Explainer: How to plan your OTT destination wedding right

A wedding in France. Big luxury hotels across the world have realised how much of a golden goose Indian weddings are, and roll out the red carpet.

British NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal is credited with creating the entire destination wedding industry. Though they were hosted even before 2004, when Mittal threw his daughter, Vanisha, the mother of all wedding parties, the scale wasn’t as large. Held across various locations in Paris, the six-day celebration featured a performance by Kylie Minogue and Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, while poet and writer Javed Akhtar scripted a play that was performed by the Mittal family.

Since then, destination weddings have got bigger and glitzier.

So, what do people spend on? There is the hotel and the travel for the wedding party, of course, and the wedding planner’s entourage. But there are the other bells and whistles that can cost quite a bit.

Also read: How the big fat Indian Wedding got fatter

Like private chef tables. An evening with Chef Vineet Bhatia, who cooks for a select group of wedding guests, can cost Rs 30-40 lakh.

A destination wedding can cost you anywhere between Rs 3 crore (in India) and Rs 25 crore (internationally).

A Tuscan wedding

Destinations that Indians pick above others for their shaadi

“Families who once hosted weddings in their home city, now opt for Thailand or Malaysia. The ones who hosted them in Thailand or Bali, have moved to Europe. The ones who hosted a wedding in a mid-level hotel, now choose to do so in a four or five-star one,” says Samit Garg, who heads E Factors, an event company known to do large weddings. “Everyone is aspirational.”

Azerbaijan, incidentally, is emerging as the ‘exotic wedding destination’ of 2023 due to a hard push by its tourism board. Yet Dubai, Italy, South of France, Paris, Sao Paulo, and Barcelona (for an offbeat wedding), are the bigger destinations of choice, with the Maldives emerging as a recent one. Kulm Hotel St Moritz, Paradise Island & Spa Maldives and Ritz Carlton Maldives, and Atlantis, the Palm Dubai are pretty much “wedding destination hotels” for many Indians.

In Baku Azerbaijan

In India, Udaipur is a destination of choice for affluent weddings, with hotels such as Raffles, Six Seasons Udaipur, and The Leela Palace Udaipur laying out the floral carpet. Rituraj Khanna, CEO of Q Events (he has planned the weddings of Padmaja Kumari Parmar and her brother Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, from the royal House of Mewar), says, “Fifteen years ago, there were limited choices — HRH Group of Hotels, Radisson Udaipur, and some local properties. But with the growing inventory of great hotels and a beautiful lake city as its backdrop, Udaipur’s stock as a wedding destination par excellence has rocketed.”

Hotels around Udaipur’s lakes charge a premium, with a room going for Rs 75,000 per night if the wedding is a winter one. Hiring Jag Mandir for an event can cost up to Rs 30 lakh a night.

In the south, Mahabalipuram is a wedding destination of choice. J. Pradeep Chandar of Marriage Colours says, “Mahabalipuram offers a variety of options, from its 25 top-notch farmhouses for close-knit weddings to five-star resorts that cater to your guests’ every need with their modern facilities and convenient locations. Planning a beach wedding here is hassle-free, and the four-lane road that connects every resort makes it easier for couples to choose their venue in just one visit. Mahabalipuram has pristine sandy beaches and is an hour’s drive away from the airport.”

At the Leela Udaipur

In the hinterlands of India, particularly northern India, wedding parties often take over entire hotels in season. In semi-rural Karnal, Haryana, Noormahal Palace — midway between Gurgaon and Chandigarh — is built like a Rajasthani palace and stands on the edge of a nondescript town, surrounded by fields.

Col Manbeer Choudhary, an ex-army man and the founder-owner of Noormahal Palace, says: “My earlier stint with The Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) made me realise that India is booming. The town and cities on the fringes of Jaipur had latched on to this reality a long time ago, and hotels such as Neemrana and Fairmont Jaipur are considered destinations in themselves. Across India, many cities have developed self-sustaining luxury circuits. Besides a JW Marriott in Chandigarh, we do not have any luxury hotels right up to Punjab. My idea was to create a monopoly for MICE and luxury weddings in these parts. Besides, I wanted to avoid competition with groups such as ITC, Taj, and Oberoi.”

In the south, Ravi Ashtamudi in Kerala and Kaldan Samudra Palace in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu are popular destination hotels.

A wedding at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai

How to organise a kickass destination wedding

Choosing the destination is just the first step in. What comes after can break or make a wedding. “It begins with finalizing a guest list," says wedding planner Ritwika Dutta, “which, I believe, is the most stressful part. Whom do you invite and whom do you leave out? Even the most affluent destination wedding has about 150-200 guests. There are very rare weddings with guests that go beyond 500.”

Some tips and tricks from the best in the business, then.

Tie up with hotels: Big luxury hotels across the world have realised how much of a golden goose Indian weddings are and roll out the red carpet. Most have a wedding package with room nights at much lower rates, which makes it far more sustainable to plan a wedding.

“Also, the venues are right there. Fancy restaurants for leisurely lunches and formal dinners; bars for a bar night out or a bachelor/ette party, or just any party; spas and other facilities to pamper the guests, and the bride and groom, customised meals…,” lists out wedding designer and planner Meenakshi Ray, who has planned weddings across most of Europe, Turkey and the US. “I focus on getting a great destination hotel. So, if a hotel in the South of France is offering a better experience at a better rate than, say, the one in Greece or Morocco, I will recommend that to the client.”

What doesn’t work: The all-inclusive nature of these venues can make it harder to add in those details that can help your wedding feel like your personal statement.

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas at their wedding.

Get your own Maharaj: If serving Indian food is essential to the wedding experience, make sure you hire an Indian chef or chefs or an Indian catering company specialising in desi cuisine to fly down.

“One of our Marwari clients demanded that the desi khana at their daughter’s wedding in Switzerland is authentic. He tried to hire Indian chefs living and working in Switzerland, but realised the food they were sampling was not desi enough,” says Dutta. “So, he flew down khansamah and a few Indian chefs from Jaipur.”

Do try: Even if desi khana tops your list of must-haves, do speak to the hotel you are hosting your shindig in about any special dining experience they can organise. It could add an exotic quality to the wedding feast.

How a wedding planner can help: A good wedding planner is as indispensable as desi khana for most Indians. “From helping with visas and tickets to striking a good deal with hotels, organising drops and pickups, designing the look and feel of the various events and venues, dealing with caterers and entertainment acts…there is just too much to do,” says Dutta, “including implementing last-minute plans. What if it begins raining even when no rain is expected? You may need to change the venue immediately and this is where the wedding planner’s expertise helps the most.”

Recce the hotel and destination: Make a trip to the destination and the hotel at which you are planning to throw the multi-crore rupee wedding bash, at least six months before the wedding. This is essential to plan the event down to the last detail. “Meet the chefs and talk to them about the dining experiences they can organise, plan the event venues, and also plan what guests can do when there is no event — a little bit of sightseeing, some interesting dining experiences outside the hotels, in some restaurants or cafes, are always appreciated,” says Ray.

Magaret Mendonsa of Mumbai’s Wed me Good suggests welcoming guests with a nice welcome bag. Fill them some interesting gifts such as fragrances or a piece of jewellery, a detailed itinerary, a list of activities, as well as a contact they can get in touch with. This information should also be sent via email for easy access.”

Small touches go a long way. “For one of our weddings we created a travel book with all the important information on exchange rates, transportation, cultural differences, local restaurants, cafes, and shops they may like to explore,” she says.

Stay away from busy weekends. “It is important to either book the entire hotel, or if it is a large hotel, book it when you know there is no weekend or any big public holiday around,” says Dutta. “For the hotel and the wedding planner to efficiently manage a wedding entourage, when the property is already full, can be sometimes disastrous.”

The noise and revelry may leave other guests, who are there for some quiet time, a tad disturbed.

Save your dates: Send Save the Dates to guests at least six months before the wedding. “This way, you are sure how many guests are likely to make it to the wedding, and you can negotiate with the hotel on the rate per room,” wedding designer and co-ordinator Ritul Puri says. “Also, you can negotiate with airlines about bulk tickets or book an entire flight, or even a private plane, if necessary, at lower costs.”

Tourism boards can be approached to create interesting experiences for guests. “Switzerland Tourism, and even Singapore, help create bespoke travel and dining experiences, and suggest interesting destinations where the bride and groom can shoot their pre-and -post wedding photos and videos.”

Planning a destination wedding is much like planning a large-scale production or an event, and every detail adds up to make a great wedding.