Indian Weddings – a star-studded and elaborate affair
It is rightly said weddings are made in heaven, but one should not forget that they are once in a lifetime opportunity unless and until a person marries several times over. Weddings have been solemnized since time immemorial and every day thousands of weddings take place all over the world.
Weddings in India are a grand affair and lavish most of the time. Many Indian families choose to splurge on this big day, which gives them immense satisfaction and value for money.
We all know that Indian weddings are promoted and publicized extensively. Effluent Indian families often splurge beyond their status to make the event a successful one. However, there are families who prefer to keep the function to a bare minimum by downsizing their expenditure altogether.
A lot has been said and written about Indian weddings in magazines and newspapers but nowhere in the world can you find such a lavish and extravagant function-taking place other than India.
Even in western countries, NRIs who are wealthy and influential organize opulent weddings that are lavish and spread over a couple of days. Right from the Mehendi function to the reception, everything is planned in detail and executed to perfection.
Nowadays wedding planners have become innovative and technology-driven. They use 3D technology to create and design a wedding venue that is opulent and elaborate. There are plenty of players in the wedding industry and each one of them has the knowhow and knack to make the wedding function a memorable one.
Westerners are aware of Indian weddings and its sheer extravagance. They appreciate and welcome the colorful nature of Indian weddings, which has become a style statement to be precise.
Even westerners, marrying an Indian, prefer the Indian style of wedding to understand and mingle with the Indian cultural tradition and style. Indian weddings have carved a niche for their opulence and glamorous look. They have become the one-stop place to watch and enjoy the proceedings that are missing in weddings of other cultures.
Indian weddings have gone global and more and more destinations in India are catering to the demand of the industry. Destination wedding, theme-based wedding, and other different types of weddings take place with much fanfare and gaiety.
Industry insiders say that currently, the wedding industry is going through a rough phase due to the Covid19 pandemic and other global issues. Expensive and extravagant rates for marriage halls and mandaps have also contributed to the rough patch that is the industry is going through.
The cost factor is the reason people are reluctant to splurge even on a big occasion like a wedding. Indians have always splurged on wedding functions but with the economy going through a rough phase and the pandemic doing the rounds, weddings have stopped all of a sudden.
People have become health and money conscious. They want to keep the function to a bare minimum. Even guest lists are pruned to include only near and dear ones. The million-dollar industry wears a deserted look since weddings have been canceled and there are no takers to the wedding halls and convention centers.
Therefore, to have a final word I would opine that though Indian weddings are lavish and extravagant they have suffered largely due to change in the global scenario. Nevertheless, despite the setbacks, Indian weddings will continue to show its opulence and glamorous image the world over and become a style icon for people from other cultures.