Big, fat Indian weddings back in vogue, of course with a Covid twist

Fairmont Jaipur. Many couples are opting for same-city staycations for wedding celebrations after the pandemic.

Indian weddings are back after two years of Covid-led uncertainties but the impact of the pandemic on the industry has not worn off completely

Fewer invitees, convenience over culture and customisation are some of the aspects couples are now focusing on, said wedding planners and hoteliers.

Shorter guest list

There has not been any cutback in spending, but the number of people invited to a wedding have decreased from the typical 500 in pre-Covid times, said Sheena Seth, managing director, Eventador Productions, a wedding planning company.

“The big fat Indian wedding has evolved and while it is still fat because people are spending the same and more but the guest list size has come down. From 400-500 guests on an average pre-Covid, it has now come down to 200-250. But the spending has not reduced as couples are focusing on the guest experience,” said Anam Zubair, head of marketing, WeddingWire India.

She said that Covid led to this change. “During Covid, many families realised that they can have beautiful weddings despite not having a huge guest list. Also, now there is a different guest list for each of the wedding functions. Covid gave families the chance to understand that a wedding doesn’t mean calling everyone for all events, it can be customised and trimmed.”

Even luxury weddings post-pandemic are not as elaborate as they were pre-pandemic as the number of guests is still restricted, said Rajan Malhotra, commercial director, Conrad Bengaluru, a Hilton hotel.

A Delhi couple who didn’t wish to be named said that they have limited invitees to their November 11 wedding to 200 people and even cut down the number of functions from five to three. “People are indulging again in those big fat Indian weddings but it is not as big as it used to be.”

Big wedding budgets

While the number of attendees is shrinking, the budgets are not. “Spending has gone up primarily led by the price per plate (PPP). The amount spent on a wedding with 300-350 guests now is the same as the amount spent on a wedding with 400-500 guests pre-pandemic. The average cost of weddings has grown by 10 percent compared to 2019,” said Aditya Sharma, business head, Weddingz, a wedding management company that was acquired by hospitality chain OYO in 2018.

“Average hotel rates have gone up by 15 to 18 percent for wedding bookings. Certain event services have also increased pricing up to 40 percent compared to pre-Covid rates,” said Sunishchal Parasnis, director of sales and marketing, Hyatt Regency Dehradun.

Zubair said that more than 42 percent of the vendors listed on their platform have said that their earnings have gone up from 2019 because they are charging a premium.

Destination weddings have now become 50 percent more expensive, said Vikaas Gutgutia, founder and MD of gifting company Ferns N Petals (FnP).

Destination weddings

Still, more Indian couples are opting for destination weddings, something ruled out in the pandemic years, restricting weddings to nearby locations and no overseas destinations.

Wedding planner Seth said that she is seeing an increase in the number of destination weddings versus even pre-Covid times. “People are going to Bali and other international destinations but people are also happy choosing destinations in India with Goa already being sold out. Couples who would have opted for a 1,000-guest wedding are instead cutting down the numbers and taking their guests to a destination for the wedding.”

At Hyatt Regency Dehradun, Parasnis said that 95 percent of the wedding bookings are for destination weddings. “The average destination weddings at the property have a minimum of 350 guests. While budgets vary as per menu and seasonality, Rs 1.5-1.75 crore is the average ticket size of these weddings.”

Zubair also said that couples are choosing more destinations within India for weddings. “Rajasthan is seeing strong traction and places like Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaipur are popular. People are preferring south India as well, like Kochi, Mahabalipuram. International is back on the radar with people opting for Thailand, Malaysia. But the budget for international destinations matches that of India for some locations.”

Save the date

One other aspect that has seen change is the choice of date. “Millennials are now moving away from saaya dates (auspicious dates) and convenience is taking over conservative thought. Getting married on non-saaya dates is getting more convenient for new-age couples as everything is 50 percent cheaper on these dates and things are available. The saaya dates business in the next three or four years will go down by 30-40 percent,” said FnP’s Gutgutia.

People are more open-minded with non-saaya dates because they are looking at getting good deals, said Zubair. But she added that next year between January and June will have 44 muhurat dates out of a total 53 dates for 2023. “So, there will be more weddings in the second leg of the winter wedding season and summer wedding season versus pre-Covid times.”

She said that before Covid, there were around 10-12 million weddings every year. Looking at the current bookings, Zubair expects a 10-20 percent increase in the number of weddings in 2022 and 2023.