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INDIA: Weddings in India, regardless of whether they are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or tribal, are social events and never quiet private affairs. And now the great Indian wedding has become even more chic with the increasing spending power of the middle class.
Treated as a great show of opulence and wealth, the planning and ceremonies go on for weeks prior to the day of the actual wedding, with no expense spared, usually by the parents of the bride.
Organiser of a wedding exhibition Vivaha 2008, Ritika Seth, said, "In a country like India, people spend maximum amount of money either on a wedding or when a child is born. These are the things, which have a lot of emotional attachment, as it is a once in a lifetime thing. So this growth (of the wedding industry) will never stagnate or it will never come down. The more money people have, the more boom it is (for the wedding industry)."
From western themes to designer furniture and exotic cuisine, all these go into making a memorable wedding.
The average spending on a wedding in the north Indian city of Punjab can vary between 23,000 to 100,000 US dollars.
And with so much money involved, the market gurus are happy to help.
Custom-made wedding malls are cropping up, offering entire packages under one roof.
One can get a designer bridal dress as well as made-to-order exotic jewellery. Even invitation cards are exotic – they can be done on special coloured papers with gold letterings.
For furniture, one can opt for a vintage look or an ornamental colour theme.
A customer, Abhivyakti, said, "In less than one day, you can shop under one roof and plan a wedding. One can get everything here from furniture, to jewellery and clothes."
Wedding expositions are being held in many major cities these days, ahead of the auspicious wedding period.
The months from October to January are considered the perfect time to tie the knot, and these wedding expositions netted some 230 million US dollars last year.
-CNA/yt
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