Younger Couples Most Likely to Opt Out of Pre-Wedding Events, Finds Survey on Wedding Planning

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | December 21, 2020 | News

WeddingWire India #ShaadiKiTaiyari

Wedding technology app WeddingWire India, part of The Knot Worldwide, recently launched the India Wedding Market Consumer Survey by reaching out to consumers, especially millennials, to understand their views on wedding planning and its challenges.

It was part of the Karo #ShaadiKiTaiyari campaign.

Apart from understanding the challenges faced by couples in general, the survey also did a deep-dive into the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wedding industry and consumer decisions as many couples cancelled or postponed their weddings or cut down on the size and scope of the events. They were further discouraged by uncertainty surrounding availability of dates, venues, health and safety protocols, and constantly changing Government guidelines, the survey found. The India Wedding Market Consumer Survey is based on data collected from 700 urban Indian millennials segmented by age, wedding timing, gender, region, and annual household income.  

Some key findings of the survey are:

Wedding planning in India still remains a family event

In India, wedding planning is primarily a family event with over 80% of the couples preferring to consult with their parents before arriving at a final decision. This, of course, varies with the age bracket as roughly 63% of the respondents between the ages of 18 and 24 are less likely to make decisions on their own, as compared to 81% of the 25-to-34-year-olds, and 89% of the 35+-year-olds.

Planning for big fat Indian weddings begins 6 months earlier

Usually, wedding planning in India begins at least six months before the actual ceremony (and even longer for a destination wedding) and is not limited to a one-day celebration as it is a multi-event including pre-wedding rituals such as the mehndi, haldi, sangeet and other functions. Planning for a wedding in India means the main ceremony and reception, which takes the most time as hosts have to cater to large groups of 250 to 750 guests on an average, whereas pre-wedding events are hosted for a 'smaller' set of up to 250 guests.

Younger couples look to streamline wedding festivities

Younger and also low-income couples are now open to and most likely to opt out of pre-wedding events. If in case they do wish to host them, to keep up with tradition, they would prefer hosting them at their or friend's homes with an extremely small and select guest list. However, when it comes to the main wedding ceremony, there is no chance of reducing the guest list.

Most couples in India do not know where to start

While some couples know exactly what they want, nearly 84% of the respondents said they are usually lost and need to conduct thorough research on wedding venues and vendors and do not know where to start. About 58% end up scrolling through social media, 49% get deep into Internet searches, and 49% reach out to wedding-specific sites. Couples tend to use social media for inspirational ideas and trends while vendor-related activity is more commonly done through Internet searches.

Search for vendors starts even before the engagement

Most couples begin their search for vendors for their wedding as soon as they are engaged or have their ‘roka’, or even earlier. Sometimes, this is even before they have a date in mind. Most services are booked a minimum of three months before the wedding, some vendors such as the venues (39%), planners (37%), and caterers or bar services (34%) are likely to be hired much earlier, around four-six months before the wedding.

Wedding decorators are first to be hired

Most couples (58%) hire wedding decorators first, while an equally large group (58%) prefers booking the venues and bridal wear is preferred by 57%. This is usually followed by wedding invitations (49%) and caterers or bar services (49%).

Venues that rule the wedding scene

An average of 18% of the wedding ceremonies and 15% of the receptions in India are hosted in marriage gardens, followed by banquet halls (15% of wedding ceremonies and 13% of receptions), or other paid venues.

Most 2020 weddings either went leaner or were postponed

More than 41% of couples initially planning to get married after March, 2020, had altered their plans in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions. About 27% postponed it to a later date in 2020, 23% pushed it to 2021, while 44% decided to have smaller intimate celebrations on their original dates and maybe have a larger celebration at a later date when possible.

Pandemic saw wedding budgets drop by at least 26%

Like all industries, the Indian wedding industry has been massively impacted due to COVID-19. With weddings either getting postponed or trimming down leading to lower budgets, the business has been hit. A quarter of the couples with wedding dates planned after March 2020 reported a budget reduction of at least 26% and another quarter (25%) have gone for an even bigger reduction in budget of up to 49%.