The BIG business of weddings

Indian weddings are getting fatter by the day. In India, after all, the wedding is not about the couple, it is all about food. The food stalls at wedding are becoming a ‘status symbol’ as more and more multinational food chains are adorning marriage venues across cities.

Fast food chains, of course, are more than thrilled with this trend as this is not just a new business channel but a ready opportunity to promote their brands. In fact, there has been such a growing demand for food stalls of brands such as Dominos, Pizza Hut, Costa Coffee, Hagen Dazs that companies are introducing a separate department for catering to this ‘catering’ demand.  But these stalls are not cheap! A Hagen Dazs stall for an evening costs Rs.5-8 lakhs while a Costa Coffee outlet costs around Rs.3 lakhs. 

While for these brands, the weddings are a means to increase brand visibility and consumer connect. For the families who are spending this exorbitant sum on an evening, it is a snob value, doing something bigger, better and more unique than others.  This is a competition where brands are more than thrilled to be in midst of the tug of war!