On an average, 10 million Indian weddings take place annually and almost USD 50 billion is spent on organising weddings, which are the most expensive item on an average Indian household’s list and families spend about 20 pc of their total wealth at the time of the wedding on functions, needs, or wedding-related items, says the Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, an industry report. The bill makes India the second most attractive market, just after the United States where weddings market is valued at USD 70 billion.
Over the past decade or so, an increasingly large chunk of the Indian wedding budget has been earmarked for innovation in wedding function, beginning with the location of the marriage as more and more families organise weddings overseas, making it an attractive segment for tour operators, wedding planners, vendors and of course destinations, which most of them pitching their romantic backdrop and the ease of organising even the most complex Indian wedding.
As a result, the destination wedding market in India has witnessed a robust increase in trend and revenues in the recent years. According to Wedding Tourism Report, prepared by Majestic Research Services and Solutions, wedding market (actual event and related spend) in India is pegged at USD 15 billion of which approximately USD 4 billion is through destination weddings and the figures are projected to grow at a staggering rate.
However, wedding planners specialised in organising destination weddings say that their business has dropped like never before amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Like all businesses facing challenges, 2020 was tough for the wedding industry. There are no confirmed statistics on the same but between March and October, almost 50 pc weddings with a budget of over INR 2.5 million got postponed due to the pandemic,” Parthip Thyagarajan, CEO and co-founder WeddingSutra.com, India’s first wedding portal, tells India Outbound.
Photo: Vows and Tales
Changing trends
“The trends of a big, lavish destination wedding will always be there but on average, the millennials are shifting towards more sustainable and intimate weddings,” Thyagarajan points out.
He says that earlier, as weddings are an extremely special occasion, couples would stay at a foreign location for longer periods of time. Planners and organisers would arrange for everything from a pre-wedding party to a post-wedding feast at foreign locations. But since a large gathering and a longer stay is considered risky, people are keeping their wedding ceremonies short like a weekend affair.
“Big fat Indian weddings, in large numbers, at international destinations are unlikely to happen for some time. However, many super affluent families are evincing interest in a pre or post-wedding celebration in the Maldives as it is considered one of the safest destination right now,” he says.
“We ensure space is bigger than the intended numbers to avoid crowding. With a lesser number of guests, more options of destinations are being considered now. Not just five-star hotels but even boutique properties are now in demand because the number of guests has shrunk,” he further says.
Couples also feel that contrary to the recent trends, an extravagant wedding is not their preference anymore. Rather, they would want a very intimate and small ceremony. “All our family members and friends said that it is important to have a wedding that we enjoy without worrying that someone among us might catch the Covid-19 infection. So, it was safer, more inexpensive and sensible to have a smaller ceremony rather than the usual ones we have in India,” explain Neeti Sharma and Apoorv Sharma, a Delhi-based couple who plan to get married in August this year.
Planning a destination wedding amid pandemic
“Before the pandemic, when putting together a destination wedding, priority was given to local design ethos available and creating a decor that is aesthetically pleasing. However, that has changed and following the safety, protocol has become more important than anything else,” Priya Gupta, who works at Shubh Labh Ceremonies in New Delhi tells India Outbound how the pandemic has affected the planning of a destination wedding.
She goes on to explain that since the onset of the pandemic, it has become more important to create more intimate and personalised experiences so that every guest feels special as well as safe.
“The client and designer must work in synergy beforehand to finalise travel plans, logistics, decor with an eye on rules and regulations so that there are no sudden contingencies,” she adds.
A thorough recce of a location at least a month before the wedding has become essential now. This is because rules and regulations about social gatherings are changing constantly, one cannot leave wedding planning to the last minute. “I advise planners to check into a venue at least three days before the big day to make sure that all the quality checks, sanitisation procedures are in place before the client and guests arrive,” Gupta says.
It is important to finish a decor setup at least an hour or two before every event so that one can sanitise things before welcoming people. “Create fun masks, keep sanitisers at accessible spots and the sanitisation crew alert so that people feel safe. Make sure your guests are pre-tested and Covid-19 safe before they arrive,” she notes.
Another critical thing to be kept in mind is the size of the place. A small, claustrophobic place with over 250 people will increase the possibility of the spread of the pandemic.
She further adds that as a planner, it is important to reason with clients and explain that only a certain number can attend a wedding with safety protocols in place; Gupta feels a good number is between 150 to 200 or 250 people, “Not more, for sure!” With smaller numbers, minimalism is the ‘in’ trend for destination weddings at present.
Wedding scenario amid Covid-19
Wedding planners say that the ‘new normal’ for celebrating weddings in a world with Covid-19 is going to be different. People are expected to adhere to safety and social distancing norms. Weddings will be smaller, more intimate, emphasising strict hygiene standards as well as ensure contactless services. Couples who plan to celebrate their weddings during the latter half of the year will have to consider altering their wedding plans to limit risks and ensure safety.
Thyagarajan of WeddingSutra says that people who have planned destination weddings would prefer visiting countries that are at low risk or totally free from Covid-19. Most couples who chose factors like weather to select a destination for their wedding are now ensuring guest experience and safety as the priority.
He adds that other measures and preparations like open-air venue with well-spaced out table arrangements and minimum-contact buffet services will also be facilitated. “Moreover, the whole perception of wedding travel will focus on impeccable hygiene standards and adapting to a post-Covid-19 culture,” he says.
What weddings will look like
“Our clients still want to have a wedding at preferred locations, even if it means waiting for very long. Very few of them are actually ready to change the destinations as they have been dreaming about it for years in most cases,” says Gupta of Shubh Labh Ceremonies.
Gupta’s words echo with Vishal Jain and Vijaya, a Bangaluru-based couple who had planned their wedding in the Maldives in July, 2020 but could not do so. As the Maldives has opened up for tourists for a few months now, they plan to get married there pretty soon.
“We had postponed our wedding and had taken a back seat and were just monitoring the situation last year. We were hesitant in making decisions until January this year,” Jain explains.
With the passage of time, vaccines in the market and destination opening up, they have finally decided to go ahead with their wedding plan within next few months. “While some couples wait, we have decided to keep the bigger picture in mind. I thought of having a wedding in India, contrary to our plans but now, we have decided to get married in Maldives,” says Vijaya.
“Oh and not to forget that keeping in mind the safety, we have reduced our guest list from a total of over 300 to just 30 now,” she adds.
Both wedding planners and couples who are about to get married feel that when the time comes for couples to safely start or continue on with wedding plans, change is almost certain. Smaller wedding sizes, whether with a fewer guest or less of a grand affair are just two things to anticipate.
However, Thyagarajan does not see too much change with destination weddings outside of added hygiene and cleanliness practices. “I do think though that it will take time for new clients to come to us. Travelling abroad is difficult now and there’s still a lot of uncertainties.”
An optimistic future
Thyagarajan is optimistic that once the situation improves, the destination wedding industry will recover quite quickly. “Although the scale of the wedding won’t be as big as they used to be, bookings for destination weddings have started already and would serve as an example to future couples planning to get married at exotic foreign locations,” he says.
Gupta of Shubh Labh Ceremonies also agrees with Thyagarajan and predicts normality to resume in the next two to three years, starting with mid-2021. “This is not just about the virus, but a worldwide economic recession. Everyone is more careful when spending money, therefore, we as wedding planners and our clients should keep calm, slow down, and consciously solve the problems we have control over. I still believe that all problems have a window for positive change and the wedding industry will be one of the firsts to recover from the pandemic,” she says optimistically.
