I think the trend to reducing the cost of wedding is for economically challenged people.
The following is an excerpt from 2011 article:
Weddings in India have become more extravagant in recent years as the newly rich look to show off their wealth. The most spectacular ceremonies – such as those of the hotelier Vikram Chatwal or the daughter of the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal – have seen astonishing displays of opulence. Expensive gifts accompanying invitations, tonnes of imported flowers, top chefs flown in from New York or Tokyo and festivities spread across multiple cities have become almost commonplace.
India's booming upper middle classes have been inspired to create their own displays. No wedding is now complete without at least three different cuisines offered to guests: north or south Indian, "continental" or European and a third, selected from Mexican, Japanese and Chinese, or chinjabi, as the local version of the latter is known.
"It's true that people waste a lot because there's a huge variety of dishes and they take a bit of everything to try it. There's a limit to the amount anyone can eat though," said Neeti Bhargava, who runs Mystical Moments wedding organisers in Delhi. "You can't really control it. There are people who really don't know how to spend all the money they've got."
The ostentation goes well beyond food. One new trend is the use of helicopters instead of the traditional white horse or decorated coach for the bride and groom.
Subhash Goyal, who runs an air charter business, said: "It's mainly people like farmers around the outskirts of Delhi or other cities who have made millions simply because their land has suddenly got to be worth so much money.
"Some people want to propose on a flight. Some people want to go in a helicopter to pick up the bride instead of going on a horse."
Fees for the helicopters start at £2,000. There are currently no plans to restrict expenditure on aircraft.
The people hit hardest by the food inflation – the poor – are the core constituency of the current government, led by the centre-left Congress party. However, the ambitious food security bill aimed at eradicating hunger in India is proving difficult to draft. It would guarantee more than two-thirds of the population had enough to eat, its supporters claim. About half of India's children under five are malnourished.
Indian weddings too big, says government | World news | The Guardian
In USA among the PIO weddings that we visit $1.00M seems to be average budget. Even TB weddings now have Mehendi and Sangeet with dinner. In USA they invite both husband and wife for all events.
No reason to judge them
Wedding season is rolling around again — which means it is time for that big fat Indian wedding. This is not something that is restricted to the rich and famous; in relative terms, big weddings are popular across the social spectrum. From elaborate themes to imported flowers, everything is fair game — despite a stagnant economy. According to wedding planners, costs here have risen by 25-30%. Along with all this comes something else — the annual spectacle of people getting on their high horses and decrying such extravagance.
This self-righteousness comes all too easily to a people that have made a virtue out of conspicuous austerity. Last year, the government even pondered limiting the number of guests allowed at weddings by resurrecting an executive order created in the early 1960s -- an idea it thankfully abandoned. Here's the thing; those who spend extravagantly on weddings are not digging into public funds to do so. They are paying out of their own pockets — and they have every right to pay as much as they want. That also implies there should be no coercion involved, and India has tough anti-dowry laws that can be invoked if nece-ssary. But assuming the spending is voluntary, the pleasure and enjoyment of those involved should be the main criterion by which it is judged. If that pleasure is derived from going big, why not? A marriage is a monumental occasion celebrated along with friends and family.
Extravagant Indian weddings unaffected by adverse economic conditions - The Times of India
We attended a wedding in India where the Guests were given expensive (In my judgement) gifts.
The Splurge during Jayalalitha's foster son's wedding (yes it is dated 1995)
"We would be blind not to take note of it," he says. Though the final estimate of the marriage is still being worked out, the highest approximate worked out by Amma's critics is a mind-boggling Rs.100 crore. It raises one delicate question: How could the chief minister afford such a lavish bash when she draws just one rupee per month as official salary? Time for the chaps from Guinness to make a new entry.
-With Rohit Brijnath.
Read more at:
Jayalalitha's foster son married off amid extravagance and controversy : SOCIETY & THE ARTS - India Today
The wedding hall and dining rooms cost Rs.70 lakh.
Decorations - cut-outs, hoardings, papier-mache statues - and the illumination cost Rs.50 lakh.
There were two lakh tamboolam (return gift) packets. Cost: Rs.16 lakh.
VIP invitations included a silver plate with containers, a silk saree and silk dhoti - each worth Rs.20.000. Over 1,000 VIPs were invited.
Lunch for the VIP guests cost Rs.100 a head; each VIP was given bottled mineral water and a fresh hand-towel. Food for the 1,10.000 partymen cost Rs.40 per head.
Almost a 1,000 rooms at Madras top hotels were reserved for VIPs; the average rent per room is about Rs.3,000.
About 300 air-conditioned cars, rented at Rs.1,100 per day, were used.
All figures are rough estimates
Read more at:
Jayalalitha's foster son married off amid extravagance and controversy : SOCIETY & THE ARTS - India Today
PS: Sorry Jaylalitha fans I can
not prove that funds were misused or obtained in dubious circumstances.
