Lavish celebrations have pushed the market to $130bn a year with the richest families leading the show. But there are concerns about the pressures on those with modest means

Tuesday June 25 2024, 6.45pm, The Times

The billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani, with his wife, Nita, and son Anant. Anant marries Radhika Merchant next month but already there have been expensive celebrationsRELIANCE GROUP/AP

When Indian couples vow to spend the rest of their lives together, they probably already know a fair bit about spending. Across the country, however, the business of big fat weddings is getting bigger and fatter.

While not all brides and grooms have bejewelled elephants at their pre-wedding parties like the Ambanis, India’s richest family, whose celebrations took excess beyond excess, most other events are still lavish affairs.

The industry is now worth $130 billion a year, according to the investment firm Jefferies — twice the size of the market in the United States. With Indians on average spending $15,000 on their weddings, analysts suggest that this total will only increase in the world’s fastest-growing economy.

“Weddings have a deep cultural significance in India and