When millennials marry…

Manpriya Singh 

Zoya Akhtar almost knew that Made in Heaven would be happily lapped up by binge-watchers on the streaming giant. The backdrop of a wedding is where the real drama unfolds, India or elsewhere. The series threw open the latest in the weddings, from an old fort being converted to a grand wedding venue to cross cultural weddings.

The millennials are not going to do things the way Gen Z did. “Also the emphasis is now on documenting every minor detail. We had a girl who got her bridal outfit done from a place only on the basis whether they’d let the artisans be captured when her outfit was being handmade,” Garima Mahajan from Dream Themes, a Ludhiana-based event management company, talks about one of the several requests to document the minor details of the D-day that she now gets very often. 

Home sweet home

Not that it’s a new trend, back in the day house weddings were as normal as let’s say a DJ in today’s weddings. But when city-based real estate developer Pulkit Sharma and his wife-to-be decided to get married in their three-kanal Sector 4 house, they set a trend of sorts, seven years back. One that many, at least in their family, followed. All the close friends and family, including neighbours, were not just made a part of the celebrations, but made to participate in the celebrations. What they spent, which was close to 1.8 cr doesn’t matter in comparison to what they saved, which is close to the tune of Rs 2 crore. “We had a guest list of 60 to 80 people, which means that everybody knew everybody and wedding was just what it should be - a close-knit affair. We made memories and married at a place we’d be staying in later,” he adds, while laughing about how the money saved was later used for lavish anniversary holidays that they take almost every year. 

Fandom weddings 

It was a decade ago that themes from Arabian to Royalty made the cut.  But fandom weddings are among the latest ways of introducing the tastes and the quirks of the couple. “Fandom weddings are weddings based on fandom for a franchise or a cult series or even characters. The idea is to bring a beautiful imaginary world to life, which connects the couple in some way. For instance, a comic book fan’s wedding or a Game Of Thrones-themed wedding,” Alim Morani, division head, Dome Ocassions, gives us the lowdown, having organized several such weddings for some of his clients from North India. There’s one he particularly remembers. “We had incorporated a ‘Fire and Ice’ theme for a sangeet,” he recalls the five-day star-studded extravaganza of Azhar Morani (son of Mohammed Morani and Lucky Nadiadwala Morani), who tied the knot with Tanya Seth in a grand way. “The stage was embellished with a beautiful mirror and glass, while the rest of the venue was given a draped look.” He adds, “A unique addition was the 3D mapping throughout the venue creating multiple looks. Keeping in mind the couple’s tastes, GoT series was also incorporated in lounges.”  We’ve seen the choppers, the Bentleys, the Limos making their way to weddings by now. The loud orchestras we are so done with now. The orchestra part, of course, not the loud part! Only the ways of making noise have changed. 

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Wedding planners are a passé 

It’s time for the very niche wedding-groomers, shoppers and stylists. Quite a number image consultants have broken into the niche field of wedding grooming, shopping and styling. “Bridal shopping, hair, makeup, skin-care and also selecting an outfit that blends with that of the groom often take a backseat when it comes to the macro arrangements of venue, food invites etc,” shares Zohra Chitalwala, an image consultant, who recently launched her wedding grooming consulting services in India. To build a case for how every millennial bride and groom need a wedding stylist and a groomer, Meha Bhargava cites the case of a bride from Toronto getting married to a super-busy professional, who did not have to come to India for the all important wedding shopping. Having been in the field for seven years now, with her venture Styl-Inc, she took care of everything. “Right from the groom’s turban to the palla to the borders on the brides outfit, we put it all together.” It seems the millennials have a way of their own!