During the pandemic, millennial couples took charge, planning their wedding, due to which the wedding budget drastically changed.
WeddingWire India, the Indian subsidiary of The Knot Worldwide, an online marketplace for couples and wedding professionals, conducted a survey among couples who got married in the pandemic to understand trends and expectations of wedding planning in India.
The survey -- conducted across 635 newly wed couples in India -- revealed that 29 was the average age of people who got married during the pandemic.
The pan India survey covered key aspects of wedding planning like safety measures, in-person versus virtual celebrations, vendor selection, etc to decode the changing dynamics of the Indian wedding ecosystem.
Safety measures
During the pandemic, couples prioritised health and safety measures by keeping the guest list smaller (82%), followed by providing hand sanitizer (75%) and requiring staff to wear masks (69%).
Wedding invites
In the new normal, new-age platforms like WhatsApp took precedence (76%) when it came to sharing key details such as events, accommodation, etc with the guests, followed by physical invitations.
Nearly 4 in ten people said that they still prefer using physical invites to share wedding details (39%).
In-person versus virtual celebration
While digital platforms like WhatsApp were popular when it came to communicating and inviting friends and family, wedding functions are leaning towards pre-pandemic level in-person celebrations.
The survey highlighted that 90% of respondents preferred celebrating physically with family/friends in attendance (with or without streaming element), while only 5% chose fully virtual ceremonies (online civil ceremony etc).
Vendor selection
When asked about the top three vendors that they prioritised in 2021, couples chose photography and videography (84%), followed by hair and makeup artists at 74% and mehendi artists at 70%.
Word of mouth, and recommendations from friends and family continued to be preferred source of selection while finalising professionals.
When it came to choosing the venue, the cost was one of the key aspects (71%), followed by travel time to the venue (61%), venue capacity (52%), and venue style (52%).
Budget
Traditionally, allocating a budget was considered a family affair. However, during the pandemic, millennial couples were seen taking charge and planning their wedding, due to which the wedding budget drastically changed.
Half of the respondents said their preferable budget was less than Rs 10 lakhs with 25% of couples opting for Rs 5 lakhs-Rs 10 lakhs as their preferable budget.
Technology gaining prominence
WedTech platforms, which were virtually non-existent a few years ago in the Indian wedding ecosystem, saw phenomenal growth as 27% of respondents opted for them to find venues and other wedding vendors.
Wedding Web sites came up as one of the key platforms that millennial couples chose to send invitations as 12% of respondents opted for it.
Rescheduling of wedding/reception date
With respect to wedding dates getting shifted, 37% of respondents said the date of their wedding ceremony and/or reception was impacted owing to COVID. In the meantime, while the cancellations were happening, 79% of respondents reported getting engaged in an intimate ceremony.
