Adding Wow To Your Vows!

With over 10 million Indian weddings happening every year, the wedding industry has come far in the last decade. We examine the trend and the business behind theme and destination weddings.

- Sushmita Srivastav

Ask guests from outside India what they like most about India and the list is likely to be long. Heritage sites, spices, culture, festivals, cuisines… and when it comes to weddings, no one else does it the way we Indians do. Month-long ceremonies, long guest lists, stunning attire and jewellery, performances, dancing sessions, grand entries of the bride and groom—there’s a reason why we add ‘big fat’ to Indian weddings. Here, weddings are not just done—they are celebrated.

With the trend of destination weddings picking up, it’s becoming an even bigger affair. From majestic forts, palatial city hotels, seaside escapes to unusual venues such as rural ranches and isolated islands, people are looking beyond the banquet and farmhouse while choosing the perfect wedding destination. And these ideas are being turned into reality by ‘wedding visionaries’, as they are called today.

GOING PLACES

“Each wedding is unique. Every family has its own taste, culture and tradition. They come up with their vision and we try to make the wedding as special as it can get for them,” says Neeta Raheja, who is said to be the pioneer of the Indian wedding industry that has a worth of $40 billion a year now. Founder of Very Truly Yours, Raheja has organised many million-dollar weddings. “At present, Thailand, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Oman and European locations like Paris and Vienna are few of the most preferred wedding destinations,” Neeta says.