MAI QUYEN
Weddings are India's fourth largest industry and more and more businesses are making money in this sector, largely driven by young couples wanting to throw lavish and extravagant parties.
A crowd of guests congratulates the bride and groom at a wedding in Mumbai, India. Photo: NYT
As the wedding industry recovers from COVID-19, India-based wedding platform WeddingWire says one in four weddings globally are taking place in the South Asian country. Indian weddings are known for their lavish week-long celebrations, with guests ranging from a few hundred to thousands. They are accompanied by elaborate religious ceremonies, elaborate costumes, dancers, singers and expensive jewelry, all of which add to the high cost of organizing them. Last year, during the peak wedding season (which typically runs from November to February), an estimated 3.2 million weddings took place. During this period, the Indian wedding industry generated an estimated $45 billion in revenue, up from $30.7 billion in 2019.
According to the Financial Times, a two-day wedding for 200 guests at a five-star hotel in a top Indian location can cost between $365,706 and $609,510. That does not include the bride and groom’s clothes, airfare or jewelry. The budget can go up even further, even into the millions of dollars depending on the family’s demands.
India has a population of over 1.4 billion people, and one-third of them are of marriageable age (between 20 and 39). Therefore, the New York Times predicts that the future of the wedding industry in this country will remain very attractive, with grand wedding parties not only returning but also being larger than ever for couples who can afford to organize them.
Luxury in a different way
Despite the global inflation, Khushnooma Kapadia, senior director of marketing for South Asia at Marriott International, said demand for weddings in India is soaring. Some wedding industry experts are calling the growth “post-pandemic revenge,” with couples eager to celebrate and not worrying about the size and grandeur of their celebrations.
Meanwhile, the India Times reports that the evolution of wedding scenarios and trends has changed over the years in India, partly due to the rapid growth of the Internet in general and social media in particular. Especially the upper class, they often go online to search for information about weddings and how to organize them in Western style. However, according to Timothy Chi, CEO of The Knot Worldwide, the average wedding size in India has decreased even though the budget has remained the same. This is because family is no longer the main driving force in wedding decisions. Instead, people are spending the same amount or more to personalize the party, focusing on the preferences of the bride and groom as well as the experience of the guests.
According to Vandana Mohan, who works with high-profile Indian couples, Indians today travel a lot and couples who do their research will find the best chefs, artists, wines, and gifts to bring to their big event. Indian weddings are also becoming more international, with more couples looking for special hotels or unique venues outside the ballroom to add a touch of whimsy. In 2022, Europe will be a popular destination for Indian weddings, alongside other options in the Middle East.
Another notable feature is the number of guests. According to Siddharth Sharma, a wedding photographer and videographer, it is not unusual for a wedding in India to have a large party with 350 guests. Between now and 2024, he predicts that the trend of large and elaborate Indian weddings globally will continue as more young couples seek to approach and have new experiences on their wedding day.
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