The winter of 2022-23 has been a fruitful one for those in the business of organizing weddings. After acute restrictions were imposed on guest lists owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, people are back to organising weddings with gusto.
Says Tanusree Chatterjee, a resident of Kankurgachhi: “My brother and his girlfriend were planning to marry in 2021. But there were so many restrictions that we decided to postpone the wedding till January 2023. Thankfully, there were no new waves and all the rituals could be followed in a grand manner. It turned out to be a very good decision, since friends and family from other cities and abroad managed to attend the wedding."
The long anticipation of the wedding has made it more desirable to guests. Shopping for the trousseau and planning the wedding, without fear of sudden developments, has made people more willing to step out.
Nithya Jindal, a resident of CA Block, said: "Thank god, the trend of online weddings is over! Now we can go back to doing things we did before the pandemic! We haven't had a single celebration in the family in the last two years where more than 20-25 people were attending. But this time when my sister got married in November 2022, we could invite more than 500 guests. That was reassuring for us since we have extended family members who might get offended if they were not invited.”
Manali Bose, a teacher in a private school, said: “This winter I have attended four-five weddings. Some of the dates even clashed. So we ate starters at one wedding and stopped over for dinner at another. It was a hectic wedding season but a lot of fun. I am so thankful that we can do this still, after two years of almost no socializing among friends and family!”
Dash of grandeur: The bridegroom reaching the wedding venue on a horse at the GD Block community hall recently. Sudeshna Banerjee
Lighter on the pocket
Even if weddings are more welcoming in a post-pandemic situation, they have definitely become more expensive! Right from booking venues to catering and decoration, the big fat Indian wedding just got more expensive.
Robindra Shome of Tutu Caterers in Bangur Avenue said: “Price rise has affected the wedding menu. Before the pandemic, people would happily include mutton dishes in the menu, but with mutton prices shooting through the roof more and more people want to stick to chicken and fish. For starters, people are increasingly opting for one vegetarian snack and one chicken snack. After mutton, it is fish that has become expensive. Earlier a non-vegetarian plate cost Rs 500-550 or 650 at most. Now it costs Rs 950-1100 minimum.”
As a result of price rise, the budget of an average middle class wedding has gone up by 30-40 per cent. Ritu Khanna, a wedding planner based in New Town, said: “The budget varies according to customers' preference. For some, the decoration is a priority while for others food is the priority. These days people are heavily inspired by Bollywood weddings and want the décor to look dream-like. In such cases, photographers become the priority. But it is true that budgets have gone up. For Bengali weddings, a Rs 8-15 lakh bill is minimum, while for non-Bengali weddings with more rituals, the cost can go up to Rs 30 or 40 lakh.”
The biggest investment after gold in a wedding is definitely the venue. An average Indian wedding has to be one with great resources and open spaces. It may vary depending on the number of guests, location of the venue and its extravagance. Most wedding venues in and around Salt Lake can cost as much as Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 3,00,000.
A wedding reception at the NKDA community centre in Action Area 1. Picture by Sudeshna Banerjee
Stage decoration alone will take up as much as Rs 70,000-80,000 depending on the flowers that are chosen. Krishna Ghorai, a flower vendor based in Ultadanga who supplies flowers to weddings in Salt Lake, Rajarhat and New Town, said: “After the pandemic, transport costs have gone up like never before. Also, customer behaviour has changed. Earlier people didn’t bother so much about decoration, especially for functions other than the wedding night. But now everyone wants a good background for a photo. Which is why flowers, especially fresh, colourful flowers in yellow, pink and magenta are more in demand. Even Bengali families these days have five-six days of functions, including mehendi, sangeet, gaye holud and finally the wedding, followed by a grand reception. For each day, they want a different décor which increases the cost of venue and decorations. Sometimes venue-owners include the cost of decorations in the package, while others will outsource it to vendors like us!”
Along with flowers come lighting, lighting installations, signs, table displays, non-floral centerpieces and other decorative items.
Wedding venue at Eco Park in New Town
GD Block-based Satyajit Paul of Trinayani Decorator & Caterers said changes could be noticed in recent times starting with the kind of chairs rented for guests. “Now no plastic chair is allowed. It is all steel chairs and banquet sofa in every marriage ceremony. Earlier live sehnai was almost compulsory. Now a DJ has taken that place. Even if a sehnai is played, it is digitally,” Paul said.
Urge to frame
In an age of increasing social media influence, people want to capture precious moments with near and dear ones. Even 10 years back, photographers were some of the least paid people at a wedding. But with time, people have begun to understand that a good photo is an asset for a lifetime. Also, social media platforms like Pinterest and Instagram have made people more aware of different kinds of themes one could have for a wedding photograph.
“People these days look for wedding photos that are more research-oriented. People want photography and videography package deals and are willing to pay as much as Rs 50,000- Rs 1,00,000 for them. This would include candid shots, traditional shots, drone photography, videography, pre-wedding shoots and instant reels with customized hashtags meant to cater to social media handles of the couple! These days people also want us to make a short three-four minute film with highlights of all the wedding functions. These added nuances have made wedding photography more detailed,” said Udvas Sinha, a wedding photographer who works with a team of five to seven people.
Another added cost is hair-and make-up for the bride and groom. While Style Hair and Skin Beauty Salon in Sector I charges Rs 10,000 for a single day bridal make-up, a Kaya Bridal package would cost anything between Rs 30,000-Rs 50,000 for a package deal. Even two years back the costs were 20 per cent less.
A spokesperson at Kaya Skin Clinic in Salt Lake said: “We have different packages for brides. The beauty industry suffered the most during the pandemic. Now things are better and people are coming back to parlours. Wedding packages are designed depending on the needs of the customer, but the minimum is Rs 30,000-35,000!” Other salons charge Rs 25,000-30,000 for a package deal of two-three days.
Even with business taking off after the pandemic, the stake-holders feel the wedding season in this Bengali calendar year could have ended on a brighter note had the almanac sided with them. Bhaskar Chandra Halder of Lakshmi Decorator said the volume of business was dependant on the number of permitted wedding dates. “This year we received the maximum orders between November and January but wedding dates are very few in February-March.”
Agreed an official of Café Ekante, which caters at the venues in Eco Park and elsewhere: “We had a lot of bookings since November but the coming weeks will have little work due to less number of wedding dates. This year has barely 37 prescribed dates in comparison to 46-52 in other years.”
Additional reporting by Bharati Kanjilal and Sudeshna Banerjee
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