Weddings are really huge  in India – no matter which way you look at them – their sheer scope, size, budget, variety…

To see how huge, all you have to look at are the proliferation of everything bridal.

Bridal shows, bridal trousseau’s, bridal jewels, and so on.

Wedding planners have become mandatory appendages to every wedding.

After all, each wedding has multiple events.

And each occasion has an unique theme which is carried out in everything from decor to food.

And typically, thousands of guests. So, wedding planners are no longer a luxury, they are a necessity.

Wait! What am I saying? I forget this is India I am talking about, so I simply cannot generalize like this!  Let me rewind a bit.  I am talking specifically about weddings of the upper classes, and especially those based in the large metros of India.

So, within these classes, with money flowing freely (much almost exclusively in the form of cash that you can touch and feel),  weddings are celebrated exuberantly and ostentatiously, the Indian way. Naturally.

The show opens with the wedding invitations. Some are as large as a book. Elaborately created by professional designers. Using hand-made paper, hand-painted or hand-printed. Hand-delivered with sweets, a silver memento or even a designer sari. So, when it starts with a bang like this (i.e. setting the expectations), you can imagine that it has to end with a bigger bang. A much bigger bang! Enough to keep guests talking for weeks, if not months.

The hospitality industry simply thrives during wedding seasons. Grand halls and ballrooms, five-star hotels and up-market restaurants – they all do well. Orchids have become passe when it comes to flowers. Now, people are on the lookout for what exotic flowers can be imported from Singapore or Europe…preferably something rare, that no one has used before. !

Being unique is the name of the game. We are talking Unique with a capital U. God forbid that any concept or design from a previous wedding be reused!

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Want to see the diversity and variety that exists in Indian weddings?  These are just a couple of the quick finds of Indian wedding planner websites.  Here’s a wedding planner’s website so you can comprehend the range of choices of types of weddings possible. And check out this array of very exclusive wedding plans.  These are for destination weddings in Goa, Rajathan, Kerala and the like. What amazing settings!

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Speaking of settings (you know, like in the movies), here’s a rather unique and interesting phenomenon. Bollywood stars also do well during wedding season. They are ‘invited’ – basically, paid to meet, greet and mingle with guests!

At a recent high society elite wedding, several stars were on hand as “guests”. They are also paid (much more, obviously) to perform for the guests.

Shah Rukh Khan himself was the star attraction at a recent wedding celebration. The draw was his dance performance for the wedding guests!

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With all the attention on him and the other mingling stars, one wonders if anyone paid attention to the real stars of the wedding.  The bride and groom.

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And, can you imagine Brad Pitt dancing at someone’s wedding in the U.S. for a fee?  Wow!

Time to start a new trend, Hollywood…this time by copying Bollywood. What say you, Brad?

I think it’s a rather neat idea because you can always use the proceeds for one of your favorite causes.

If you decide it’s something worth pursuing, how about a bet with me that your first gig will be to perform at an Indian wedding?  🙂

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Offerings By McKay Savage from Chennai, India [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Brad Pitt By Maggie from Palm Springs, United States (Brad) [CC-BY-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Mandap By Taxman (Taxman) (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons