Why NRIs are returning to their roots to tie the knot

A photoshoot at an NRI wedding in Bekal, Kerala, in November 2020. (Photo courtesy Chirmi Events)

Sunil and Nika met in the US during their postgraduate studies, fell in love and got engaged during their annual visit to India in late 2019. The wedding was scheduled for six months later. And then the pandemic struck. Six months became 18 months. Other options were considered and tossed aside. Now more than before, they were adamant about having the wedding back home in India. Especially since they hadn’t seen family in nearly a year and a half. They wanted to be among family and friends on their special day. And, so, they waited.

An NRI wedding in Nandi Hills, Bengaluru, in May 2020. (Photo courtesy Chirmi Events)

Eventually the Indian skies opened up, and the couple got married in an intimate ceremony at a beautiful resort just outside Bengaluru in November 2021. “We wanted to have it back home, where it (the location) meant something to us. It also meant that we could have everyone around who is special to both of us,” Nika says, now back in the US.

It’s a story that is finding increasing echoes. Even before the pandemic, the trend of Indians (of origin, descent or otherwise with roots in India) outside the country returning for weddings was already seeing an uptick. COVID-19 only made it stronger.

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Destination weddings, held at exotic locales, is not a trend that is likely to die down anytime soon, but returning to the roots now comes with an added value of connections. Whether it is beach backdrops of Kerala or Goa, royal palaces of Rajasthan, ancient temples or even prettily done up resorts, couples are choosing to tie the knot in places that are not just beautiful but also meaningful.

For a month from November 14, an estimated 32 lakh weddings will take place across India, pumping in about Rs 3.75 lakh crore into circulation. In the same period last year, about 25 lakh weddings took place, according to Confederation of All India Traders. Overall, the wedding market is estimated to grow at a staggering 200 per cent over last year, as ceremonies postponed due to the pandemic are being scheduled during this season. There is speculation that, at least, part of the growth is driven by couples opting to have the event in India rather than elsewhere.

“It’s a trend that picked up three-four years ago and has gotten bigger,” says Bhumika Nahata, founder of Chirmi Events, a wedding planning company. “The biggest reason is that both and bride and the groom want all their people around on their special day and want a wedding how the people around them had theirs. It’s like back to roots, back to tradition. Having it in India makes it possible, and gives it a homely feeling. Especially since in India, the guest list is not the choice of just the bride and groom but also that of the parents and grandparents.”

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Loveleen Multani Arun of Panache World, a boutique travel solutions company, agrees and says it is even more so if one half of the couple is not of Indian origin. “It is a way to show off Indian culture and heritage. This way, a lot of the extended family can attend, especially older relatives, who find it difficult to travel to distant places. Also, an Indian wedding in India is full of exoticism, splendour, colours and fun, as against organising something like that outside the country.”

She also points to a practical reason: getting visas, especially to the US, ranges from difficult to almost impossible.

At an NRI wedding in Kochi, Kerala, in February 2021. (Photo courtesy Chirmi Events)

Both concur that there are other added factors, not the least of which is the cost factor. To illustrate, Nahata mentions a wedding she organised just before the pandemic in Thailand at a cost of Rs 1.2 crore. “There were just 175 guests. For that same amount, the couple can have 400 guests or more in Rajasthan, Goa or Kerala,” she says, while Arun points out that with the way exchange rates are going, “dollars are buying much more so it makes a lot of economic sense to have the weddings here.”

An NRI wedding in Bekal, Kerala, in November 2020. (Photo courtesy Chirmi Events)

Apart from expense, Nahata says there are more options for everything (clothes, décor, food, etc.), convenience and ease of getting things done, all of which play into the decision. Arun also alludes to the fact that the wedding industry, especially in Rajasthan, has “wonderful infrastructure and works like a well-oiled machine for organising Indian weddings”, thus, tipping the scales in its favour. This probably explains why NRIs and those of Indian descent make a beeline for the Rajasthan troika of Jaipur-Jodhpur-Udaipur. Goa and Kerala come much further down the list, and often because Rajasthan is unavailable. “So much so that hotel rooms — from the most luxury ones to the budget — are all sold out not just for November and December but even in February, when the next wedding season kicks in,” says Arun, adding, “It’s definitely a phenomenon.”