The Hindu Business Line : Sequin shaadis

And you thought only celebrities opted for a typical filmi-style wedding! The Zayed Khans, Fardeen Khans, or the Chatwals aren't the only people who have wedding ceremonies spread over several days, with expenses running into mind-boggling sums. There are some who don't belong to the Page 3 list of any newspaper, but organise opulent weddings befitting a king.

"We don't want to be named; we don't want our pictures in the newspapers. We love our daughter and when we can afford it, why shouldn't we give her the kind of marriage that she wants," asks a woman from a Gujarati-dominated suburb of Mumbai, whose niece's wedding was a grand affair.

Spelling grandeur

It is not only about the jewellery or costumes that we are talking about. These weddings, which stretch from five to seven days, are so ostentatious that the bride and groom sport a different designer label each day, and accessories set in diamond, gold or pearl with kundan or meena work. Money spent on the attire alone often add up to a few lakh rupees, even a couple of crores.

"A Muscat-based Indian family spent close to Rs 7crore on 70 sherwanis they bought from Delhi for the baaratis to wear. In fact, the Chatwals, Kapoors or the Khans can't spend as much as these business people," explains Shefali Hegde, a dress designer from Mumbai.

Shefali specialises in wedding couture, but still has a long way to go to reach the list of big designers whose bridal lehenga costs about Rs 10 lakh each! As she puts it, the bigger the designer, the costlier the apparel. "Besides, it also depends on the type of embroidery or fabric used.".

These days, brides in cities such as Delhi and Mumbai prefer suits made of raw silk, chiffon, georgettes, as against the traditional Kancheevarams that find favour among South Indian brides. Designers are usually given 30-60 days to get the trousseau — consisting of five to seven dresses — ready.

Song and dance

An important part of the wedding ceremony in the Gujarati, Punjabi, and Marwari communities is the fun-filled sangeet ceremony, which involves relatives of both the bride and the groom; it is mostly held a couple of days before the wedding.

Impromptu dances are passé; today, it is a well-choreographed event, and people learn their dance steps well in advance. "I usually take about 20 days to choreograph the sangeet dance," says Elizabeth Pereira, a choreographer.

"The theme revolves around the romance between the bride and groom — like how they grew up, met, quarrelled and are now ready to tie the knot," says Rahul Shirker, who has choreographed over 70 sangeet ceremonies.

Once the medley of songs — 40-60 minutes from Hindi films and folk songs from Gujarat, Marwar or Punjab — is selected, the choreographers go about teaching the group. As most people don't know how to shake a limb, but still want to join the party, they are trained ccording to their capabilities, explain Elizabeth and Shirker.

Most clients insist that the choreographer supervise the actual sangeet ceremony, so that nothing goes wrong. And if it is an outstation wedding, the choreographer too accompanies the party.

The cost of engaging choreographers could range between Rs 10,000 and Rs 50,000. If the choreographer is a celebrity, then the cost could be higher.

However, some clients tend to bargain with choreographers — "Arey, how can you charge so much for a mere dance training?" is the most common refrain.

The wedding planner

Though dress designers and choreographers ask 20-30 days' time for these grand weddings, wedding planners need at least three-four months to get things ready. In cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh, wedding planners are much in demand especially for an elaborate Punjabi wedding.

"If the client is in a hurry, we can plan the entire event within a month. But normally we like to take a couple of months to chalk out the entire plan," says Sneha Tejwani of Mumbai-based Occasionz wedding planners. The four-year-old Occasionz plans everything from invitation cards, accompanying gifts, venue, theme, flowers, decors, caterers, cuisine, entertainment, DJs, choreographers, priests and even pre-wedding pujas. "The nuclear family system doesn't give much time or space for parents to take care of all the ceremonies," says Dipa Sheth, a partner at Occasionz. "A wedding not only requires management and finance, but also creativity. Where do people have that kind of time?"

Depending on the budget, the wedding reception could even boast a dinner offering 80 delicacies. Punjabi, South Indian, Gujarati, Thai, Chinese, Lebanese, or Continental... name the cuisine and it is served, along with counters for ice-creams, desserts, salads, mocktails and the like. Of course, these companies also plan for wedding-related events such as the sangeet, mehndi, and pre-wedding parties.