Summary of this article
Most couples rely on savings for rising weddings
Loans used mainly for high value wedding expenses
Destination weddings have grown with strong in-country preference
The wedding season is in full swing, and most couples are having to dig into their savings to keep up with soaring costs, says WedMeGood’s 5th Annual Wedding Report 2025. The report found that around 79 per cent of couples funded their weddings through their savings, while just 15 per cent took loans. Responses were recorded from over 2,000 couples whose weddings are scheduled between April 2025 and March 2026.
The report has captured clear shifts in spending behaviour as overall wedding budgets continue to grow. Wedding expenses went up 8 per cent year-on-year. The all-India average budget for a wedding reached Rs 39.5 lakh, while destination weddings saw an average spending of Rs 58 lakh. Jaipur recorded the highest average at Rs 73 lakh, followed by Rs 38 lakh in Delhi, Rs 35 lakh in Mumbai and Rs 37 lakh in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Savings Account as the Main Source Of Financing
Most couples continue to rely on their own savings in order to manage the increased expenses. Approximately 78.65 per cent of the participants relied on savings as the primary source of financing. Couples who took loans consisted of 15.2 per cent; among them, the mix consisted of bank loans, adding 8.85 per cent and loans from friends and family, contributing 6.25 per cent. Another 6.25 per cent of couples liquidated their assets to finance the celebration.
The average loan size stood at Rs 15.5 lakh. Categories like venues, jewellery, decor and catering were the ones where borrowing was most common.
Destination Weddings Keep Growing
Destination weddings remain at the top of the list, with one out of every four weddings being classified in this category. In destination weddings, close to 90 per cent were hosted within the country. The number of guests also continued to vary greatly: the average number of wedding guests for a regular wedding was 420, and for a destination wedding, it was 280.
Favourite destinations within the country included Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla, Corbett, Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Goa. International destinations preferred were Bali, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand.
Spending Patterns And Venue Trends
More and more couples are now going for experiential celebrations. Palace and heritage venues remain in demand, while villa-style weddings increased to 4 per cent, and temple weddings witnessed a rise to 4.13 per cent. As many as 69 per cent of couples chose venues within 10 kilometres or a drive of 30 to 40 minutes.
The venue-related challenges were driven by their Saya date (auspicious dates or 'Shubh Muhurat') availability issues, where 37.91 per cent reported difficulty in securing the dates of their preference. Price pressure was at 33.8 per cent, followed by vendor panel restrictions impeding 14.6 per cent.
Pre-wedding and honeymoon travel also contributed to rising budgets. Spending on combined trips averaged Rs 3.41 lakh. Goa, Jaipur, Mumbai and parts of eastern India were preferred for pre-wedding trips, while Europe, Dubai, Bali and Thailand remained top choices for honeymoons.
Digital Payments Gain Ground
More and more weddings are seeing digital payments, but cash is still king. About 38 per cent of couples made most of their payments digitally, supported by UPI and QR code usage. Compliance with GST and limits on large cash payments facilitated this trend. Cash payments still accounted for 62 per cent of transactions.
Couples Are Marrying Later With More Structured Planning
The data highlighted a very slight shift in the age at which couples are getting married. The average age of marriage was 28.6 in Delhi, 30 in Mumbai, and 29.5 in Bangalore and Hyderabad. About 76 per cent of couples met offline and 24 per cent online. Love marriages comprised 62 per cent of the weddings.
Choices of Vendors And Use Of AI Mark
One-third of the couples surveyed browsed vendors online before making bookings. The report also indicates increasing use of technology by vendors. Around 24 per cent of wedding professionals have started using artificial intelligence for editing photos and videos, creating design moodboards, drafting content and automating communication.
