in the last 20 years. Earlier, there was no brouhaha around haldi and mehandi rituals. There were no bachelor’s or bachelorette parties,” says Shukla.
Indian weddings are all about opulence, vibrant colours, songs of bonding and lavish feasts.
Everyone takes wedding dates seriously, even the government. The date of voting for the Rajasthan Assembly election was postponed to November 25 by the Election Commission as November 23, the original date, was to witness huge number of weddings.
The auspicious days for weddings in 2023, according to the Hindu calendar, began from November 23 and continued till December 15. The auspicious wedding dates of 2024, hence the new wedding season, will start from January 14 and continue till July.
In several cities, people plan their commute, keeping in mind the auspicious dates for marriage to avoid kilometres-long traffic jams.
THE BIG, FAT INDIAN WEDDING INDUSTRY
Weddings have always been big business in India, but the way they have been scaled up was unthinkable two decades ago.
A rise in income and spending power has given rise to the urge to splurge on that special day and make it memorable for a lifetime.
But how big is the big Indian wedding industry?
The wedding industry, including goods and services, is among the top five industries in India. In the 2023 wedding season, India is expected to see around 38 lakh weddings, involving a business of about Rs 4.74 lakh crore, according to the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
Rs 4.74 lakh crore, the amount spent by Indians in a single wedding season, is more than the overall economy (GDP) of dozens of countries.
THE RISE OF THE WEDDING PLANNERS
It is the desire to personalise and make the marriage memorable that is making Indians spend more and more. And this is also the reason why wedding planners are in huge demand.
Remember the hit duo of Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh in ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ who start a wedding management company called ‘Shaadi Mubarak’?
Band Baaja Baarat was released in 2010, Agnnishakti Singh founded Madam Planners a couple of years later.
“About a decade ago, most weddings were as elegant and traditional but with far-reaching influence of the showbiz industry and the internet, people are having star-like weddings with grand set-ups. There is lot of customisation and personalisation of weddings these days,” Agnnishakti Singh, founder of Madam Planners, tells IndiaToday.In.
Agnnishakti got into the wedding business seven years ago and plans around 24 weddings a year now.
“In our entire journey, we have arranged weddings with budgets ranging from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 3 crore,” says the Mumbai-based wedding planner who’s originally from Delhi.
Asked on what people spend the bulk of their money on weddings, Agnnishakti says, “Majorly, the main component of the budget is spent on the venue and includes food and beverages (F&B). Decor set-up, photography team and make-up artists are the other big tickets.”
The wedding planner says designer clothes for the families of the bride and the groom is a new trend that people with all sorts of budgets are spending much on.
Agnnishakti says celebrity cinematographers are also sought after even if they are expensive. She says both designer clothes and a good cinematographer “add tremendous aesthetic value to the wedding content”.
WHY INDIANS ARE OPTING FOR DESTINATION WEDDINGS
Wedding venues in India have become so prized that it is one of the reasons behind the popularity of destination weddings.
“People want to show off and mostly spend on the best banquet they can afford. These banquet halls or hotels charge huge amounts on auspicious days and that is why people prefer destination weddings these days,” says wedding planner Saksham Sharma.
It all boils down to the bragging rights.
“People think if they are going to spend around Rs 1 crore for the wedding, why shouldn’t they go to Thailand or some other destination where it will cost the same. On top of that, it will be a fun opportunity and give the tag of wedding at a foreign locale,” says Saksham of Devam Events.
Thailand is the most economical country, according to wedding planner Saksham Sharma. “If I organise a wedding in Delhi or Goa, I will be spending the same amount that I would have spent in Thailand.”
HOW MUCH DO DESTINATION WEDDINGS COST?
Obviously, the amount will depend on the location and the number of guests, but how much approximately would a destination wedding cost?
We prodded wedding planner Agnnishakti for a ballpark figure.
“Destination weddings in India, for let’s say with a guestlist of 200 people, will start from around Rs 80-90 lakh at a 4-star equivalent property,” says Agnnishakti. “For the same, if we go outside the country, let’s say to Thailand, Bali or Dubai, the budget will start from Rs 1.2 crore,” she adds.
Agnnishakti calls it a “financial leap”, and says more and more people are taking it now.
Saksham Sharma agrees that people have started spending more and, unlike in earlier times, there are no strict budgets to adhere to.
How are wedding destinations zeroed in on?
“It all depends on the requirements of the couple. First, they provide us with their budget and the preferred locations. Everything is based on the budget. If someone has a budget of Rs 5 crore, I would not take them to Thailand but to a country like Italy,” says Saksham.
“The minimum budget of any destination wedding at a basic price is Rs 2 crore for around 150 guests in a usual hotel, wherein one buys out the property for the specific dates. If one doesn’t go for anything grand, then a basic wedding costs between Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore in Thailand,” says Saksham.
He says some hotels are even giving credit loans to people planning to get married in a lavish way.
WHY PM MODI WANTS YOU TO ‘WED IN INDIA’
It is a huge sum of money that is involved in weddings, especially in destination weddings. And that is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to people to “wed in India”.
In his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio address in November, PM Modi said he was troubled by the trend of some “big families” organising weddings abroad.
He said that just like ‘Make in India’, a new movement called ‘Wed in India’ should be started in the country.
In December, at an investment summit in Dehradun, PM Modi appealed to Indians to hold destination weddings in Uttarakhand.
The reason behind the Prime Minister’s request is amply clear – he doesn’t want India’s money to leave its shores.
“It is a great initiative and I would like that to be encouraged if we could retain Indians in India for destination weddings,” says Agnnishakti Singh of Madam Planners. She says India has always been a hit destination for Non-resident Indians (NRIs).
“If even non-Indian couples start coming here for destination weddings, it will work in the favour of the Indian economy and the local vendors,” she says.
Saksham, however, says there are changes needed on the ground if the government intends to attract Indians into organising their destination weddings within the country.
“It won’t happen till the time Indian hotels or banquet halls reduce their charges… During the wedding season, these banquet halls and hotels charge double the normal amount,” he says, adding, “If holding destination weddings in India needs to be a success, then massive changes are to be brought, including constructing good banquet halls.”
PLACES FOR DESTINATION WEDDINGS IN INDIA
The country doesn’t lack breathtaking locales to make the special day memorable.
Goa, Rajasthan, Himachal and the Andamans are already favourites with people wanting to hold their destination weddings in India. The northeast states also provide grand and verdant settings for the exchange of vows.
Recent years have brought more than just a change in spending powers. “Young couples, largely our niche clients, are willing to share their wedding bills with their parents. That was hardly the case before,” says Agnnishakti Singh.
In September, Riya Kapur got married to Pranshu Suri at Fairmont Jaipur, a 5-star property, in the presence of around 300 guests.
She says that obviously a big sum was spent on the three-day event, but then “it all makes sense” when she thinks about the “magical days” with friends and family.
Riya, who opted for a destination wedding within the country, is an absolute backer of PM Modi’s ‘Wed in India’ idea.
“I think it’s a great initiative. India is rich with heritage, culture and iconic venues. From hills, beachsides to forts, the variety of venues is endless. There are endless options for entertainment and world-class food. So, this could definitely be a real boost to the Indian economy,” says Riya.
The marriage of more and more Indians to Indian wedding destinations is likely on the (wedding) cards.
