Halloween themes, 90s themes and Holi themed parties are things of the past, with the newest party theme that has broken into venues — the quintessential flashy and loud north Indian shaadi. Party culture is taking a decidedly desi turn, with wedding themed parties being organised, sans bride and groom, sans pheras, and definitely sans the distant yet prying family members.
Clubs and party venues in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities, largely in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, are all jumping onto the bandwagon, with tickets to ‘wedding themed’ parties going for as high as Rs 15,000 at some places. Partygoers say these fake weddings provide all of the culture and enjoyment of an Indian wedding, with none of the pressures or responsibilities.
This month alone, at least two such parties are being organised in Delhi and Noida. One is selling tickets priced at Rs 699 — the tagline? “Baraatis. Bass. Booze. Rishtedars Prohibited.” The event is set to extend over two days for a total of eight hours, with the first day essentially simulating a ‘fake Haldi’ with the promise of a few rounds of Housie, and the second day a ‘fake Shaadi night’. This gives those attending the feel of a shaadi, with none of the crucial or ritualistic elements attached.
Another is being held in Noida, with tickets priced at Rs 2000, promising “Full desi madness” to the “most fake wedding of the year,” according to the event description. While the first imposes an age limit of above 15 years of age, the latter sets it for 25 years.
At fake weddings, not only do the attendees get to wear the outfits and lehengas of their liking, clothes they might think twice before wearing to a family event, but they also get to attend with their chosen family or friends! The takers for fake wedding parties have largely been identified as the young adult crowd, aged 20 to 35 years, who gravitate towards these events, but is not limited to them.
Reports suggest that event organisers have identified a very pertinent interest area for youngsters — not only does this new party trend speak to the hospitality sector’s constant need for innovation, but also draws inspiration from the pulse of the current generations. Organisers have said that they draw inspiration from the craze for ‘wedding looks’ and similar events that have bled into the GenZ minds from media representations, while also feeding the desires of young Indians living abroad, who miss the chances of attending and enjoying family weddings in the country.
As expected, these fake weddings are specifically designed to be picturesque and click-worthy, in order to ensure a coveted spot on the Instagram reels and feeds of all those who attended, and on the ‘For You’ pages of all those who didn’t.
Co-founder and CEO of 8Club, an event organising company, Kaushal Chanani has been quoted as sharing that after the company’s first wedding themed party in Bengaluru, the response from attendees prompted them to start organising another one in Delhi. Additionally, queries for similar events began pouring in from other cities like Kolkata and Lucknow as well, he has said.
At these parties, guests are often assigned to the bride’s side or the groom’s side, like a typical Indian wedding, for the purpose of the wedding games that are organised at the parties. Some non-alcoholic fake weddings have also been organised by some venues as many Indian weddings are, for those who want to experience the merriment, without having to tolerate the occasional inebriated friend or family member, which is a common sight in many family affairs including weddings.
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Weddingwire, a portal that caters to all things wedding — from providing professional planners, vendors, and venues to stylists — reportedly recorded 0.5-1% of all vendor enquiries coming in for fake wedding parties this year. While reports suggest that arrangements for fake weddings has not been made into a separate category on the company’s website, its proving to be a fast growing sector.
Attendees, for a price, get to dance to the beats of the dhol with the ‘fake baraat’, dance with their friends in flashy kurtas and lehengas which make it out of the cupboard only a few times in their lifetime, decorate their palms with henna at the ‘fake mehendi’, and enjoy the revelry big fat Indian wedding. They get to do all of these things at a time when the Indian wedding market generally becomes dormant (around June, July and August), and moreover, they get to participate in ‘fake’ wedding festivities in a way that they rarely can in a real one.
