NRIs Find Cheaper to Get Married in India
It's cheaper for NRIs to get married in India than in the UK or USA. 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 Jonses) 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 the UK 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 twelve 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 the parties paid their own fares but the accommodation was taken care by their hosts. Since these are Hindu Gujaratis, some of their relatives and friends from India also attended the wedding on the same basis and 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 the UK 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 somber 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 couple could go to Goa for their honeymoon. Other venues are Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mahableshwar, Varanasi, and a host of major pilgrimages.
Just imagine how much money both the parties have saved. The pre-wedding expenses of ethnic buying Indian wedding wear at double or triple the prices in India, the cost of hiring the hall and, most of all, feeding at least 200 to 400 guests from both sides add up to a hefty amount. Then include the cost of the transport and accommodation of the honeymoon. Here it is all combined at a fraction of the cost in the UK. Bach home in the UK; 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 as expected. Then there are NRI and Indian weddings when the bride or the groom is an NRI. Here the NRI 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. Then the Chatwals from New York had 'the great Indian wedding' with Deepak Chopra, the Hindujas and the Clintons now screened repeatedly on the Discovery Channel. Coming up is the 'cocktail' wedding of Arun Nayar with model and filmstar Elizabeth Hurley in early 2007 with guests like David Beckham and Elton John. The crème-de la crème of the British society is expected to a royal Rajasthan.
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!'
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