The Hindu Business Line : Bridal Asia hopes to attract 30,000 visitors

The event, which is held in New Delhi every year, features bridal clothes, jewellery, accessories for men and women, apart from silver ware and home décor furnishings. “We are now looking to take the event to Dubai, London and South East Asia which have a huge NRI population,” said Ms Divya Gurwara, CEO, Bridal Asia.

In 2003, a Bridal Asia fashion show was held in Pakistan.

This year’s Bridal Asia exhibition-cum-sale will be held in Delhi from October 16-18. It features 80 participants, including prominent apparel designers such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Malini Ramani and Gaurav Gupta; jewellery designers such as Tanya Kohli; fashion houses, jewellers, home furnishing companies and accessory designers from the country. Four designers from Pakistan will showcase their products. International fashion brands such as Jimmy Choo, Gucci and Etam will also be featured in the event. About 75 per cent of products featured will be apparel (lehengas, sarees, kurtas etc) and jewellery.

Shaadionline, which is into wedding management and planning, will also participate in Bridal Asia. “We hope to attract 30,000 visitors this year,” said Ms Gurwara. Bridal Asia has been held since 1999. The first edition saw 45 participants and 9,000 visitors. Last year, there were 70 participants and 25,000 visitors.

Visitors include fashion and buying houses, retailers and consumers at large.

Although she declined to comment on the amount of business the show generates, Ms Gurwara said about 70 per cent of the business that usually happens at the show is in the B2C category, while the rest comes from the B2B market.

Bridal Asia will target not just high profile people, but will cater to most segments of society – middle to upper classes, said Ms Gurwara. “With an economy on the rise and people willing to spend, theme and destination weddings are very common these days. There is understated opulence in many weddings today,” she said.

The wedding industry in India is estimated at around Rs 30,000 crore.