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DECCAN EDUCATION SOCIETY’S
BRIHAN MAHARASTRA COLLEGE OF COMMERCE
PUNE- 411004
A PROJECT REPORT ON
AN ASSESSMENT OF DESTINATION WEDDINGS: THE NEW VOGUE
SUBMITTED TO
UNIVERSITY OF PUNE
FOR THE PARTIAL FULFIILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT OF THE
BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS (B. B. A. I. B)
(YEAR 2017-2020)
SUBMITTED BY
BHUMI AGRAWAL
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
PROF. SHILPA KULKARNI
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Completion Certificate
THESIS CERTIFICATE
1. The Research Project entitled “An Assessment of Destination Weddings: The New Vogue” submitted
to Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune for the award of Bachelor of Business
Administration (International Business) is based on my original work carried out under the guidance of
Prof. Shilpa Kulkarni from 1st December, 2019 to 31st March, 2020.
2. The Research Work has not been submitted elsewhere for award of any degree.
3. The material borrowed from other source and incorporated in the project has been duly
acknowledged and/or referenced.
4. I understand that I would be held responsible and accountable for plagiarism, if any, detected later
on.
Date: 14th April, 2020
Signature of Student
Counter signed by
Supervisor BBA (IB) Department Head
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ABSTRACT
Weddings have developed into a central piece of every single culture over the globe. A wedding
is an imperative life event. Each couple needs to ensure that their extraordinary day ends up
being the best it tends to be. Moreover, the world is loaded with trends today. Globalization
keeps on escorting the extension of trends. And one of these is "Destination Weddings". A
destination wedding is a wedding where the engaged couple just as the visitors need to venture
out to a destination away from the neighborhood or hometown to go to the ceremony.
There are wedding organizers accessible these days who will assist you with organizing your
wedding directly from picking a scene, masterminding lodging too the adornments and so forth.
Wedding organizers have been effective in publicizing destination weddings. It is an as of late
created business in the occasion the executives business nonetheless; it has seen a development
pace of approx. 30% consistently.
The purpose of this research is to realize what the individuals see as present and future trends in
wedding planning. The goal of the investigation is to survey the changing wedding trends in
India and over the Globe, an impression of web-based life in building up the trend, the
advertising approaches utilized by the different wedding organizers, economic effects on
wedding destinations and on amplifying small scale businesses of wedding packaging. The study
attempts to seek for the progressions obvious in the Indian weddings regarding ceremonies,
embellishments, venue, food, and so forth.
The study is based on primary data as well as secondary data. Primary data is collected from
wedding planners. A questionnaire was distributed to the top wedding planners across India.
What's more, the hotspot for optional information is research papers and articles on the web.
The result of the research is that Bollywood has been the greatest impact to change the trends in
the wedding. Motion pictures like Ye Jawaani Hai Deewani or big names like Anushka Sharma,
Deepika Padukone, and Sonam Kapoor have been the trailblazers for Destination weddings.
Indian weddings have been changed drastically from an intimate gathering in a wedding hall to a
big fat Indian wedding in the gigantic City Palace of Udaipur. There are new trends in the
wedding like an exotic resort wedding, sundowner wedding, beachside wedding, and much more.
The wedding organizers have been handily advancing the destination wedding on the online life
by posting extra conventionally lovely pictures on the social media platforms. This has indicated
a positive effect on the economies of the spots which are famous destination wedding center
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points, for instance, Jaipur, Udaipur, Goa, etc. Likewise, it has been demonstrated a shelter to the
small scale businesses like confectionaries, packaging, decorators and flower vendors, and so
forth as they have a colossal foundation of clients.
This data will be helpful to a wedding organizer, bride or professional, to make creative, well-
informed wedding decisions. The limitation of the research is less number of respondents. The
data could not be collected in person.
Further studies can be coordinated on each exact trend area to decide progressively express
insights concerning every future pattern at various locations and then comparative analysis of
this data. Additional wedding organizers ought to be reached from abroad to get an increasing
number of respondents. In future researches, wedding planners ought to be conveyed through
meetings or calls, as to obtain more inside and out reactions.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have taken efforts in making of this project. However, I'm it would not have seen light of the
day without the kind support and help of many individuals. I would like to extend my thanks to
all of them.
First and foremost, I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Shilpa
Kulkarni (Research Methodology Faculty), who has helped me right from the selection of topic
till the very end. I am grateful for the guidance and value addition at every stage of the project.
Her wide knowledge and their reasonable ways of thinking have been of great value for me. She
has supported me throughout my research with their patience and knowledge whilst allowing
me the room to work in my own way. She has gone through the pain of going through the
entire project and making correction as and when needed. I attribute the level of my bachelor’s
degree to her encouragement and effort and without her this research, too, would not have
been completed or written. One simply could not wish for better or friendlier supervisor.
I am sincerely grateful to Mrs. Bharti Upadhyaye, the coordinator of BBA IB department for
providing the golden opportunity to work on this project and give us the adequate time to
complete the project will stop working on this project help me to understand this topic much
better.
I also wish to thank all the wedding planners for supporting me by providing valuable
information that would have been difficult to obtain otherwise. Without their support and co-
operation, this study would not have been achievable.
I also thank my family and friends for constant motivation and brilliant ideas throughout the
formulation of the project.
BHUMI AGRAWAL
BBA (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE#
Title Page………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. i
Completion Certificate …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. ii
Summary /Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. iii
Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. v
Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. vi
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… vii
Literature review ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… xi
Research Methodology ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. xx
Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. xxiii
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. xxxii
Limitations ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. xxxiii
References …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. xxxiv
Appendices …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… xxxv
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INTRODUCTION
A wedding is an event that rejoices the union of marriage between two people. A wedding is the
merriment of an era. In India, a wedding is given immense importance in the social life of a
person. Marriage is a kind of social obligation in India. Here the marriage does not only unite a
man and a woman but also two families. These two families are from different backgrounds and
cultures. Marriage is given so much of the significance because the girls leave her home and the
boy gets a whole new responsibility altogether. The wedding is not only a celebration of the love
between two people but also an auspicious start to their journey towards a new life.
According to Coontz (2005), “weddings today are the first chance a couple gets to announce to
the world their chosen joint identity”. The impression of a joint identity inspires the couple to
apply certain widespread trends to exhibit this identity in the most exclusive way possible. Be it
a grand fete for hundreds or a warm gathering of the closed ones, it is a day when the dreams
come true. The purpose of this research is to assess the current and future trends in wedding
planning in India.
The parents save all their life to do a lavish wedding of their children. Weddings in India are
usually not an intimate one. The wedding ceremony in India is generally a feast for hundreds of
people. The relatives, friends, colleagues, business partners, neighbors, people from the same
community and many others are invited to an Indian wedding. There is this prevalent feeling in
India that your wedding should be better than your neighbor’s wedding.
Weddings have become a showcase for India’s middle class of their growing disposable
incomes. This is because even the middle class now wants a savor and feel of elite weddings.
They are spending the best possible after seeing the world around. The reason for this is that their
disposable income has seen a significant rise.
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The wedding ceremonies of Laxmi Mittal and Raveena Tandon changed the entire outlook of
Indian weddings. Earlier, Indian weddings used to be those traditional ones. Only after these two
marriages, destination wedding came into vogue. They have set up a world stage for the
imaginative themed Indian weddings at exotic destinations such as the palaces in Rajasthan.
From a banquet hall to a beachside wedding, the tables turned 360 degrees in terms of Indian
weddings. People are moving towards King and Queen Types of a wedding where the old
palaces and forts of the Indian kings are used for the destination wedding. This is exactly what is
called “A big fat Indian wedding”. This has made the magnificence and charisma of Indian
weddings enticing and enrapturing.
This paper will share findings on the socio-economic changes that have had an impact on the
wedding industry. The change in the Indian wedding rituals owes a lot to the Bollywood which
has been influencing people’s mindset for ages. Couples being influenced by all these societal
factors want their wedding day to be perfect. It has been generally observed that the girls dream
about their wedding day since teenage. To make the dream come true, couples go above and
beyond to keep up with the latest trends. This study will be evaluating the impact of social media
in hyping up the trend of the destination and themed weddings predominant nowadays.
To ensure that they are meeting the societal expectations or going even above the expected
standards, the couples now seek a wedding planner. Wedding planning came up as a business
because of the lack of time with the people to plan and execute their wedding. It has flourished in
recent years. The concept has been incorporated well by many entrepreneurs of today because of
growing market demands, little overhead costs of running such businesses and high profits
guaranteed. This study will also be incorporating the study of how the wedding planners have
been successful in promoting the destinations wedding, the marketing approaches used by them.
A wedding planning business is a part of the fast-rising event management industry. The Indian
wedding market is predicted to reach a market size of INR 45,000 cr by 2020, with a probable
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annual growth rate of 25-30%. And it is still getting bigger and better. Factors such as the growth
of the middle class, a prosperous economy and superstar endorsements – adequately enthused by
social media-induced ambition - have contributed to this growth. According to an estimate in
2013, the size of the live entertainment business was around INR 9.4 billion. The estimated
growth rate of the industry is around 19% CAGR over the next five years which will be
approximately INR 22 billion. Most importantly, this growth is because of augmented marketing
budgets, and an increased emphasis on the prominence of live entertainment, as part of the
publicity spends of corporate. The industry has already displayed its caliber by magnificently
hosting the big fat Indian weddings nationally and internationally over the past few years.
The wedding industry is also the home to certain cottage industries such as packaging ventures,
invitation card makers, florists, confectioners, etc. This is because a wedding planner usually
does not own any of these businesses. He is the one who knows different vendors and gets to you
the one who suits your needs the best. This paper will study the impact of a destination wedding
on a small scale industry such as the packaging industry.
Today’s wedding planners have been not only providing the solution to many of the problems in
wedding planning in a single platter but also marketing some different kinds of weddings.
Wedding planners have been very successful in marketing themed wedding and destination
weddings. They have successfully eliminated the taboo of the traditional wedding culture and got
something extravagant in the menu. A destination wedding is something that is hyped up these
days. A destination wedding is a wedding where the engaged couple, as well as the guests, have
to travel to a destination away from the hometown to attend the ceremony. Many beautiful
locations across the globe seem to be perfect for destination weddings. To name a few, Cinigiano
in Italy, Soufriere in St. Lucia, Payangan in Bali, Paris in France and Negril in Jamaica. These
are amongst the top wedding destinations. In India, there are many beautiful places for
destination weddings as well. Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Goa, Kerela, Lonavala, Shimla,
Rishikesh and Jaisalmer are considered to be the best places for a destination wedding in India.
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This research will be studying the impact of the destination wedding on the economy of the
locations which are popular venues for the destination wedding.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Definition of terms
Wedding- an event that rejoices the blending of marriage amid two people
Wedding planning- the act of scheduling and preparing for an upcoming wedding ceremony
and reception
Bride- an engaged woman who is planning for her wedding presently
Trend- an existing prevalent style or preference
Future trend- a style that will be widespread within the upcoming years
Destination wedding- a wedding where he couple and the invitees travel to a location other than
their hometown for the wedding
For the review of literature, the following databases were utilized: An Assessment of Future
Trends in Wedding Planning by Avery Ruonala, A History, and Analysis of Weddings and
Wedding Planning By Clare Finnell, Wedding Planning and Management services in Delhi by
Sangeeta Jain, "Your Dream" Virtual Wedding Planning System by S.Nithila, D.Madushyani,
W.M.P.S.G.Perera, M.Nivethan, and Gayana Fernando, Wedding planning at its finest by Cassie
Todd and Factors Influencing the demand for Themed Wedding Packages by Sivemalar
Krishnan. Information was also obtained from the websites www.economictimes.com,
www.wikipedia.com, and www.entrepreneur.com. This review of literature is systematized into
the subsequent topic areas: the history of wedding, wedding planners, wedding trends, packaging
ventures, and economic impact on the Destinations.
Wedding History: In Europe, Marriage was a "Marriage by capture" back in the 15th century.
The family members of the bride could come to protest the wedding or to steal the bride so the
members present at the wedding needed to be prepared to protect the bride and groom and also to
fight off the bride's family. The groomsmen were responsible for helping in kidnapping the
bride. Hence they were also called "Bride's Knights". Because of this reason, the best man did
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not use to be the groom's closest friend instead he used to be the most affordable swordsman who
could ensure that the wedding goes on smoothly. Similarly, a tradition that we see today that the
father of the bride walks down the aisle with his daughter had originated at the same time. The
motive was to safely let the bride walk on the way to the groom. There was one more reason
why safety was important as there were chances that some other suitor would try to take the
bride, or she might try to escape.
There were no restrictions on the color of the bridal outfit till the Elizabeth Era. Also, there was
no strict rule of a feast. It could be neighbors providing the feast in a kind of potluck style. A
very interesting point to be noted here that bathing and washing clothes were considered to be
luxury and not everyone could afford it. Hence to cover up the foul smell of the invitees, flowers
were used for decoration. Strong flowers such as fresh rosemary, roses and even garlic stems
were used to add more pleasing cologne to the wedding function.
In the Regency era (1811-1820), a new tradition of wearing white gowns in the wedding was
introduced. This was because white was a very popular color for debutantes that is to make the
first appearance. Other soft colors such as pink or blue were also worn.
Weddings became more comprehensive and decorative in the Victorian era (1837-1901).
Decorations and noteworthy planning became far more rampant and vital to the celebration and
white wedding dresses became more popular after the wedding of Queen Victoria in 1840.
The history of hiring a professional wedding planner can be traced back to the times of Second
World War. This was the time when weddings were more formalized. It is to be noted here that
post World War 2, more women began to work instead of staying at home. This is since, during
the war, all the men were gone fighting in the war. Figures reveal that by the early 1960s, more
married women were in the labor force than at any previous time in American history. Women
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now had lesser time to plan for their wedding. This made them look for someone who can do that
job for them. This could reduce their stress to a great extent.
Though there is no solid documentation to trace the exact beginning of wedding planning as a
business, it can be said that during the medieval times when weddings became more multifaceted
and a social occasion rather than a modest ceremony and meal, wedding planning became a
genuine carrier.
The Indian wedding is entirely different than that of an American or European wedding. Indian
weddings are comprised of various rituals that are prescribed in the Gruhya sutra composed by
various rishis. The Indian wedding is a vedic yajna. It comprises of three universal rituals namely
Kanyadaan, Panigrahana, and Saptapadi—which means giving away of his daughter by the
father, voluntarily holding hands near the fire to signify union, and taking seven 'steps before
fire' respectively. However, the pre and post-wedding rituals vary significantly from region to
region. The only common thing is taking the seven vows in presence of the fire. The Indian
wedding is influenced to a very great level by the foreign weddings nowadays. Inclusion of
bachelor party, pre wedding photoshoot and musical nights are some new add-ons to the Indian
weddings.
Wedding planners: The romantic view of a wedding was not the way it was earlier. Earlier,
wedding was given importance because of its economic aspect. For family and economic
benefits, marriages were made hoping that the consequences will be love. That is why arranged
marriages were more popular than love marriages. The trend of a love marriage is popularized in
recent periods.
As the aspect of personal satisfaction is now attached to the weddings, couples are more excited
to make the fantasy of their dream wedding come true. This very reason exaggerates the
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lavishness of the wedding and the amount spent on such a wedding is significantly more than a
normal wedding. Couples will go above and beyond to make their wedding perfect. But the
question arises that how are they supposed to make it so perfect? These days social outlooks
have set very high wedding standards. The trends in the wedding change every year. Trends in
weddings can vary from simple style trends to wider logistics trends. The simple style trends
referred to here relates to wedding colors, themes, floral arrangements, and beauty styles. They
have nowadays become the center staged trends. These popular trends can appear to be the most
important for a bride, but the wider trends are just as significant to study when planning a
wedding. Trends like the budget agreed and venue location can greatly impact the verdicts made
concerning the wedding planning. These trends influence the dream wedding. To keep up with
these trends, the couple looks for a wedding planner.
A wedding planner knows the best way to take care of everything in a wedding. He knows the
subjects to be addressed in a specific type of wedding. In short, he is personally conversant with
weddings. He knows which vendors to use and which ones to elude. The most important service
they provide is Time. Using a wedding planner is the only way to handle everything with the
least hassle along with making sure that one meets all the traditional prospects of a wedding.
Why is it that in the past couples could do all the planning by themselves, but now they are
hiring someone to do it for you? What has changed? Is it ever feasible or desirable to do it
yourself or with the help of others and still have a "successful" and enjoyable wedding?
The answer is that the life of the people in today's era is full of hustle. People nowadays have no
time even for the important stuff of their life. They have switched to online shopping because of
a lack of time to actually go and buy the outfit that you are going to wear for the entire day. So
many important tasks of our life have become automated just because of shortage of something
called "time". In such era, people can't plan their dream wedding. There are thousands of things
to be taken care of when you plan a wedding. Missing out on any of them is not an option.
Hence, people go for hiring a wedding planner. A wedding planner can carry the load of
managing the caterers, the photographer, and musicians and so on off your hands. While this
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may sound exciting now, it will be realized that these were some really critical issues as your
wedding day will approach; because that is the period, when your time can be at a premium.
Magazines, television, billboards, all are quickly rising with bridal news. In 2011, Kim
Kardashian's, a reality star and fashion icon, a million-dollar wedding was the talk of the year,
and just before that Kate Middleton and Prince William's wedding was all over the news across
the world. Social media is exalting weddings when in fact they are full of planning, stress, and
chaos. As a planner, it is the aim and obligation to turn dreams into certainties and to generate
ideas and bring it for them to life. The cumulative costs of weddings and new trends in weddings
all are reasons that a wedding planner is a necessity to help save and release stress that comes
with such an unforgettable event.
The latest trend in the Indian wedding industry is to hire wedding party coordinators to take care
of the entire wedding event. The reason is that the Indian couple wants a perfectly planned and
performed wedding ceremony. Though the major customer segment of this industry generally
plans everything well in advance, they sometimes realize that they cannot make a cost-effective
decision. The customers hence see for some professional advice to make sure that the important
aspects of the wedding meet the perceived expectations which are strongly affected by social
values.
Wedding Trends: According to Winikka and Ma, themes namely "homestead elegance" and
"dinner party chic" were popular in the year 2013. Here, the focus was more on outdoor
weddings. It combined the natural details outdoor with the graceful and classy elements which
create an exclusive diverse theme that can be seen within all of the evolving trends. This was the
time when more attention was given to the neutral color palette or the pastel shades of color. The
themes constituted of more lush, romantic floral arrangements. This also influenced bridal beauty
styles. These were the smaller trends that affect a wedding but some broader trends can become a
limiting factor when planning a wedding. One of those is the budget allotted to that particular
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wedding. The budget is measured in every choice about the wedding and regulates how huge and
extravagant or modest and trivial the wedding must be. According to the U.S. bridal industry, the
average couple had a $26,989 wedding in the year 2012. Currie mentioned that "many families
save for years and spend significant amounts on wedding clothing and receptions, even though
the event itself is short-lived". According to Daniels, Lee, & Cohen, the planning period is
considered to be a period of irresistible enthusiasm throughout which couples are much more
likely to overlook their concerns and worries and go on a wedding planning spending binge.
However, the 2007 recession made many couples to tighten their budget. According to the
Wedding Report by McMurray in 2010, the expenditure on weddings declined by almost 23% in
the year 2003-04. Though the amount spent on weddings have now increased if compared to the
past, couples nowadays are leaning towards more strict and mindful of their overall wedding-
related expenditures. To stay within the limits, the couples are focusing on the wedding planning
process by spending more time into it to assure that there is not any extra spending. The new
wedding trends are helping couples to discover a cost-effective way to make their wedding
special.
The next limiting factor to a wedding is the Venue. Venues are given significance because their
atmosphere is linked to the memories of the wedding forever. Venues are usually the very first
decision made in the wedding planning process. Venues are generally of two types: Traditional
or Modern. Traditional ones are the historical monuments, museums or palaces whereas the
modern ones are the country clubs, beach sides, resorts, etc. Nowadays, wedding themes decide
the venue for the wedding. This has made the destination weddings so popular in recent years.
According to Daniels & Loveless, Destination weddings are weddings that are held in a location
that the couple does not reside in, often in an exotic or popular tourism destination. Even though
these theme and destination weddings are rising in fame, many couples incline to choose to hold
their weddings at more traditional or all-inclusive sites than to follow the widespread
inclinations.
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Martha Stewart proposes useful and easy methods to save on a wedding venue. Initially,
choosing a date can be complicated. Numerous venues have their own high and low season. Not
only selecting a particular month will help fight high costs, but also picking up a, unlike day out
of the week. The most shared day to tie the knot is Saturday; however, a Thursday or Friday may
cut the venue cost by 20%. Backyard weddings are nowadays more noticeable through the
media. Choose a friend or family member who has an overgenerous backyard to marry. Christian
Slater's, a famous actor, an upcoming wedding will be in his private backyard. Further celebrities
include Kendra Wilkinson, a previous playmate, who was wedded in the front yard at the
Playboy mansion. While these examples comprised more excessive price tags, it demonstrates
that backyard weddings are a trend.
Packaging ventures: An example of a small scale packaging venture which got boom because of
the destination wedding and wedding planners is "Nimantran". It is owned by Manju Agrawal,
who started a small shop of invitation cards and planning décor from the handmade paper her
husband exported in Patel Nagar, Delhi in 2006. Her first-year turnover was Rs. 3.5 lakhs. Her
business flourished with the wedding exhibition "Vivah" held in the Taj Palace hotel in Delhi
where she got business from a wedding planner from Bangkok. Soon she turned her store into a
showroom. Her customer base grew to 600 in 6 years which also consists of some big names like
Jindals and Dhoots. Currently, she employs 30 people.
Economic impact on the Destinations: Indian hospitality has encouraged the destination wedding
industry to a very large extent. And these destination weddings are redefining the Indian
wedding culture which is very popular for lavishness, customs, and traditions spread over
numerous days. This trend of a destination wedding is originally not an Indian concept.
However, its percolation into the globetrotting Indian millennia's culture was foreseeable. The
concept of wedding halls is no longer fashionable. The perfect, fairy tale setting is something
which is in vogue. The wedding planners, banquet organizers, wedding apparel designers, etc.
have received a sudden, strong and positive effect because of the destination weddings.
However, the biggest beneficiary will be the hospitality sector.
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The amount spent on weddings in India is almost one-third of the savings of the people. Fed on a
stable social and even mainstream media diet of luxurious celebrity weddings, Indian millennials
are more than enthusiastic to invest in 'curated weddings' and will choose the most unusual and
exotic milieus they can afford to celebrate their big day. Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala, and
Uttarakhand are few of the most preferred locations. Rajasthan is chosen for a royal wedding
because of its palaces and forts, Goa and Kerala are popular for an ideal beach wedding while
Uttarakhand is for the nature lovers as it has the most remarkable mountain backdrops. These
options are also used by couples from other countries. This is not only because of the location
but also because India is comparatively affordable in terms of air travel and accommodations.
Following is a table showing the average cost of luxury properties rent for a day:
Popular Beach Destinations
Avg. Daily Rate (ADR) for Luxury Properties in INR
Goa
16,000 - 19,000
Kovalam
10,000 - 12,000
Kochi
9,000 - 11,000
Popular Royal Destinations
Avg. Daily Rate (ADR) for Luxury Properties in INR
Jaipur
34,000 - 39000
Udaipur
27,000 - 37,000
Jodhpur
38,000 - 42,000
Popular Mountain Destinations
Avg. Daily Rate (ADR) for Luxury Properties in INR
Mussoorie
12000 - 18000
The Indian hospitality industry has been on an upswing for the last few years. The intensifying
taste for destination weddings is indisputably a boon for the Indian hospitality industry. The
Indian hotel industry has seen a growth in the revenue per available room of 9.6% in the year
2017 which arrives at a total of Rs. 3927 RevPAR. Because the demand was outperforming the
supply, the growth saw a slight reduction with 9.5% in the year 2019. The data indicates that the
period of 2014 to 2018 had witnessed an increase in transaction volumes of approximately INR
64.4 billion where the previous peak being in 2015 at about INR 19.9 billion. The amplified
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growth of the hospitality sector is because of government subsidies and schemes to push the
hotel construction and tourism. However, the last few years have also been volatile due to an
excess of hotel rooms and rivalry from new brands and shared economy models. The Indian
hospitality industry can have an important game-changer if the wedding tourism and destination
weddings are promoted skillfully in this mixed market situation. We can already see the positive
impact of the worldwide promotions of India's globally representative locations. With the
addition of almost 1282 keys in the year2018 alone, Jaipur has seen an increase in the room
supply. Rajasthan is the most prevalent destination for hosting a royal-themed wedding in India.
Surely, Goa has been no straggler either as it saw the major signing of keys in 2018 at 2209 keys.
This even outpaced Bangalore with a margin of 192 keys. The sturdy rise in supply will be a
solid improvement for Goa, one of the most desirable destination wedding hotspots in India.
The key to the success of destination weddings in the future is Personalization or customization.
The new couples have been demanding some newer locations like waterfront properties with
helipads and pillar-less ballrooms or ancient forts that delivers an even bigger historic touch to
the 'royal wedding' philosophy. Apart from the popular locations of Rajasthan, Goa, etc. many
offbeat venues like Mahabalipuram and the Andaman Islands are also finding courtesy.
Mussoorie and Simla provide a tranquil, hilly and even Colonial Era background to destination
weddings. A perfect setting for memorable pictures and drone footage to share on the social
media platforms will always be the primary criterion for all destination weddings.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research is a quasi-type research which is a combination of both exploratory research and
secondary research. It consists of primary data as well as secondary data.
The base review of the research was made from various research papers on wedding history,
management, trends, etc. The references of these papers can be found in the bibliography.
Based on the above research, this study attempted to answer the following Research Questions:
1. Which are the popular locations for destination wedding in India?
2. How much amount is spent on a wedding in India?
3. What kinds of locations are preferable?
4. What do wedding planners see as current and future trends in wedding planning?
Following Assumptions are made:
All survey participants were professional wedding planners in the wedding industry.
All subjects utilized their professional knowledge and answered survey questions to
the best of their ability.
Scope of Study: The subject of thee study were from all over the India. Hence, the scope of study
is India.
Description of Subjects
A questionnaire was distributed to professional wedding planners throughout India. The
wedding planners for this survey were found by searching online on Google. Google was
chosen because it provides lists of professional wedding planners throughout the nation along
with their contact number, email id and website. The subjects for this study were
approximately 116 participants. Out of which 29 subjects responded to the questionnaire. This
shows an approximate response of 25%.
Description of Instrument
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The instrument used for this study was a 13-item questionnaire that was created by the
researcher and distributed using email. The instrument was created on Google forms as an
online questionnaire. A copy of the instrument can be found in Appendix A.
The instrument contained both close-ended and open-ended questions. The initial items on the
questionnaire asked demographic questions regarding the subject’s place of business, the amount
of time they have worked in the wedding industry. The next items covered the possible future
trends in the wedding industry, specifically location/venue trends, décor trends, and wedding
theme trends. The parameters of these questions were that trends means bold colors, photo
booths, signature cocktails, and live bands, etc. locations are in context to palaces, museums,
wineries, private estates, gardens, beach sides, resorts, banquet halls, etc. decorations articles
relates to the use of lightings, antiques, tables, candles, etc. and decoration themes such as
vintage, modern, glamorous, etc.
Description of Procedures
The emailed of the professional wedding planners was extracted from Google search engine
on 17th March, 2020. The professional wedding planners found on these sites were then
contacted through email and asked to participate in a research study on future trends in the
wedding industry. A copy of this first email can be found in Appendix B. Planners were
emailed a link to the questionnaire on Google forms. A copy of the questionnaire email can be
found in Appendix D. In order to increase the number of respondents, the wedding planners
were also contacted through their social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook. After
three weeks, data submitted on Google form was downloaded to an Excel spreadsheet.
Method of Data Analysis
The initial items on the instrument were designed to qualify whether the chosen wedding
planner was valid as a subject and establish the planner’s qualifications. Validity was
established if the subject had enough experience in the wedding industry to be able to
understand and determine current and futures wedding trends. Next items were designed to
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determine the current and the future trends in the wedding industry.
The item on the questionnaire answered a research question. The first research question
asked was about the popular locations for destination wedding in India. This question was
addressed by asking where the subject has successfully organized destination weddings.
Answers were compiled and analyzed to determine the popular destinations in India.
The next research question asked the amount spent on weddings in India. The research
question was answered by asking wedding planners how much is the money spent on a
normal wedding and on specifically on a destination wedding in their experience. A line
graph was made where the city mentioned in the above question was taken on the X-axis
and Y-axis showed the amount spent. Two lines to show the expenditure on a normal
wedding and on a destination wedding were used respectively.
The next research question asked was the kinds of preferable locations. The research
question was answered by asking wedding planners to rank the choices of the kinds of
location given. Five popular kinds of location were provided namely Beach sides, palaces
and historical monuments, resorts, banquet halls and hotels.
The last research question asked what wedding planners see as current and future wedding
trends. In order to address this research question, the subjects were asked questions on
various prevailing wedding trends such as use of flowers for jewelry and decoration, color
of bridal outfit, articles used for decorations, etc. An open ended question was asked about
the other emerging wedding trends. A pie chart was made out of these to know what things
have got the most preferences.
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RESEARCH ANALYSIS
The data is collected from two sources. One is primary source and the other one is secondary
source. The analysis is hence divided into two parts respectively.
PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS
The primary data is collected by distributing a questionnaire to the wedding planners across
India. The objective is to know the recent trends in the wedding planning industry.
Total number of wedding planners in India exceeds 150. Therefore the population size is more
than 150. However, the total respondents of the questionnaire were 29.
Hence, sample size .
Question: In which city do you mainly run your business from?
Hypothesis:
HO: The wedding planners run their business in tier 1 cities.
HA: The wedding planners run their business in tier 2 cities.
Response:
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Interpretation:
Out of the total tier 1 cities in India, wedding planners run their business in Bangalore, Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata and Pune. The total share of respondents working in these cities in my data is
54%. Rest of the cities voted by the respondents are all the tier 2 cities. Hence, tier 1 cities are
more than the tier 2 cities.
Also, the wedding planner’s work locations are spread across various cities. Not all of these
cities are popular locations for destination weddings. To name a few, Nashik, Bangalore, surat,
etc. are not so popular as wedding destinations. Hence, it can be interpreted that the wedding
planners can arrange a destination wedding in a city apart from their work location as well. It is
obvious that internet and globalization has made this possible for the planners.
Conclusion: Null hypothesis is accepted. Alternate hypothesis is rejected.
Bangalore
4%
Patna
4%
Delhi
7%
Goa
3%
Jaipur
10%
Mumbai
10%
Saputara
3%
Kolkata
3%
Pune
27%
Surat
23%
NASHIK
3%
Shanghai
3%
Work location of Wedding planners
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Question: What makes you do business in the destination wedding industry?
Hypothesis:
HO: Destination wedding planning business is a profitable business.
HA: Destination wedding planning business is not a profitable business.
Response:
Interpretation:
The wedding planners were asked to give out the reason why they opted to do a business in this
wedding planning industry. It was found that customer preference has received the maximum
number of votes which is 65%. The second reason which received the highest votes after
customer preference was that the business is more profitable. Out of 29 respondents, 13 have
voted for the business to be profitable. After this, 17% respondents voted that planning a
destination wedding is easier than the non-destination wedding. And lastly, other reasons like
destination wedding requires less investment, it is a latest international wedding trend or it is
high in demand have received the least number of votes.
Conclusion: The major reason for doing this business is customer preference. Null hypothesis is
rejected. Alternate hypothesis is accepted.
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Question: The next question was about the places where the planners have successfully
organized a destination wedding followed by two questions asking about the amount spent on a
normal wedding and on specifically on destination weddings at those locations.
Hypothesis:
HO: Amount spent on destination wedding is higher than the amount spent on a normal wedding.
HA: Amount spent on destination wedding is lower than the amount spent on a normal wedding.
Response:
Interpretation:
Above is a chart showing the amount spent on a normal wedding and specifically on a
destination wedding in the cities where the respondents have successfully organized a destination
wedding. The X-axis shows the cities. The Y-axis shows the amount spent. The blue line depicts
the amount spent on a normal wedding whereas the red line portrays the amount spent on a
destination wedding. It can be clearly seen from the graph that the amount spent on destination
wedding has been always higher than the amount spent on a normal wedding in any given city.
0
1000000
2000000
3000000
4000000
5000000
6000000
Agra
Ahmedabad
Alibagh
Chennai
Goa
Hyderabad
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Kerela
Koh samui Thailand
Lavasa
Mahabaleshwar
Mangalore
Mysore
Nagpur
Nashik
Pondicherry
Saputara
Shimla
Silvasa
Surat
Udaipur
Expense on a normal weddingg
Expense on a destination wedding
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The reason is very simple that when it’s a destination wedding, the expense of travel and
accommodation is additional which is not present in a normal wedding.
Conclusion: Null hypothesis is accepted. Alternate hypothesis is rejected.
Question: In the next question, the respondents were asked to rank the kinds of location a new
couple prefer.
For this question, the respondents were given five options which are Beach sides, palaces and
historical monuments, resorts, banquet halls and hotels.
Response:
Interpretation:
The above bar diagram shows that the first preference for a couple has generally been a beach
side wedding. For the second preference, the maximum votes are received by Resorts. There was
a neutral voting for the third preference. However, Palaces and historical monuments are slightly
higher than the other locations. Banquet halls have received the maximum votes for the fourth
preference as well as for the fifth preference. This shows that hotels are chosen the least for a
destination wedding. Hence, the wedding halls or hotels are out of fashion now.
Question: Which articles are most used for decoration?
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Response:
Interpretation: It can be seen that cities which are popular for the beach side weddings like
Albagh, Goa, Kerela, Koh samui, Managlore, and Pondicherry have received the maximum votes
for the use of flower vase as a decorative articles. Cities like Agra, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jodhpur,
Mysore and Udaipur which are famous for the historical monuments and palaces have shown a
preference for traditional pots and antiques to be used for decoration. And lastly the cities which
are widespread hill stations have a favor for the flower vases. Hence, the most preferred and
trending decorative article is the flower vase.
Findings from the questionnaire:
To know more about the recent trends in the destination wedding, the wedding planners were
asked some questions regarding the same. Following are the charts showing the responses of the
wedding planners:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Votes for different decoration articles
Antiques
Candles
Flower vase
Traditional Pots (Matki)
Others
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1. Preference for the kind of marriage- modern or traditional:
2. Increasing use of flowers for jewelry and decorations:
3. Are the millennial opting for an outdoor wedding:
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4. Trending color for the bridal outfit:
It is clear that the new couples are going above and beyond to keep up their wedding day with
the latest trends. Modern style of wedding where western influences like a bar, an orchestra or a
musical night are preferred is more in vogue. These weddings are generally preferred outdoor.
Outdoor wedding have pastel color palate for decorations and theme. Hence more flowers
decoration can be seen in such weddings. Nowadays, it has been a trend to wear floral jewelry
for the haldi or mehandi function amongst the new brides. But still, when it will come to their big
day, they are still not moving on from the prevalent red lehenga for the ultimate bridal outfit.
This shows a tint of traditional culture amidst the modern weddings.
SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS
When the wedding planners’ website was opened to get their contact information, one very
important thing to be noticed was that their entire website was in pastel colors. The fonts used
were all cursive and it overall looked no less than a beautiful wedding invitation.
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To know more about the reason behind the hyping up of destination weddings, the social media
platforms of the wedding planners was analyzed. This was to assess the marketing approaches
used by them. The social media platform used was Instagram.
Weddinz.in is an Instagram account of a destination wedding planner who has 1.5 million
followers on Instagram. They post everything about a wedding they plan. Their total posts are
more than 7000. They will post the video of the bride’s entry, the pre wedding photo shoots of
their customers, bridal outfit and jewelry trends, mandapa decoration ideas, and even the best
sangeet performances. The best thing about their posts is that they will start the caption with an
interesting quote and then provide all the necessary details about the post. This makes them
stand out as compared to the other wedding planners.
Another top wedding planner of India is wedmegood. They have got 1 million followers and
have posted 8567 posts on Instagram. They have tried to make their Instagram account
interactive with the customers. Amidst the covid-19 outbreak, they have been posting memes on
their page to keep their customers joyous. Something innovative about their posts was that they
have written the direct words of the bride or the couple as the caption to their posts which gives a
personal touch to the followers.
It is clear from the above discussion that the wedding planners have hired a very professional
photographer who will click each and every minute details of the wedding varying from an
article’s decoration to the bride’s entry. These pictures then become a tool for them to advertise
on all the social media available. There are numerous other wedding planners on the social media
who are trying to attract customers in various innovative ways. They have been posting all about
their facilities and what not. One more very interesting thing noticed was that they make
immense use of hashtags to seek out more new clients. Images and posts with a specific hashtag
get searched together. For sure it can be said that social media has been a big platform for the
wedding planners to advertise and attract new customers.
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CONCLUSION
Hiring a wedding planner is something very recent. The wedding planning business comes under
the event management and hospitality industry. According to the statistics, the business has a
growth rate of approximately 30% every year. More number of hotels is being established
because of destination weddings in the cities which are a popular destination wedding hub for
example Jaipur. Some of the very popular destinations are Udaipur, Goa, Kerela, Masoorie, etc.
The old palaces and forts of Rajasthan are all turned into destination wedding venues by big
hotel chain owners. Their revenue is contributing by almost 20% to the Rajasthan government.
India has seen a mixed preference in the sense that both the traditional and the modern weddings
are in vogue. A royal wedding in the city palace of Udaipur or a super cool wedding at the Grand
Hyatt in Goa, both are in demand. There are numerous wedding planners in India who do the
business of planning the entire wedding right from selection of the venue, coordination various
vendors, sangeet preparation, photo shoots to decoration of the entire wedding like a fairy tale
where the dreams come true. Because of the advancement of technology, it has been possible for
them to arrange wedding in a city other than their work location. This business has been an
advantage to numerous small scale industries like invitation card making, florists,
confectionaries, and packaging. There are housewives in the state of Rajasthan and Gujarat who
are very skilled in packing the small articles used in wedding. Their collaboration with the giant
wedding planners has been a boom to them. Also, the destination wedding industry has
contributed to the tourism of that state as well because many foreign tourists are now coming to
India to do a destination wedding in the royal Indian style. The wedding planners have
mentioned some interesting trends prevalent in the industry nowadays. They have mentioned that
“People are more concerned about decor part more than catering part. Catering is also most
important part but new bloods are more concerned about lavish decor and entertainment part.”
Some unique kinds of wedding popular nowadays are an afternoon outdoor ceremony, cocktail
weddings, sundowner weddings, Eco-friendly weddings, etc. Other ubiquitous trends are Exotic
Pre-Wedding shoots, special candid videos by bridesmaids and best men, Flash mobs, designer
Wedding Outfits (Celebrity inspired), recorded instrumental music, etc. The use of Chandeliers,
Floral backdrops, Photo booths, etc. for decoration is also in fashion.
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To sum up, I would like to say that the destination wedding industry is growing bigger and better
day by day. This is something which will probably never go out of business because a wedding is
such a big thing in India. People save and plan for this day for years. They always try to make
their wedding the best by hook or by crook.
LIMITATION
The limitation of this research is that because of the corona virus outbreak, it was not possible to
connect to the wedding planners in person. Even the small scale packaging ventures couldn’t be
contacted. E-mail was sent to the wedding planners but because of the pandemic, only 25% of
the total subjects had responded. Because of the situational limitation, firsthand information
could not be collected from the customers to a greater level.
FUTURE
Further studies can be directed on each precise trend area in order to determine more explicit
details about each future trend. More wedding planners should be contacted from abroad in order
to get more number of respondents. In future studies, wedding planners should be communicated
through interviews or phone calls, as to acquire more in depth responses.
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REFERNCES
WORKS SITED
An Assessment of Future Trends in Wedding Planning by Avery Ruonala, retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304162722_AN_ASSESSMENT_OF_FUTURE_TRENDS
_IN_WEDDING_PLANNING
A History, and Analysis of Weddings and Wedding Planning By Clare Finnell, retrieved from
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=student_scholarshi
p
Wedding Planning and Management services in Delhi by Sangeeta Jain, retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net
"Your Dream" Virtual Wedding Planning System by S.Nithila, D.Madushyani,
W.M.P.S.G.Perera, M.Nivethan, and Gayana Fernando, retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/7915194/_Your_Dream_Virtual_Wedding_Planning_System
Wedding planning at its finest by Cassie Todd, retrieved from https://www.academia.edu
Factors Influencing the demand for Themed Wedding Packages by Sivemalar Krishnan,
retrieved from https://unitec.researchbank.ac.nz/handle/10652/1255
www.economictimes.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.entrepreneur.com
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APPENDIXES
Appendix-A
QUESTIONNAIRE
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Appendix-B
EMAIL SENT TO THE RESPONDENTS
Subject: Experts Inputs Needed: Why Destination Wedding?
Body:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Hope you are doing good & are best of your health.
I am Bhumi Agrawal, a student of International Business Management, BMCC, Pune.
I am currently working on an interesting subject which is a part of my Graduation Project and i
seek your support and guidance to complete the study.
Topic: Destination Wedding: The new vogue
Please help me to know the recent trends in destination wedding by filling up a very small
questionnaire attached in this email.
I am collating this information from best 100 wedding planners to get correct inputs and facts
from the industry experts.
i will share the final analysis with you for your reference & usage. so requesting you to fill in the
details in below form (google doc link).
Questionnaire Link:
https://forms.gle/bcHZReAFhJTfXnpm9
You can connect me if any more details needed from my side.
Thanks & Regards,
Bhumi Agrawal
Student - BMCC Pune
Contact: 84888043795
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Appendix-C
RESPONDENSES
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