Indian weddings can be elaborate occasions, often lasting several days. But a break from tradition because of the Covid-19 pandemic meant that intimate or at-home nuptials became the norm for many. Now, the grand Indian wedding is not just back, it’s bigger than ever for the couples with the means to host extravagant affairs.
In the past year, high-profile brides, grooms and their elite families have chartered flights, rented gondolas to ferry guests across Venice, privatized an Italian piazza for a dinner by a Michelin-starred chef and even shut down the famous casino square in Monte Carlo for a ceremony.
According to the Confederation of All India Traders, the apex body for India’s trading community, 3.2 million weddings were scheduled to take place last year from November to December alone, generating about 3.75 trillion rupees in business, or around $45 billion, for India’s wedding industry — a steep rise from 2.5 trillion rupees, or about $31 billion, in 2019. CAIT reported that a majority of the weddings during the end of last year cost $3,657 to $121,902 .
Source: Lavish Indian Weddings Are Back and Bigger Than Ever – The New York Times