When it comes to planning your wedding everyone gets those cold feet. After all, everyone counts on whose
wedding will be the best. Each one tries to be under the limelight; five
starred deco, set-up, dressing, catering, filming and extra traditional
activities like mehendi, haldi, sangeet, roce, rehearsal dinners and it goes
on… how much money is spent on all of these? Wouldn’t it be a better option if
an equivalent expenditure goes on wedding and then the future plans, because at
the end you are going to marry your partner and not the rest of the world, so
why the trouble of goose-bumps when your cake doesn’t have that perfect shape,
or your deco lights don’t dazzle like the stars?
How to spend less?
According to online American reports, a lot of couples refrain
from spending a large amount on their wedding day. Instead they ask their ‘to
be invited guests’ to buy them wedding materials and services in place of gifts
by making a list of things they require for the wedding. In this way, the
couple spends less, and their gifts are more sensible than having a house full
of bouquets that fade away later. Another way of saving money during weddings
is the tradition that some British follow of having food stalls and where the
guests can buy their own food, with only a complimentary beverage and snacks
from the couple.
“Don’t go crazy on the wedding”, says Founder of the websites
OpenYourDiary and The Event Thing, Alex Elderfield. Apparently, while doing a
research and attending various weddings, Alex realized that while there have
been lavish weddings, the most enjoyable ones have been those on the lower end
of the budget. “It’s cool when, guests bring the food and drinks and the
couple/parents provide the venue that would be a village hall and a cricket
pavilion, some fizz for toasts and music. People remember how it felt, not how
much you spent on the table decorations or flowers. People like to contribute,
to feel part of the event, and not just be an audience. But sadly, we do not
see this in a lot of places because of the increase competition among
weddings.”
However, Nikita Chodankar Dhuri, Director of Outdo Media and Events
who recently tied the knot in March, gives the other view about the weddings
that are glamorously celebrated. “The rich and not so rich too, try and still
go for massive weddings as it happens once in a lifetime. It is important to
make the day look classy, feel special and unique in its own way. ”
Weddings in Goa
Interestingly, new generation Goans are falling into the trap of
pushing the wedding expense envelope further. In the last two years from 2017
to 2019, weddings, on an average, have cost 10 to 12 Lakhs, with some large
scale ones going way beyond. In fact in some weddings the flowers alone cost RS
10 lakh plus. However, 10% of people still opt for the wedding saving plan in
Goa if there is no family pressure of having a better wedding than one of your
friends. Unfortunately in Goa, though many decide on having a well planned
budget wedding, most end up in spending tremendously after society pressure,
but of course no one would cross more than 15 Lakhs.
Guests complete the wedding
Apart from the local weddings, Goa is a great place for
destination weddings and most of these kinds of weddings are over budget with
thousands of guests. With all the drama happening in the background, the plus
point is that it is the easiest way for designers, wedding planners, event
managers, and brands to make money and advertise their brand identity. Whenever
it comes to inviting guests, having big crowds for wedding are always a
personal choice. You may want to invite your office-mate and his mother and his
mother’s sister, and his girlfriend, or you may only want to invite your
office-mate to be the guests at your wedding. According to WoknRoll partner
Asheen Lobo, Today’s generation would love to have a small wedding with close
friends and family on a Beach or abroad, that’s the current building trend.
But, unfortunately they go through The Big Fat wedding due the family and
society. The “what will they say”, is the question that creates the whole
problem.
Wedding Planning v\s Future planning
Marketing Professional Shimonti Gupta understands that both the
trends are important through all the weddings she attended where there is a
huge amount spent for a glamorous wedding and where the money is used wisely
for a meaningful wedding. “We have wise young ones who would rather travel or
buy something important to them. And then you have the young ones who are
inspired by the expensive weddings around the world and want to recreate a
celebrity wedding; there is also a third kind, who are very balanced. They have
a small boutique wedding and also engage in buying a car or a home,” she
expresses.
Many
couples often plan on saving their money for a great holiday together than on a
wedding ceremony, while some like treating the special day as a memorable one.
As most argue on whether great holidays or future savings are important,
Shimonti adds, “Very tricky, I think both are important, because after all in
our busy job life, we need a vacation spent well, in order to have a fresh
start for the future planning.” Nikita agrees that a great holiday is important
as it makes memories which one can cherish for a lifetime. “It also brings the
couple together and helps them spend some quality and romantic time,” she says.