NRIs find cheaper to get married in India

India
NRIs find cheaper to get married in India
By Kul Bhushan, Nov 21, 2006 - 2:26:47 PM

It's cheaper for NRIs to get married in India than in Britain or the US. Really? Now that's an absurd statement especially when one reads about the dream weddings like those of the maharajas that the rich and famous have for their children in India. Yes, you can spend millions of dollars for that 'maharaja' wedding in India to keep up with Joshis (not Joneses) or Mittals or Chatwals.

The big, fat, NRI wedding (with apologies to the Greek film of this name) makes a major splash with its list of global celebrities and extravaganza. But for middle class NRIs, the wedding can be a money saver. So it's no wonder that many middle class families are opting for wedding ceremonies in India. Let us take a real life example of wedding that took place last month in Goa.

The bride and the groom are both from Britain but without strong roots in India. Since the bride's parents are not so wealthy, they proposed to have the ceremonies in Goa. They bought 12 air tickets for group travel at a good discount and made hotel reservations also at a steep discount. So the immediate family was present at the big event. The groom's parents had about 18-20 people and they got the same low rates for travel and accommodation. The friends of both parties paid their own fares but the accommodation was taken care of by their hosts. Since they were Hindu Gujaratis, some of their relatives and friends from India also attended the wedding on the same basis; so we have a wedding group of around 60-65 people in 30-34 rooms staying for three nights.

They bought their Indian ethnic wedding wear at much lower prices than in Britain, and the ceremonies were held as the entire party boarded a big boat and sailed out at dusk. The setting sun, the whispering waves, the cool air, the sombre vows, and they got married in a very unique manner. Dinner followed on board and the next day, their honeymoon started right in Goa while the relatives and friends melted away to their own destinations.

Instead of Goa, the location could be anywhere in royal Rajasthan to get the regal aura of a maharaja and the couple could go to Goa for their honeymoon. Other good venues are Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mahableshwar, Varanasi, and a host of major pilgrimage centres.

Just imagine how much money both the parties have saved. The purchase of ethnic Indian wedding wear, the cost of hiring the hall and, most of all, feeding at least 200-400 guests add up to a hefty amount. Then add the transport and accommodation for the honeymoon. Here it is all combined at a fraction of the cost in Britain. In Britain, their Goa wedding is the talk among their community as a grand affair! This word of mouth - and the savings! - encourages more NRIs to plan their weddings in India.

No wonder some tour operators have become Wedding Planners as well. Bookings for weddings keep on doubling every year. Heavy bookings are reported for current season starting in November 2006 until February 2007 for NRI and 'cocktail' weddings. When an NRI marries an Anglo Saxon, you have a 'cocktail wedding'. For the NRI partner, the 'great' Indian heritage then comes to the front and he/she wants a 'traditional' wedding in India with all its trappings. In these weddings, the Indians are outnumbered. There are also NRI and Indian weddings when the bride or the groom is an NRI. Here the NRIs try and outspend the local Indians to display their class and wealth.

On an average, an NRI wedding in India costs five million Rupees, The Economic Times reported recently. A more elaborate affair can cost twice the amount. And there is no limit for the top end as every billionaire NRI pushes the bar to a new high to outdo each other.

Steel tycoon Laxmi Mittal spent $55 million for his daughter's wedding. The Chatwals from New York had 'the great Indian wedding' with Deepak Chopra, the Hindujas and the Clintons. Coming up is the 'cocktail' wedding of Arun Nayar with Elizabeth Hurley in early 2007 with guests like David Beckham and Elton John expected.

All this increases to the booming Indian tourism earnings of $42 billion. Lavish weddings in the West do not necessarily help an NRI to climb the social ladder, make news or get the royalty aura. So the new call is: 'Come to India to get married!'

(A media consultant to a UN Agency, Kul Bhushan previously worked abroad as a newspaper editor and has travelled to over 55 countries. He lives in New Delhi and can be contacted at: [email protected].)

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