WeddingWire India Reveals The Annual Wedding Industry Report 2023-2024
Find answers to top wedding planning questions here, answered by over 350 couples who planned their wedding in 2023.
2023 was a celebration of a kind for the Indian wedding industry - a jam-packed year full of destination weddings, bridal exhibitions, wedding conferences, industry meets and more!
We didn’t simply crawl out of the COVID times; we skyrocketed towards growth and new beginnings. As the average wedding cost grew to 28 lakhs (from 20 lakhs in 2022), the average wedding guest list also grew by 15% yearly. The 100 billion dollar Indian wedding industry has emerged as the second-largest wedding industry globally and the fourth-largest in India. This giant economic force continues to grow post-pandemic with new business opportunities for hotels, the wedding vendor market, and the rising cost of weddings.
Amidst the ever-changing dynamics of the Indian wedding industry, we surveyed and gathered responses from more than 350 couples who tied the knot in 2023. The Annual Wedding Industry Report by WeddingWire India is a collection of accurate data, statistics, and information revealed by the couples who planned their wedding on our app.
Check out our findings below:
1. Wedding Planning & The Most Popular Wedding Season
2. Average Cost of Weddings in 2023
3. Popular Wedding Format and Venue Booking Trends
4. Top of Mind Wedding Planning Decision Makers
5. Which Vendor Categories Have High Booking Demand?
6. How do you find Trusted Wedding Venues and Vendors?
7. Categories that Recorded the Highest Wedding Spends
Wedding Planning & The Most Popular Wedding Season
What is the most popular season for getting engaged in India?
35% of the couples who took this survey chose Winter as their engagement season. While winter was the most popular season, the polls were steadily distributed throughout the year. This confirms that there is no best time or season to get engaged or plan your roka ceremony. You can choose the date and season as per your feasibility.
What is the average wedding planning window in India?
Ensure you have at least 5-6 months to plan your dream wedding. This allows you and your family enough time to handle all the tasks in a wedding planning checklist. Having the required time to plan your wedding step-by-step makes the process less stressful and allows you to choose from more available venues and vendor options.
How to Plan Your Wedding Step by Step
What is the most popular season for getting married in India?
48% of the survey couples tied the knot during the Winter season. 26% chose December as their wedding month, confirming the last month of the year as the most popular wedding month in the winter season. The fall season was the second favourite, with 23% choosing November as their wedding month. Most metropolitan cities in India experience pleasant winter weather in November compared to December and January. As per Drik Panchang (the Hindu wedding calendar), the winter season has plenty of auspicious marriage dates for couples.
Average Cost of Weddings in 2023
What is the average cost of planning a wedding in India?
In 2023, the average cost of hosting a wedding celebration in India was Rs 28,50,000. The cost of weddings has grown by 36% since 2022. 53% of survey couples confirmed that they had to revise and increase their wedding budget at least once during the wedding planning journey due to unexpected costs.
What is the average guest list size in modern Indian weddings?
The average guest list size for Indian weddings in 2023 was 326, up 14% from 2022. This indicates the slow and steady return of Big Fat Weddings in India, which was seen as a dying trend in the years after COVID-19.
Popular Wedding Format and Venue Booking Trends
How do you choose the perfect wedding venue?
67% of the survey couples chose a wedding venue within 50 km of their home. The proximity of the wedding venue to your house often helps cut down additional costs like paying for accommodations and travelling to and fro for each event. However, 19% of the couples confirmed they chose a destination wedding venue that was situated 200 km away from their house. If you want to spend money on your dream wedding, a destination wedding venue in a nearby city/ hill station or resort town can be ideal.
Also Read: Guide to Choose the Perfect Wedding Venue
How many events are being planned before the wedding?
Indian weddings were never a one-day celebration. Although the number of ceremonies held before or after a wedding has decreased, some pre-wedding and post-wedding events remain predominant. 38% of the surveyed couples confirmed hosting three events leading up to the wedding. 33.5% planned multi-day wedding celebrations.
What is the most popular wedding size in India?
Post-pandemic, India witnessed a growing demand for intimate celebrations. However, the guest list has grown over the years. With an average guest list size of 326, 59% of couples confirmed they had a big wedding in 2023. 12% opted for an intimate wedding ceremony.
Also Read: How to Plan an Intimate Wedding
Top of Mind Wedding Planning Decisions
Which factors should you prioritize when choosing between one venue and another?
75% revealed that the venue cost is their most crucial decision-maker, which must align with their wedding budget. 65% said the venue's capacity to hold their guest list size is considered. 56% of couples considered whether the venue is closer to the airport/railway station or is positioned in a central location, and 56% gave importance to the type or style of the venue.
Which factors influence the wedding planning process?
60.2% of couples revealed that planning the wedding menu, a.k.a food and beverages, is one of the most critical factors in their wedding planning process. This is closely followed by curating a good experience and caring for the wedding guests (55.4%) and the total wedding cost (53.1%).
Which Vendor Categories Have High Booking Demand?
According to the 2024 Wedding Industry Report, an Indian couple hires an average of 10 wedding vendors. 79% of couples vouched for Wedding Photographers as the most popular category, followed by 73% of brides who opted for a Bridal Makeup Artist for their big day. Next on the list are Videography services (70%) and Mehndi Artists (70%).
The gifting category grew to 31% in 2023, hinting at the evolving trend of wedding favours for guests at Indian weddings.
Find Top Wedding Vendors in Your Budget
How do you find Trusted Wedding Venues and Vendors?
Finding trusted wedding venues and vendor partners is of fundamental importance in a couple's wedding planning journey. 51% of our survey couples heavily rely on Word of mouth to find vendors they can trust for their wedding services. 30% use wedding-related websites to do the research. However, what can a couple do when a referred vendor is unavailable on their shortlisted saaya date? Or, how do they choose the right vendors when planning a destination wedding in a different city? It is not always easy to find these vendors through word of mouth, especially when planning a destination wedding and hiring local vendors to curb the destination wedding cost. The Indian wedding industry is brimming with talent and vendors that offer exceptional services for your dream wedding. To help you find the right talent, WeddingWire India's Vendor directory has reviews and ratings from real couples. Reviews are the fastest method to spread word of mouth in this digital age and can help you find trusted vendors and wedding venues through our app.
Categories that Recorded the Highest Wedding Spends
Booking the wedding venue is undoubtedly the highest wedding expense, per the 2023 survey and our free wedding cost calculator. Couples also spend money booking photography and videography services, the perfect engagement ring, the bride's wedding dresses for each event, wedding decoration services, and the groom's attires.
Top Wedding Trends
Indian weddings are steeped in beautiful traditions and rituals, but couples are also adapting global trends, making the Indian wedding industry a more inclusive space. 31% of couples confirmed that they planned wedding favours for their guests. 28% thought of eco-friendly wedding initiatives and planned sustainable decoration for their wedding. 23% adopted the first-look trend from English weddings, and 23% performed a choreographed dance to add a fun Bollywood element to their wedding day.
Also Read: Top Wedding Trends for Your 2024 Wedding
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