What is “NEW” In Indian Wedding?
7 min readIn the past decade, the Indian wedding has seen some phenomenal transformation, and it is safe to say that when it comes to what is new in the Indian wedding scene, the sky is the limit. The new generation bride and groom are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to following the latest trends. Be it a Big Fat Indian wedding or an intimate micro- wedding, destination wedding or a traditional ceremony in one’s hometown, the newest trends in an Indian wedding are alluring and demanding.
To help you plan the beginning of your happily ever after, we have come up with a comprehensive list, of the newest trend in the Indian wedding, some of which are followed by A-list celebrities themselves:
• Wedding decor
• The food and wedding cake
• The bold and beautiful bride
• Couple customization and co-ordination • Wedding gifts and favours
• Celebrity performances
• Groom Mehendi
• Micro-weddings
• Wedding website and TWC
1. Wedding decor
Earlier the mantra of more is less was pre-dominant. Over the top design, big bold bright colours and in your face decor were the norm. However, the minimal decor in pastel hues is stealing the show these days. Many new-age weddings follow a specific wedding theme, where the decor is thoughtfully created to suit the vibe. Experimentation and mix-and-match are highly encouraged and you will see many modern weddings using pastel and bright coloured flowers to liven up the venue. If you want to ditch the classic floral arrangement, opt for flair lights, lanterns, candles, balloons, and ribbons. Theme based wedding examples include retro, Bollywood, rustic, fairytale, minimalistic and avant-garde to list a few.
2. The food and wedding cake
People might forget everything, but what they will always remember is the food at the wedding. In a new age wedding, quality and variety are the key players. Couples are opting for organic produce because it is healthier, more cost-effective, and of higher quality. Molecular gastronomy and multiple cuisine weddings are a huge hit at high society weddings. It is rare to find a wedding these days without a live kebab or a pasta counter. From Indian to Mexican to Italian, all cuisines find representation. Vegan needs too are catered to as well, with special counters that serve dishes that exclude gluten, lactose, and nuts.
Customised, designer wedding cakes are no longer limited to just western weddings. While the three-tiered white wedding cake remains a top choice, top patisserie owners are using their talent and expertise to come up with innovative and theme-based wedding cakes, that use adornments like flowers, lace, and tropical exotic fruits. The classic vanilla sponge is replaced by more bold and unique fruit flavours.
3. The bold and beautiful bride
Let us be honest, the bride is the boss at the wedding, and the boss deserves a kickass entry. The bride’s entry has become bigger and bolder, from aerial dolis, to brides entering the mandap on a bullet or jeep, the modern Indian bride is breaking stereotypes and how! Another trend that is catching up is flash mobs right before the bride enters. The crowd goes crazy on this one, with everyone dancing and cheering the couple on. Not to forget the super adorable Chulbul Pandey bride, who enters with dancing and black shades on.
4. Couple customization and co-ordination
The modern bride and groom are choosing a single colour palette for their big day. They take care to wear matching wedding attire, accessories, and footwear. One might think that the modern bride and groom will choose contemporary and minimalistic dresses, but on the contrary, the couples are opting for traditional, heritage outfits, with intricate hand embroidery, embellishments and sequins work. Once upon a time, red was the go-to colour for the bride, and off- white was the conventional sherwani colour for the groom, not anymore. Shades such as grey, champagne, pale pink, ecru, and bottle green are the top picks, as they are elegant, classy, and have a sense of simplicity.
5. Wedding gift and favours
Simply inviting guests to attend your wedding is not enough, modern invitations are teamed up with goodies and favours, which might seem unnecessary but is a growing trend nonetheless. If gifting is an unavoidable part and package of the whole inviting process, try keeping it as practical and eco-friendly as possible. It’s a good idea to give edibles like assorted cookies, chocolates, and gourmet coffee. Practical gifts such as personalized mugs, tea infusers, perfumes, and skincare products are classy and recommended. However, try to live within the budget, since there are greater expenses to look other than favours.
6. Celebrity performance
The rich and the famous love this trend and the guests look forward to attending the wedding for this trend. Celebrities, actors, and musicians accept invitations to perform and grace weddings for a whopping fee. This not only is a great photo opportunity moment, but also a matter of one-upmanship.
7. Groom Mehendi
Why should brides have all the fun? Many grooms are adorning their hands with Mehendi designs. These designs range from small cute ones to intricate and elaborate ones. Our modern grooms love to dress up too! As long as there are weddings, there will be trends. Some more popular than the others, but what is most important, is that you remain true to yourself and the kind of wedding you have envisioned for yourself. Don’t forget to share with us your views and let us know which trends will you be picking!
8. Micro-weddings
The trend of inviting the entire city to the wedding is shown the door. The concept of the big fat Indian wedding is slowly losing its charm, as many young couples are opting for a small scale, intimate wedding, inviting only near and dear family and friends. As many couples are opting for lavish, larger than life destination weddings, either in Jodhpur or Udaipur or internationally (cue Ranveer and Deepika style in Lake Como, Italy), they choose to luxe it out completely with an intimate crowd.
9. Wedding websites and e-invites
Okay, now this trend is growing popular by the minute among millennials. We share every aspect of our life online, so how can the wedding be left behind? From designing a personalized wedding website, creating the most creative hashtag (#Virushka, anyone? ), listing out all the details of the wedding to posting pre/post-wedding photoshoot images, and live to broadcast of the wedding, wedding websites creators like The Wedsite Company have digitalized the wedding experience. In case privacy is a concern, privacy settings and password can be changed anytime. A wedding website makes it easy for the couple to share pertinent wedding-related information, and last-minute changes to the guests easily and at one time. Special features like videos related to the proposal, RSVP, and e-invites are made available by The Wedsite Company. E-invites are the present and the future of Indian weddings. Millennial couples are opting for fun, creative and environmentally friendly e-invites, in the form of animated video cards. With illustrations, animations and cartoon designs gaining popularity, paper invites are slowly becoming a thing of the past. While some might see this move as a way to give back to nature, others laud this decision as economical and smart.
If you think we’ve missed a point, or something else is actually coming to the trend in the Indian wedding scene, let us know in the comments below.