The pandemic has brought massive changes in consumer behaviour – from drinking at home, to preferring comfort clothing, and ordering almost everything online. However, the Indian wedding industry continues to be insulated from the New World.
While the industry suffered a setback in 2020 due to the lockdowns, marriages are back to business. Albeit, they look different, and are more intimate. Also, delays and rescheduling have become a common part of wedding planning in the past two years.
“Our wedding was set for April 2020. However, the first lockdown was announced at the end of March. Back then, we had little information as to how things would turn out and decided to postpone our wedding to November. Most vendors were sympathetic, as everyone was lost about what to expect,” says Priya Mishra, a 32-year-old consultant with a Delhi-based engineering-consultancy firm. “However, in November, 10 days before the rescheduled date, the Delhi government reduced the number of people allowed at wedding gatherings to 50, which meant we had to cut down the guest list from 350, and change the venue as well.”
Not only were the frequent changes stressful, Mishra adds, but that also impacted the expenses. “Since the entire industry is based on word-of-mouth commitments and cash, an advance once paid to any vendor is generally gone for good.”
The big, fat Indian wedding industry
Putting together an event and maintaining Covid-19-appropriate behaviour is an arduous task. This had major repercussions for the industry, a rather peculiar one.
Indian weddings are rarely planned only by the bride and groom. Most of the time, family seniors are closely involved, often leading to time-consuming decision making. In addition, Covid-19 restrictions, especially for the elderly, made wedding planning even harder.
Read More at https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/prime/consumer/a-digital-wedding-is-still-a-distant-dream-as-india-prefers-to-deal-in-cash-with-local-vendors/primearticleshow/90428450.cms
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