Looking like a vow

Every guest is now a VVIP at the great Indian wedding. See how planners are levelling up

- Christalle Fernandes

We're at that point of human evolution when a wedding reception with an oxygen bar seems old fashioned.

When walking through a replica of Hogwarts to greet the bride and groom seems déclassé. The trends today are more ambitious: A Renaissance-themed reception, a mehendi set in a crochet carnival, a roka party featuring Squid Game contests (minus the dying).

"In the past decade, there's been a major shift in the way we view weddings," says Shweta Mehta, co-founder of Delhi-based event planning company The Wedding Square. Couples now want guests to feel like it's their special day too. Prep starts almost a year in advance and planners consult with art curators, game-show creators, exhibition organisers and digital artists to draw up moodboards. See how it all unfolds.

Aashna Saran, founder, Aash Studio, has been planning weddings since 2011. She says weddings have moved on from an "awards-show vibe" to interactive events. "You don’t want bigger and fancier—you want bigger and different."