JOIN USIndia's grand weddings return, albeit much pricier: Report
As states across India ease Covid-19 restrictions, a semblance of normalcy appears to have returned in a number of ways, marked by the return of the big fat Indian wedding.
While businesses involved in the industry, from event planners to wedding halls to caterers, have registered pre-pandemic level bookings, the rates they charge are no longer what they were before Covid-19.
A report by The Economic Times quoting a couple from Delhi noted that an otherwise generous sum of Rs 8 lakh is no longer enough for a wedding with 200 guests. Their preferred caterer also settled at a sum 12 per cent higher than the couple were ready to offer.
Varun Tuli, MD at caterer Yum Yum Tree Group told the publication that weddings were regaining the grandeur that people think they deserve and that prices were up by 30-40 per cent. Designer Ritu Kumar noted that she never expected this "kind of resurgence" which has seen much of her label's stock run out.
Prairna Khuller of wedding and celebrations management company Eventzinspired told ET that the difference between pre- and post-pandemic wedding lies in the numbers. While families would earlier host anywhere between 800 and 3,000 guests earlier, they are now likely to invite only 250-300 people.
It is expected that from November 14th, the day of ‘Dev Uthan Ekadashi’, till December 13th, around 25 lakh wedding will be solemnised across the country with a massive flow of about Rs 3 lakh crore by way of wedding purchasing and related services.
About 5 lakh weddings are expected to have an estimated expenditure of Rs 2 lakh per wedding, while in about 5 lakh weddings the cost per wedding will be around 5 lakh per wedding, 10 lakh weddings will cost 10 lakhs per marriage, 4 lakhs marriages will cost 25 lakhs per marriage, 50,000 marriages will have 50 lakhs expenditure per wedding and and an equal number will have Rs 1 crore or more, said CAIT research wing.
A large amount of business expected in the housing sector, where repair work of old homes and purchases of news ones will take place for the weddings. Other than that, jewellery, sarees, lehenga-chuni, readymade garments, clothes, footwear, wedding and greeting cards, dry fruits, sweets, fruits, grocery, food grains, decoration items, electrical utility, electronics and many gift items etc are usually in demand and it is expected to do good business this year.
Banquet halls, hotels, open lawns, farmhouses and many other types of places for weddings are fully prepared across the country including Delhi. In addition to the purchase of accessories at each wedding, a wide variety of services are also involved, including tent decorators, flower decorations, crockery, catering service, travel service, cab service, welcoming professional groups, vegetable vendors, photographers, videographers, Band-Baja, Orchestra, to name a few.
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