Wedding industry expects strong recovery; vendors see revenue surpass 2019 levels: Report

Representative image.

After reeling under COVID-19 impact for two years, the wedding industry is seeing recovery.

Wedding vendors are seeing their charges increasing from pre-pandemic levels.

According to a survey conducted by WeddingWire India, the Indian subsidiary of The Knot Worldwide, a wedding technology platform, per month earnings of 42.5 percent of wedding vendors have gone up in 2022 as compared to 2019.

The company recently conducted a wedding vendor survey with over 220 vendors. The survey noted that around 31 percent of vendors have increased their charges this year.

Online payments at 29.9 percent followed by cash at 19.9 percent were among the top preferred modes of payments. The survey also revealed that 75.6 percent of couples opt for partial advance payment before the big day.

Vendors are also seeing most couples focussing on quality over quantity and cutting down the guest list. "Guest list of 100-250 is the new normal for 34 percent of couples and families. Themed and personalized weddings are emerging as the latest trends in the wedding market. Couples are also more gravitated toward sustainable options for their big day," the survey said.

Time taken to plan weddings has also reduced, said vendors. While 44 percent of couples start making reservations 1 to 3 months before their wedding day, 15 percent of couples are now booking their wedding venues only 1 month prior to the wedding. This showcases how the pandemic has altered consumer behaviour, the survey said.

“It is true that the pandemic has drastically changed the wedding ecosystem. WedTech (wedding technology) platforms are gaining popularity and becoming the key source of leads for wedding vendors,” said Anam Zubair, Head of Marketing, WeddingWire India.

The Indian wedding industry which had started seeing recovery in the second half of 2021 was hit once again due to the Omicron impact.

In the last two months of 2021, the business had reached 80 percent of pre-COVID levels and the industry expected 50 percent higher business than the pre-pandemic level in 2022. However, 10 percent of the business the sector had expected was wiped off in the first two months of this year.

The wedding industry was counting on the summer season between April and July period, expecting demand shifting from Q1 of calendar year 2022 to Q2.