The Big Indian Wedding

By: Anika Sharma

Welcome to the Big Indian Wedding. It's bigger than ever before and the economy seems to have no impact on its size or the 'glazmatazz' that goes with it. The humble Indian wedding has come a long way in the past five years! Think long guests list - and we mean long! Long as in a regular wedding of 500 to 1500 people. Think different themes for different days as different color outfits for different events. And think colors that you would never have thought a bride might adorn on the most important day of her life. And guess what? Indian weddings in the US have become so big and so special that they now regularly feature in the platinum weddings section of Lifetime Television.

Larger than life. Vibrant. Colorful and oh so making-a-statement. Call it by any other name and the Indian wedding will still mean the same thing - big, bold and beautiful!

So here it is. The big, the bold and the beautiful trends of this exponentially growing market - The Indian Wedding. It's all here. The trends. The clothes. The food. The pictures. The music. And, of course the jewellery!

In with the professionals: If there is one trend that can be called the biggest trend by far in the Indian Wedding Industry, it has to be the entry of the 'professional brides and grooms'. Doctors, lawyers, financial experts and many other such professional Asian Indian Americans are the ones now making the decisions about their own weddings. They are busy working 20-hour work shifts, being 24/7 on their blackberries and expect everything to deliver in life. So the new mindset is, that if "I am paying top dollar for top vendors, I expect top notch work at the time promised and the way it has been promised". It's almost like they are bringing with them an 'MBA approach' to the Indian Wedding scenario.

This is absolutely great news for the industry which till a few years ago was used to last minute weddings as well as cancellations; dealing with too many people in the family without any clarity on who is the final decision maker on many important issues; not really understanding what a theme is and how it can be carried across various elements of the wedding and almost always making a trip to India to get most of the material for the wedding, including ill-fitting wedding outfits! And this entry of the professional couples has all our top-notch vendors extremely happy. Because not only do these couples expect everything to run like a well-oiled machine, they are ready to pay a lot of money for it.

This has also given rise to the use of wedding planners - leading to better planned weddings, more weddings sticking to a plan and a date schedule and making for happier, more relaxed couples on the most important day of their life - their wedding!

Food for thought: This professional trend can be seen in food as well. The Asian Indians in the US are a mixed lot. There are the 1st generation, the 2nd generation and those that have been here long enough to qualify as 2nd generation Asian Indians. And many of them have rarely gone back to India. So their only bonding with their mother country is food!

A couple of years ago, the hottest trend in Indian food, was fusion food! But now, it's about authentic food (as authentic as possible) but presented in a contemporary setting. "Fifteen years ago, at Moghul Catering, we used to go out of our way to create an ethnic feel for Asian Indian weddings, with props etc. But not anymore. Asian Indian weddings have reached a league of their own. Today Mainstream America knows that Asian Indian Weddings speak for themselves," mentions Kamal Arora of Moghul Catering.

Today's Asian Indian couples are ready to pay a lot, to cater to the needs of everybody's palate - whether they be grand parents, parents and of course, the couple themselves. Today's couples want caterers to push the edge when it comes to the food being served at weddings. And we do not mean push the edge in terms of serving American food with an Indian twist or vice versa; we are talking about authentic Indian food being served with a completely unexpected contemporary twist. In fact, if there is anything like it, food has become more simple, more linear and definitely in that sense, coming back to the basics.

Today's vendors also have to prove their food versatility. Authentic Indian food for Indian brides and grooms and authentic international cuisine in a multi-cultural marriage. So Jewish food for a Jewish-Indian wedding, and food from Puerto Rico if the need so arises. And let's not forget that India is a country with as many types of cuisine as the number of states, if not more. Which means that today's caterer is expected to cook authentic Bengali food in the same way as he is expected to serve authentic Mangalorean food or authentic Kashmiri food for that matter.

"We have specialized chefs catering to all kinds of cuisine. And one thing I am proud to say - if we cannot make it in the most authentic way, we will get the best of the best to do it for you!" so speaks a man who went hunting for strawberries at 4 am for a client - Kamal Arora of Moghul catering.

How much can couples today dish out (no pun intended) for the food served at their weddings? Anywhere from $35 to $600 a plate. The difference? It's more on the higher side than the lower side. And they are doing this without batting an eyelid. They know that it's important to make money talk where it matters most! And that is a pleasant trend.

The humble cake: The food trend continues all the way to the dessert table. Ever thought you will see cake cutting at an Indian wedding? Welcome to the new kind of Asian Indian weddings. Cakes are now commonplace and in that sense, the new weddings are a reflection of the influence of mainstream weddings. But cakes with an Indian twist? Now that is a trend. Welcome to the evolution of the 'desi' cake. "People are insisting on a 'desi' twist to cakes now. In fact, my top selling cake is one with a filling of mango in it. The other cake that is really popular is one with a pista filling. Or imagine our very own 'desi' twist to the Western carrot cake - a cake filled with 'gajrela' filling! Cakes are evolving into serving as representatives of the cultures of the people at the party or at least represent the host and the hostess, making 'desi' cakes the HOTTEST trend for the coming year!' comments Purva, baker and head of Cake Gallerie (Cake Gallerie.com).

Another trend in cakes? Couples are now looking at cakes as a wonderful way of representing the cultures that are coming together. For an American and Japanese wedding, the cake could be in the form of a Zen garden or perhaps be the picture of a lush bamboo garden. Just like you look inwards to decide a theme for your wedding, similarly look inwards to decide a theme for your cake. Remember, you only have to dream it and your baker will probably make it happen! "I recently did a cake for a lady who wanted a traditional Indian cake, complete with minakari work and other Indian motifs. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun as well, especially for the lady when she saw the final product," continues Purva of Cake Gallerie.

Clothed me: Think brides who are exploring with new colors, understanding that they cannot simply pick up a designer outfit in India and then look good in it. Because even though it's a designer outfit and made by a top-notch designer, it has still not been made with 'her' (that is, the bride) in mind and may therefore not look good on her body.

With this realization, brides are now choosing to work with designers in the US itself. Designers who understand that it's about the look, using colors and cuts that have been customized for that particular individual bride. The biggest surprise in clothes? "Bollywood is not a big influence. Not too many people are coming in, saying, "I want that kind of outfit or I want that look'. Today's brides are exploring new colors, new cuts and are definitely being influenced by mainstream trends in their outfits," says Geetanjali Singh of Khubsoorat Collection.

Think subtlety. Think understated and guess what, think lessons on how to elegantly carry an Indian outfit! Surprised? Don't be. The US Asian Indians rarely wear Indian outfits as western outfits are more the norm. Which is why, for a wedding, they almost have to learn how to wear a sari or a chaniya choli, without tripping on it. It is a big deal. Another big deal? - understanding that its not just the outfit that makes the bride, it's about the whole look. Think make-up, think jewelry and of course, the outfit! Todays' brides are planning their wedding, and hence their entire look, anywhere from six months to two years in advance. "Brides are also getting very serious about outfit sittings. They have realized that to look good on the most important day of their life is a process that begins with understanding the kind of colors and cuts that look good on them,' adds Geetanjali Singh of Khubsoorat Collection.

Another surprise? The colors that brides are wearing these days - maroons and reds for the wedding, and any other color under the sun, for other functions. Whites were always a strict no-no at Asian Indian weddings (except if it was a Christian wedding) but champagne gold and cream-colored gowns are the hottest new trend in weddings this year! If you think that is a surprise, listen to this as well: It looks like the US Asian Indian bride is a lot more conservative when it comes to cuts and showing skin than the Indian brides in India. "As a designer, this came as a surprise to me, but a pleasant surprise. Brides today are looking for understated, underplayed but expensive garments that will show off their best assets on the most important day of their life!" comments Geetanjali.

But imagine spending up to 6,000 dollars on a gown and not being able to wear it again. Who wears wedding dresses again? That is not true, according to Geetanjali. One of the big trends that is happening in clothes are double skirts, meaning where you can simplify a dress, remove the frilly, heavily sequenced skirt and wear it as a regular gown at another function. In fact brides are very aware of this and consciously asking for this. And they are not just asking for this for themselves – they are asking this for their bridesmaids as well.

Bridesmaids? Did we say that right? When did bridesmaids make an entry into the Indian wedding? A short while ago, but not the way you will see them now. Think at least 8-10 bridesmaids and an equal amount of bridesmen - all dressed in similar colors and outfits. Makes for great photography as well as high spending.

Music for your years: When 'bigger is better' in food and clothes, can music be far behind? The biggest trend in music is the fact that the simplest of weddings today has at least three to four functions, all of them with different kinds of themes. Think Moroccan, think Egyptian, think Bhangra and everything else possible. Today, people are not looking for music. Today's professional brides and grooms, with little time on their hand, but deep pockets, are looking for everything to be handled professionally, with the pre-determined time and budget.

"Today, people are looking for complete entertainment. They no longer come asking for a dholwala or a dj or perhaps a dance troupe. Today they come with the brief of what is the wedding theme, the expectations of the audience, the mix of the audience and the kind of events that are being planned. They seek the best vendors in the wedding business and then understand that when it comes to the business, the vendor knows best. And we have been noticing more and more, recently. People come to us, already aware, that it's about entertainment and not about individual elements. So at Medley Entertainment we give them a 360 degrees entertainment approach. Which means that, we advise them on the kind of entertainment that would be most appropriate for their functions after understanding the theme and the audience," says Ritesh Rathod of Medley Entertainment Inc.

360 degrees of entertainment is definitely the new trend in music and the best part about it is that today's professional brides and grooms understand this. The wedding coordinators that today's couples are using, also understand this. Making this a fabulous time to be a top notch vendor in the Wedding Industry today.

Pretty me: Can pictures be far behind? "Today's brides and grooms are bold and crystal clear in their requirements when it comes to photography and videography,' comments Amish Thakkar of Fine Art Productions.

The Asian Indian brides and grooms also seem to hold the concept and the rituals of the wedding in reverence. They want the pundit and the priests to explain the meaning of the rituals, partake in the little nuances of the wedding and if it is a multi-cultural wedding, then they go out of their way to make sure that both sets of rituals are adhered to in their purest form. "As a photographer who has had the pleasure of shooting weddings in both, India and the US, it touches me when I see both brides and grooms with tears in their eyes, during the wedding rituals," adds Amish Thakkar of Fine Art productions.

Don't expect anyone to subtly pass money to the pundit to shorten the wedding rituals. Here, the more pure the better, the longer the better, the more in reverence, the better.

But even with pictures - Asian Indian brides and grooms are definitely becoming more bold in their picture pose choices. They are exploring new horizons such as love videos, pre-wedding shoots in studios and the outdoors, taking lessons in shooting pictures at their honeymoon and once they trust their photographer, letting themselves be guided by him to put their best face forward!

They realize that once the dust settles down on everything else, the only thing that will remain and probably save their marriage in many a fight, are those beautiful wedding pictures. Which is another reason why today’s couples are ready to spend some good bucks when it comes to their wedding pictures and we mean good bucks in terms of 15,000 to 20,000 dollars. But for that money they ask for a lot, including personalized videos, unique thank you cards as well as one-of-a-kind albums.

Horse, carriage or a Lamborghini: For those of you who are new to sports cars and have no idea whether I am talking about a car or an Italian pasta dish, here’s a bit of history to get you up-to-speed: Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian manufacturer of high performance sports cars, based in a small Italian village. The company is not new. It dates back to 1963 and was founded by businessman Ferruccio Lamborghini, a man who already owned a successful tractor factory! It started it seems when Ferruccio Lamborghini went to meet Enzo Ferrari at the Ferrari factory to complain about the quality of the clutch in the Ferrari 250 GT that Ferruccio owned. Enzo Ferrari sent him away telling him to go and drive tractors because he was not able to drive cars. Lamborghini went back to his factory, had his Ferrari's clutch dismantled and realized that the clutch manufacturer was the same who supplied the clutches for his tractors. In his warehouse he found a spare part, which he thought suitable, and when it was installed the problem was solved. Thus began the story of the Lamborghini, a car that Ferruccio decided HAD to have a V12 engine and a surprising 350 horsepower! This Lamborghini 350 GTV prototype began making public appearances in 1963, starting with the Turin Auto Show. Born a Taurus, Ferruccio Lamborghini used the bull as the badge by which to mark his new automobile!

Why the Lamborghini you might ask. "Well, the car is famous even today for its sporty sleek looks, its now-traditional scissor doors, along with vertically mounted rear air intakes. And you have to ask yourself, why live Life without having ever pushed the gas pedal of an ultra-exotic such as a Lamborghini?" mentions Chirali Thakkar of Fine Art Productions.

This is probably the reason why today's grooms are going out of their way to make a statement when it comes to their horses and cars. And if they can't make up their mind between the horse and the lamborghini, they take both and add a helicopter as well as a limo to it.

Welcome to the new groom. Nothing about him is shy or subtle. Mind you, he is not ostentatious. He is simply very clear about making a statement!

We cannot say this enough. The new Asian Indian couple realize that good quality comes at a high price. And they are ready to put their money where their expectations are. So in that sense, this industry in a short span of less than five years, has become extremely professional. There are no more last minute weddings and our top vendors are now easily capable of handling weddings that could range anywhere from 100 to 1500 people, if not more. "In fact we recently handled a wedding for 1500 people, and mind you, they were no celebrities. It's a fact unheard of in mainstream America. Rarely would someone go above 500 guests. But in the Indian Wedding Industry, a guest list of 450-500 people is an average wedding," comments Ritesh Rathod of Medley Entertainment Inc.

Kamal Arora of Moghul Catering remembers that most clients would come to their office doors with only one sentence in mind: "Money is not an issue. I only want the best of the best at the wedding!" comments Kamal Arora of Moghul Catering. It is so true and a sentence that so clearly defines what the Big Indian Wedding is turning out to be.

So where is it all really heading? Are the weddings all going to be big and bold? Is it all going to be about spending as much as possible to make a statement? We doubt it. It's more like spending where it matters the most - on top notch vendors who know their business and can deliver; on good quality goods; on wedding planners because they can help the couples de-stress by handling most of the planning and follow-ups at their end and by bringing a high level of respect for professionalism into this industry.

Hats off to you, the new Asian Indian brides and grooms, for making the big Indian wedding a statement in Mainstream America!

(Content courtesy - Bharat Matrimony Times Bharatmatrimony.com)