The Hindu Business Line : `It'll soon be boom time for the wedding industry'

Last year, Bridal Asia saw designers from Pakistan walking the ramp in India, and a similar exhibition in Pakistan had designers from India displaying their talents.

Bangalore , Aug. 27

THE Indian wedding industry, though still largely unorganised, has crossed the Rs 10,000-crore mark. Ms Diivyaa Gurwaara, CEO, Bridal Asia, says, "There's going to be a big boom in the wedding industry in the sub-continent and we're all set to capture the trend."

`Bridal Asia' is the country's first and only trousseau exhibition with a pan-Asian participation. The exhibition, to be held in New Delhi between September 21 and 27, will cover all aspects of a wedding such as clothes, jewellery, packaging, entertainment, catering, tourism, home accessories, décor and cards.

According to Ms Gurwaara, the exhibition, which started in 1999, has had very little representation from the South.

"Vineeta and Suhani Patti of Hyderabad have been making waves, and we're looking for more such talent from the South."

Last year, Bridal Asia saw designers from Pakistan walking the ramp in India, and a similar exhibition in Pakistan had designers from India displaying their talents.

Ms Gurwaara says she is considering holding similar exhibitions in one of the South Asian countries soon.

Talking about the rising disposable income and increasing budgets for weddings in India, Ms Gurwaara says clothes take up 25 per cent of the wedding budget, while jewellery spend is around 35 per cent, accessories and packaging about 5 per cent and beauty about 3-5 per cent.

"And I don't know of even one wedding that has been within allocated resources," she quips.

Bridal Asia, which had about 30,000 footfalls last year, converted at least 25,000 of them into business for the participants, she says. "And all them sold at least 50 per cent of the stock they had, plus picked up a lot of orders."

But will such exhibitions have a negative social fallout, like overspending to keep up with the Joneses? "No, I think each person has to draw up his aspirational chart and spend whatever he or she can afford. I'm only making you aware of what's available in the market," she says.