Of New Normal Weddings & Unspent Cash

The holy wedlock came to a knot when the pandemic began its reign in India last year. A year on, the second onslaught of the deadly virus made marriages a truly private affair, with the authorities slapping a ban on gathering of more than 20 people at the do. The restriction shuddered the $50-billion wedding industry thriving in India and sent a shocker to couples going for a nuptial bond. The great Indian big-fat weddings thinned into history in the age of new normal with the events being shifted from grand venues like banquets and five-star hotels to homes. In the process, the newlyweds are left with more than half of their wedding budgets unspent. “An intimate wedding gives couples time to innovate and save money on a lot of items like clothes and jewellery. They saved money on fixed costs like venue and catering,” says Chandni Kumar, Assistant Editor of ShaadiSaga, a...