The wedding season in India is in full swing. The goliath wedding market in this country is estimated to be worth around $50 billion—which is a whopping Rs 33,000 crores. We are the second largest player after the US. And to top it all, we have a premium growth rate of 20% a year in this sector.
The wedding planners have started gearing up for the upcoming prime-time moment, for India’s opulent and mammoth wedding season has begun. The designers, jewellers, wedding card designers, stylists and make-up artists, as well as others involved are all set for the band-baaja extravaganza.
When it comes to bridal or wedding couture, the big shots of northern India, like Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi, Surekha Jain, Rohit Bal etc., are all dedicated and serious players. This is one of the reasons why they attained expertise in Indian wedding couture.
Surekha Jain of the famed Emporio Surekha Jain store in Delhi said, “Indian bridal couture has come a long way. For me, the evolution of the past decade has been inspiring. Today’s bride wants a bespoke outfit that reflects who she is… She is happy to show off beautiful, intricate traditional embroideries as long as they have been fashioned to look contemporary. So, bridal couture collections have become very exotic and very versatile.”
Designer Shantanu, of Shantanu & Nikhil, said about the Indian groom: “The Indian male has evolved in the last decade and a half. Innovation is the key. In the past, it was only about the regular black-tie looks for a wedding and frankly, only about the bride. Though today, there is a huge shift to the Indian groom. The traditional kurta pyjama is no longer hip or relevant.”
So it’s apparent that the Indian alpha male also wants a dosage of innovation in the traditional achkaan-and Nehru-jacket look. “It’s about gender fluidity and emotion of the coming together of a man and woman. Thus colour palettes, with a little touch of sex appeal co-relate, to a man or a woman” explained Shantanu.
But one of the most intriguing multi-dimensional aspects of the modern bride and groom is the epic wave, and the onslaught of social media. Designers now understand how the modern bride has evolved and desires elegant and sophisticated
attire.