India’s wedding industry has never had a shortage of scale. What it has often lacked is structure. From destination celebrations and luxury hospitality to jewellery, fashion, photography, décor, food and beverage, the modern Indian wedding brings together an unusually wide range of businesses. Yet, despite the size of the market, many of these sectors continue to operate in relatively separate circles, connected largely through personal networks, referrals and years of accumulated relationships.
Because the people responsible for executing a wedding often work behind the scenes, that recognition matters. A high-end celebration can therefore function almost like a temporary ecosystem of businesses, with each participant influencing the experience delivered to the client.
What was missing was a platform that celebrated the people behind that artistry with the same seriousness the industry deserves,” says Prateek Tandon, Co-Founder of India’s Best Wedding Makers (IBWM). Hospitality, travel, jewellery, photography, fashion, food and beverage and a whole range of creative businesses are part of the experience,” Tandon says, adding, “When these communities connect, there is an opportunity for everyone to understand the industry better and identify new ways of working together. “Indian weddings have always been extraordinary, rich in tradition, detail and emotion. A planner may coordinate hundreds of moving parts, while designers, photographers, caterers, jewellers, hospitality teams and travel specialists each contribute to the final experience. “The wedding value chain is much larger than just planners and designers. Ours is a platform that brings together wedding professionals through its conclave, recognition initiatives such as the IBWM Honours and knowledge-sharing formats, while also documenting work through The Great Indian Wedding Book. ” This interconnectedness is particularly relevant as weddings increasingly overlap with other luxury sectors. A destination wedding, for instance, can involve hotels, airlines, tourism boards, designers, beauty professionals, entertainment companies and local artisans.
The next stage of India’s wedding boom, therefore, may not be defined by extravagance alone. It could be defined by professionalisation – by an industry that knows how to identify its best practitioners, share its collective knowledge and create stronger commercial relationships.