This post is about the wedding season in India celebrated from the month of November to March.
With the pandemic on the wane, wedding ceremonies are on the rise. Each year 1 crore weddings are celebrated In India. Due to the pandemic restrictions, many resorted to small-scale celebrations otherwise the wedding industry is estimated to be around $40-50 billion. Although not all are arranged marriages few are love marriages and their number rises yearly. In reality, a wedding is money spent plus stress took minus wasted time.
During the months of November to March, there are several auspicious dates that are known to be good times to get married. Everyone is attending a friend’s or a cousin’s wedding during this time. People plan their calendars months in advance to juggle work and accommodate all the events of the wedding because weddings in India are not a one-day event, it includes the engagement (ring exchange ceremony), the vivaah or shaadi or kalyanam or matrimony (wedding itself), the sangeet(music and celebration prior to the wedding), cocktail parties (an event similar to bachelor and bachelorette), a reception (which is wedding party post wedding) along with numerous other poojas for worshipping god.
They say that matches are made in heaven, but in India, most marriages are made via a matchmaker, planned by the parents and other family members, and consented to by the boy and girl. As a part of this, the bride also has to bring an amount of property or money to her husband on their marriage as a dowry, based on the contract already agreed upon by both families. For the bride and the groom and their families this event, a long preparation haul from arranging the marriage, planning the event, inviting guests, and hosting the parties, is a demanding and stressful celebration.
Wedding is a business in India. Many small businesses benefit from this occasion. Retailers of sweets, groceries, decoration items, electronics, gifts, clothes, and jewelry see an uptick in sales during these months. Hotels, wedding convention halls, banquet halls, and other event venues also see a rise in bookings. Service providers such as photographers, DJs, baraat, food caterers, decorators, cab services, and event managers see a rise in income as the hosts generously empty their wallets.
In conclusion, post the pandemic and its restrictions 2022 has been a year full of marriages as people rush to embrace the happy occasion with no masks and bright smiles. As for the wedding industry, it only seems to grow heading into 2023, touching new heights. For the bride, groom, and their families, this exceptional once-in-a-lifetime event is one to relish and cherish forever. Wishing all the newlyweds a lifetime of love and happiness.
