Am a big believer in big fat weddings....lots of functions, bright mornings, colorful and musical evenings....lots of rituals, etc. etc. No...am not a romantic! Far from it....sheeeesh, man! My reason for the fondness stems from the moolah Indian weddings create/rotate in the economy...that's how most of us earn our living!
Don't agree? Are you one of those who believe in frugal weddings and lavish international honeymoons? Ok then....Imagine this..
Indians have stopped having lavish weddings as a general rule. So, when it comes to clothes, the families of the bride and the groom don't pull out all stops in their purchases. Since wedding purchases form a significantly considerable chunk of the sarees and suits industry, it means there will be no spikes in the yearly sales, which is the case right now for approximately half the year.
Indians are also used to renovating their houses during weddings. Wedding is an event to show-off and make impressions and the bride's family judges the groom's family's Haisiyat by the show of the house (vice-versa is also true in some cases, but mostly, the girl's family will be critical in judging the guy's house as an indicator of his wealth as they feel it is a significant indicator of their daughter's happiness post the traumatic event called marriage! ;) ....humbug, you say!? Well, that's the way the cookie crumbles, my friends!)
Anyways, so....no lavish weddings, no sho-sha ....and therefore, no big plans to renovate the house...only the wedding couple's bedroom, maybe...hmmm, ok? Ok...so a major cut-down in the interior decoration expenses. So that industry is also maimed.
Similarly, the flowers and decoration industry, which relies a lot on the marriage season, will take a hit. So will the gifts industry. Who will buy all the microwaves, refrigerators, watches, gold, silver, utensils, etc.!?
Not only that, the invitation card industry, which is a low-margin but high quantity industry, will take a major major hit. So will all these rent-a-car people, who depend considerably on weddings.
What will happen to all the grand marriage venues? Obviously, people who want to cut down on the sho-sha will not want to spend too much on fancy venues...so, will it be advantage 5-star hotels? (I believe most youngsters today want to have a small gathering at a "branded" fancy venue, so that at least those who attended might elevate their perceived status in their minds. Moreover, today's youth is more inclined to spend on themselves than on what their folks might think is "necessary". And who wants all those clingy and irritating relatives and distant cousins at weddings, right?
"No Lavish Functions! Once and for all!! Hmph....no one is bothered about the function....everyone only wants to come to nice places, oogle at each other and the lovely flower decorations which have burnt a hole in our pockets unnecessarily and eat all the delicious food!! We don't even know most of them, and are least interested in knowing them also!" ~ modern boy and modern girl to their respective parents.
This... "Americani-sation" or "Christiani-sation" of Hindu weddings is what baffles and disappoints me the most. After all, how will the economy be able to take a hit of thousands of crores? More specifically, what will happen to me? ;) ;P
