From The Fabulous Jaunt Into Foreign Lands And Chic places In the country, the concept has expanded to include small hillside or beach weddings on a budget. The chic snobbery limited to a grand Udaipur or a flashy Lakshadweep wedding has spread to hotels and resorts in simple Tier 2 and 3 cities with beautiful locations. The Covid-limited Indian wants to break free of the local, bigotry to indulge in the outdoors, the intimate Celebration,
Chetan Vohra, co-founder and MD, WeddingLine, a wedding management firm, says, “Post-Covid, a lot has changed with people from all walks of life, all strata and small towns seeking destination weddings.” Notch Weddings for celebs like Priyanka Chopra, Yuvraj Singh and Vivek Oberoi. “People are realizing that a wedding can be a celebration with a holiday,” he adds.
“They now understand the value of intimate weddings with 150-200 guests instead of big, fat ones with 500-800 people, as well as the fact that it can be done in a much more fun, relaxed, creative and personal way. ways,” says Shweta Acharya, Founder, Baraati Inc., a leading wedding planner at Delhi. “Events can be conceptualized around two families instead of separating them,” she adds. “Another factor is that, after the pandemic, all local properties get booked up. So people are going for something different,” says Rituraj Khanna, CEO, Q Events & Weddings, a leading wedding management firm in Noida. Huh.
This has led to the emergence of many new wedding venues in Tier 2 and 3 cities, apart from the traditional centers in Rajasthan, Goa and Kerala. Vikram Lalwani, MD & CEO, Sterling says, “We are seeing new destinations like Kalimpong, Wayanad and Dharamsala where people want smaller weddings as they are not only closer to the domicile of the bride or groom, but the logistics are also easily managed. go.” holiday resorts. Shreyas Kudalkar of Kings Hotel & Resort agrees: “Places like Alibaug, Shimla and Coorg are affordable destinations with extremely pleasant weather that offer a variety of travel options and things to do are easy to schedule.” So if you are also planning destination weddingRead on to find out how much it can cost and which cities you can choose.
how to choose destination
The first step in planning is choosing the right destination and location.
budget: The choice of city will depend on several factors, the most important of which is your budget. Decide the total amount you want to spend on the wedding and allocate 60-65% of it to the destination and travel.
Guest list: Next, decide the number of guests to attend the wedding. This will help you choose a property that has the required number of rooms. If rooms fall short, you may have to book more than two hotels. “While I wanted a big wedding in Delhi with 1,000 people, my husband wanted a small international wedding with very few people. We found a middle ground by marrying 400 people in Jodhpur,” says Aarti Goyal, who got married last year at the Umaid Bhawan Palace.
distance: An important consideration is the distance of the location from your home. If it’s too far and flights are your only option, factor in the high cost of travel. Walkable distances are preferable, especially if you have to carry a lot of wedding supplies and workers with you.
Facility: If the elders of the family are with you then you will also need to find out the convenience of travel. Navya Kapoor from Delhi, who got married at the Leela Palace in October last year, says, “We chose Jaipur because there was no need for a flight from Delhi and we had elderly people with us who were more comfortable driving.”
weather: There are other factors to take into consideration as the season and time of year will determine the travel and ease of booking. If it’s peak tourism season, you’ll have to plan well in advance, and if the weather is hot and humid, you’ll need to worry about withered flowers and decorations. Off-season booking is always the best, both in terms of cost and travel.
How much will it cost?
Depending on your budget, wedding venues can be divided into three segments: luxury, mid-segment and budget. Hotel costs generally include accommodation, food, and use of the venues. Most provide add-on services for an additional cost, while some include some services and staff in the package, and still others provide end-to-end wedding management for a higher cost.
The top segment comprises of premium 5-star hotels, palaces and forts, the cost of which starts from Rs 35,000 per room for a night and can go up to Rs 5-7 lakh a night. The total cost for a 2 day wedding for 200 guests can run up to Rs 3-5 crores but can be even more depending on the requirements of the family. Most of such places with luxurious regal settings and services are in Udaipur, Jodhpur and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
The middle segment includes 4- and 5-star luxury and heritage hotels, starting from Rs 20,000 per night per room, and the total cost can range from Rs 45 lakh to Rs 2 crore. Some of the top hotel brands in this segment include Hyatt, Leela, Taj, JW Marriott,
WelcomeHotel, among others. The budget segment includes 3- and 4-star hotels and resorts, which cost Rs 8,000-20,000 per room per room, and the total cost ranges from Rs 15-45 lakh.
These include Radisson, Sterling, Lemon Tree Premier and other local resorts. While destination weddings are considered more expensive than local weddings, this may not always be the case. Because your guest list is heavily cut for destinations that include only close family and friends, you save the costs that would have gone to a large local wedding with 800-1,000 people. Plus, if you choose a beautiful space that doesn’t require a lot of flowers or decorations, you can cut your costs on decorations and entertainment.
Need a Wedding Planner?
While Indians have long been planning elaborate weddings on their own, destination weddings require more elaborate planning and logistics to deal with travel, outside guests, decorations and entertainment. Wedding planners charge a flat fee for defined services, which typically add up to 5-10% of the total wedding cost.
This is a small price to pay for the convenience that comes from planning and dealing with the complex dynamics of a destination wedding. Swati Varma, a resident of Bengaluru says, “For our Goa wedding, the planner not only negotiated a good hotel discount but also handled the transfer of guests without any delay, which is considered a big hassle in Goa. ”
Large planners typically provide end-to-end services including guest hospitality, travel and transfers, food and beverages, entertainment and decorations, leaving the host family with the festivities without stress.
how to cut costs
Whether it is a luxury or budget destination wedding, there is always the possibility of cost cutting (
See how to cut your wedding costs…) While hotel discounts have dwindled post-Covid as demand has increased, there are other ways you can reduce your expenses. Vohra says, “A good option is to negotiate with hotels during the off-season, when demand is low, thereby reducing your cost by 20-25%.” You can also make use of local vendors and artists, which significantly reduces travel and lodging costs for staff you would otherwise have taken with you. Choosing a beautiful location can also help you reduce decoration fees.
how to plan
Planning should begin at least six months before the wedding, with your budget, guest, ceremonies and destination decided. You will have to research the shortlisted places with the wedding planner at this time. After finalizing the destination, you will have to personally visit it at least 2-3 months before the wedding to decide about the food and beverages, venue of various celebrations, theme and decoration ideas etc.
If your planner has good contacts with local vendors, it will be cheaper and more convenient. Usually, however, people prefer to have their own makeup and henna artists, choreographers and DJs or singers will need to book in advance. About a month or 15 days before the wedding, the planner should have finalized all the details without any loose ends.
get marriage insurance
When planning extravagant weddings, people often leave out an important detail: insurance. “Even if they want to, many are not aware of how and from where to get it,” says Acharya.
See FAQ on marriage...) The sum insured should be roughly equal to the size of the expenses incurred for the wedding. “This would include cancellation or postponement of marriage, theft, damage to valuables, accident, death and even third party liability,” says Raghavendra Rao, chief distribution officer, Future Generali Insurance India. “The policy will cover non-refundable expenses incurred in connection with the marriage,” says TA Ramalingam, Chief Technical Officer, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance.
Top Cities for Destination Weddings
Here are some popular and upcoming venues for destination weddings. These cities offer a range of options, from premium luxury palaces and 5-star luxury hotels to 3- and 4-star heritage hotels, affordable boutique hotels, and budget resorts. Hotel packages generally include accommodations, meals and accommodations for functions ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 5 lakh per night per room.
The prices listed here are not the total wedding cost, but rather hotel rates for a 2 day wedding for 150 guests, which is a lot of expenses. Since some hotels in smaller cities may have fewer rooms, you will need to either reduce your guest list to 50-75 people, or book more than one hotel.
Read also:
Top Cities for Destination Wedding in India