Packaged weddings

ELABORATE DEAL

Here we are, all set to usher in another wedding season. So, what’s new about weddings, did I hear you ask? Plenty, really.  For one they’re more lavish, more colourful and more stylish.

No longer mere rituals, they’ve slowly, but surely, transforming into style statements. Planning a wedding, once the job of close family, has now been delegated to professionals, and packing the trousseau has turned into an elaborate affair best left to specialists.  

Earlier gaiety, fun and free flow of money, were mostly associated with north Indian weddings. Today, the south of the country has joined the party, in their desire for weddings with a ‘difference’.

To cater to this shift in taste is a growing tribe of smart and savvy wedding planners. Says Nidhi Kanoria, a trousseau packing specialist from Kolkata, “In India, the potential for growth in the wedding business is huge. Having started with just Rs. 25,000 and working from home, I have come a long way in just a few years. The demand for exclusive and elaborate weddings and beautiful trousseau packaging from the Marwaris and Punjabis of Kolkata and the north east of India is huge.”

So is competition, and they cannot work on old ideas for too long.  “Every day is a challenge. Most clients do not want to repeat what they have seen in another wedding and we have to be brimming with new ideas if we want to survive and create a niche”, says Nidhi.

She says, the trend today is to hire a wedding planner, give them a budget, zero in on the theme and let the planner organise everything.  “During the wedding season, there is a lot of work for us and the pressure is really high”, says Nidhi.

The trend is not restricted to metropolitan cities. Even in small places like Ranchi people do not blink an eyelid while spending on such merriments and showing off their wealth.  Priyanka Lohia from Ranchi says, “When I started my trousseau packing venture, business was slow. People here had not warmed up to the concept that the packing, or how a trousseau is presented at the wedding is as important as the gifts themselves.”

Now, however, things have changed, she says. “Wrapped in tissues, silks, jamevars and nets, in glass and crystal trays with pearl flowers, the trousseau is adding a whole new dimension to weddings here. Each and every gift is thoughtfully arranged keeping in mind the theme of the wedding.  The hosts  only have to look good, attend to their guests, and enjoy the wedding, something that was unthinkable in the past.”

In Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Mumbai, the weddings are elaborate, eye catching and extensive. They are as decorative and flamboyant as the people who want them. To an eye used to the understated and the subtle, these may look rather gaudy. But then marriages here are also occasions to flaunt one’s wealth and opulence.

Once, weddings in the southern states were very traditional and echoed the ethos of a society steeped in heritage and culture. But today, in cities like Bangalore we see an amalgam of culture, tradition and modernity.

Deepika Govind, a well known fashion designer from Bangalore, who can boast of shows presented at the India Fashion Week, has seen Bangaloreans take that leap from subtle and conservative to glamour and jazz.  She says, “South Indians are now open to new ideas and experimentations. For some part of the ceremonies, they have warmed up to the ubiquitous lehenga or even an evening dress. Even if it is a traditional ensemble, they want it to make a style statement.

“This year, I am showcasing three collections that cater to the modern woman’s taste. One based on South India’s love for reds and off whites, the other a soft, dreamy and quirky collection in pastel shades, and finally, one with lots of uppadas, patolas used in lehengas, kurtas and saris to suit the modern tastes.”

Yet, she finds that unlike in the north, people here do not prefer too much embroidery in their trousseau. That’s what makes designing these saris adventurous as they have to encompass the marriage of two minds — the modern and the conservative, she says.

Divya, a wedding planner who started her company with her partner Vithika three years ago says, “Wedding planning here is not a streamlined industry like it is in the US, but it is slowly finding its feet. Not everybody reaches out to us. It’s only those who can afford an extra budget who look out for us.”

Earlier only the muhurtam and reception were important events at weddings of South Indians, she says. But, now many of them are well travelled, have been exposed to different cultures, and in no small measure to Hindi films. “This has led to a change in their attitudes and they now express a desire for cocktail parties, sangeet, mehendi, baarat and varmala — not concepts  followed in south Indian weddings,” she says.

She has found that, “Families are now receptive to changes and understand that weddings are platforms for bonding, getting together and building relationships. They are open to having fun in the most innovative and adventurous ways possible.”

According to her, families from Coorg, Hubli, Coimbatore, Mysore etc. demand theme-based weddings, such as Moroccan or Arabic, inspired from movies like Dabang. They do not shy away from being a part of this indulgence for four to five days, while giving rituals due importance. 

She has come across many people  who want the wedding experience to be etched in their memories forever. With wedding planners taking care of everything from beauticians, to flower arrangements, to lights, the sangeet ceremony, marriage counseling and diet care, families can actually breathe easy and enjoy the wedding, she says.

Urmila Maskara, a trousseau packing specialist from Bangalore, says, “In the last ten years there has been a phenomenal change in this field. Trousseau packing  was considered to be a luxury that Marwaris, Punjabis or Sindhis indulged in. But now I have south Indian clients who want their trousseau to be presented in the most exquisite way possible.

They do not mind spending money on this extravagance. At their elaborate weddings, you can now see trays (wooden, glass, acrylic) used to display gifts, embellished with flowers, beads and pearls. Even Indian sweets and chocolates are gifted in a very decorative and stylish way.”

The changing scenario can be witnessed best in Bangalore’s high-end fashion landmark, UB City, where the wedding theme will be on as part of a promotion for the mall set to begin in the last week of September. Kapila Sengupta, promotion head for The Collection at UB City says, “During the wedding season a lot of our customers from Dharwad, Hubli, and other smaller towns come here to shop in stores like Louis Vuitton, Estelle Lauder, Burberry etc. What they look for is quality and with growing awareness about brands, they do not mind spending on something that is high-end and everlasting.”

She says that in the promotional events for weddings, designers, planners and vendors will be invited to showcase their wares. Their own stores will have several promotions especially for wedding shopping.

There will be a five-day fitness workshop for the brides-to-be. Says, Kapila, “We will also be the first mall in India to launch a website where brides can log on to the net and choose their own gifts. No headache thus on relatives to choose the right gift, and no gift will be unused.”

No prizes for guessing how many people will love that. After all, who doesn’t like a little convenience, innovation and style?