Ideas go global with every wedding season

Weddings are a multimillion-dollar business in India. Be it a slowdown of the Great Depression, the wedding season is here to stay and it is getting only bigger with every passing year.

Photo shoots before wedding in exotic locations, within India and abroad; coffee table books are fast becoming passé in today’s cross-border potpourri of weddings which have a mix of both Indian and western cultures. Brides no long wear sarees and lehengas weighing more than them - dresses and evening gowns have taken their place. Similarly, dance performances by family members too have gone up. Thanks to the influence of Hollywood movies, bachelor and bachelorette parties have become a must before the wedding; the bride and groom letting loose, enjoying their last night before the wedding with their friends in separate, pre-planned parties. Playboy theme is a common theme replicated in most bachelor parties. The youngsters today have also become environmental conscious, using e-invities and wedding websites to invite their guests rather than go the traditional way of printing expensive wedding cards. Customized gifts and chocolates, liquor bottles and artifacts- the trend is just getting bigger, trendier and not to mention costlier with every wedding!

The thing, however, to notice is that these ‘cool’ weddings are not everyone’s piece of cake. A commoner cannot afford to splurge on customized gifts, destination weddings and whatnot. Weddings might have become a symbol to showcase one’s strata and wealth; but for many in India it remains about traditions and culture- rather than show off. Also one needs to wonder whether today’s weddings are more sacred than what they were during our parent’s days?