At one level, it’s a matter of semantics. Indians often use the terms Wedding and Marriage interchangeably. The former is a one-day event. The latter, if all goes well, is a lifelong partnership. What guests attend is the wedding, what the couple commits to is the marriage.
On another level, Indian weddings are so huge, so all-consuming, so pressuring, it’s hard not to be swept up in the excitement of that one big day. The wedding industry in India is worth $75 billion or ₹6.2 lakh crore; each wedding has, on average, 310 guests, according to a report by WedMeGood. Prep, if you include fitness training, trips to the dermatologist, proposal videos, engagement parties, trousseau curation, and pre-wedding photo shoots, can start 18 months in advance.
Now, consider how much a couple preps for the marriage, and the shiny numbers dim. No wonder, as Sima Aunty puts it on Indian Matchmaking, “marriages are breaking like biscuits”.
This story is from the March 09, 2024 edition of Brunch.
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This story is from the March 09, 2024 edition of Brunch.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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