Invite Western Guests To Marry – A New Money-making Fashion Of The Indian Bride-in-law

Western tourists are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to attend a traditional wedding in India.
Invite Western guests to marry - the new money-making fashion of the Indian bride-in-law
Surabhi Chauhan, a Delhi-based fund manager, has been married since November 2017. Her wedding invited about 400 guests, including two people she had never met in her life or had a social connection: Carly Stevens and Tim Gower.
The two strangers were Australian travel bloggers, who paid $ 200 to attend Chauhan's wedding for two days. Stevens believes that attending traditional Indian weddings is both a must-try experience and a way for her to find her roots - Stevens's mother was born in India

. Stevens chose Chauhan's wedding party by coincidentally the same day she and her partner, Gower, came to this billion-dollar country.
Chauhan revealed that she and her fiancé are very excited and open to welcoming guests from other countries, although this idea is quite new. On the first day, Chauhan invited Stevens to the Mehndi ceremony, a traditional pre-wedding ceremony for the bride's family and close relatives and friends This invitation made Stevens feel like a family member.




The next day, Stevens and Gower joined the crowd with about 400 wedding guests. “I remember when I entered and a thought that‘ Wow, like in a movie ’. Professionally, I've never been to such an event, ”she said.
Chauhan and Stevens remained in touch after the wedding. “We all enjoyed the experience. I don't feel like I have invited someone completely unknown, ”Chauhan said.
Carly Stevens (second from right) and partner Tim Gower (white shirt) attend Surabhi Chauhan's wedding on November 4, 2017 Photo: Carly Stevens.




Wedding travel industry
Stevens and Gower learned about Chauhan's wedding through a start-up project called Join My Wedding, co-founded by Orsi Parkanyi. The guests and the bride and groom briefly introduce themselves and their work, and discuss what will happen at the wedding like what to wear.
Join My Wedding works by way: Couples will tell details about their wedding on the website, international visitors can buy tickets to any wedding they want. Most of the money paid will go to couples, start-ups enjoy a little commission.
"Think about it, there is nothing more culturally than a wedding because you will interact with the people, enjoy the local cuisine, wear traditional costumes ... This is the place where it all converges," said.




The idea comes from her personal experience of missing out on a friend's wedding, explains the start-up co-founder. She decided to focus on Indian weddings because they are world famous and foreign visitors often don't get the chance to attend if they don't know.
To date, Parkanyi's clients have attended more than 100 Indian weddings through this start-up project. “Experiencing all cultural colors at the same time and connecting deeply with the local people in India are great motivations for visitors. This activity is safe again. You attend an event with hundreds of people, you are an outstanding guest and people are especially interested in, "she said.
Western guests stand out at the Indian wedding. Photo: Eniko Toth (Angie).




Foreseeing this blossoming trend, many travel agencies have started creating tour packages for international wedding guests on the occasion of exploring India.
Weddings in this country are famous for their elegance, rituals and traditions carried out over many days. Millions of people marry each year in this country, where the population and middle class are growing. Many experts consider the wedding industry to help fight recession, with a value of about 40 billion USD and growth of 20% a year.
"As long as the Indian wedding market is concerned, it will grow each year," said Ashish Boobna, the representative of the wedding planner for the Indian elite. He said that almost every profession can make a profit from the wedding market, especially in the fields of decoration, entertainment, culinary, customer service ...




The charm of Indian weddings
According to Mr. Boobna, the wedding tourism industry is a rising trend in the wedding market, similar to healthcare tourism in the medical field. For some Indian couples, the idea of inviting international guests to the wedding is a way to make their wedding more special and a bit of a showbiz event. Meanwhile, other couples want visitors to their weddings to be able to explore their formal culture and etiquette.
"Foreign visitors are interested in learning about Indian culture from all close aspects," he added.
The party is filled with music and dance performances, with no shortage of symbolic and elaborate rituals - those are the things that make the impression of Indian weddings and attract international visitors, according to guide Sahajanand Sharma.
Indian bride in traditional dress. Photo: CandidShutters.




“Beautiful Western wedding, with a formal ceremony in a church before the party starts. But everything is orderly, while here always someone starts dancing all the time.

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