The Hindu Business Line : Marriage, made to order

In the past, ostentation was the hallmark of weddings in wealthy families. But more recently, grand weddings are no longer considered an elitist affair.

Even Bollywood has not been able to resist the spell of these dream merchants... Rati Agnihotri played the role of a wedding designer in Hum Tum. "People want their wedding to be a special and memorable occasion. And when a wedding planner steps in, they not only make the ceremony chaos-free, but also add several special touches to the occasion," says Vandana Mohan, founder of Delhi-based BackStage Productions.

Is this practice restricted to the affluent sections of society? "It is not restricted to the rich and famous, but, yes, it is definitely for those who opt for a tailor-made wedding. People these days, prefer to hire professionals who will take complete care of the wedding and translate their dreams into reality," says Vandana.

In fact, taking note of the revenues involved in mega weddings, the Finance Ministry recently directed wedding service providers to collect from clients a 10 per cent service tax and two per cent education cess. Among the service providers included were beauty parlours, travel agents, tour operators, cab agencies, mandap, pandal and shamiana keepers, outdoor caterers, photographers and videographers.

The government notice was issued at the peak of the wedding season when, on some days, over 14,000 weddings were solemnised in the Capital alone. "The service charges have increased the total costs," says Vandana.

But then, wedding planners don't come cheap, do they? "The cost depends on the venue, the decor, and the number of guests. An outdoor venue generally costs higher than an indoor venue."

Besides, elaborate arrangements addto the cost. "A budget can be discussed with the client and the decor worked out accordingly," says Vandana.

Meher Sarid, promoter of Sound of Music (the entertainment company) and Wedding Art, has been in the business for 10 years. She says that the concept of wedding planners is nothing new. "However, it is still evolving in India. The wedding planner is yet to become a one-stop shop for customers like in the West. In India, people mainly rely on the tentwallahs."

Rubina Mittal believes in adding the `right spice' to the boring wedding tent... but this does not come cheap.

"You would have to shell out anything from Rs 5-50 lakh, depending on your requirements," she says. This former professor of applied mathematics and management at Delhi University is today a mega event manager, whose work includes planning weddings for the rich and famous.

As chairperson of Pinnacle Designs and Exhibits, Rubina prefers to be a hands-on boss. "It requires a lot of hard work. The company has an in-house team of event producers, architects and designers. So it can control, to the smallest detail, every aspect of the event/exhibition," she says.

Wedding venues increasingly resemble a set straight out of Bollywood, with shimmering candles, zardosi cushions and designer clothes. Today people are willing to spend for a never-before look.

What has brought this change? "Travel and the exposure to different cultures have actually done wonders. The concept of a shamiana has changed. It's become an art form, with so many Bollywood art directors coming into the picture," says Rubina.

Wedding themes can range from Japanese, Morrocan and Arabic styles to a typical Bollywood wedding, a la Devadas style, says Meher. She recently designed the wedding of choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan. She has also worked for other celebrity events like the Sahara, Bharat Shah, Dainik Bhaskar and Oswal family weddings.

Even in the past, ostentation has often been the hallmark of weddings in wealthy families. "The difference now is that it's no longer an elitist affair,'' says Rubina.

The wedding season stretches from October to April. "We tend to do three weddings in a month. On certain auspicious days, we do take on more," she adds. However, mega weddings do not happen every day, says Meher. She strongly refutes the general perception that the profession fetches a lot of money. The wedding industry is largely in the unorganised sector so it would be difficult to put afigure on the size of the industry. She suggests that the wedding industry should be moved into the organised sector.

The planners agree that weddings in North India have traditionally been more lavish. "Earlier, weddings used to be a two-three day affair but now they stretch for about five-six days with songs, dance and revelry adding to the excitement," says Vandana.

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