26/08/2013
More NRIs saying 'I do' to India as wedding destination.........
planners are even witnessing a sea-change in the way payments are being made for pre-booked weddings, with many of them getting as much as 50% of their payments well in advance.
“Usually, we charge 15% of our payments beforehand, but recently we have seen that our customers are splurging. Some of them have already paid 50% of the fees,” says Ankit Bhargava, director of Rajasthan-based Regal-Weddings.
Bhargava is hopeful of a further rise in the number of marriage bookings by NRIs if the rupee rate continues to remain above the 60 mark in the coming two months. Regal-Weddings organises 20-25 marriages for NRIs during the peak season.
Shaadikitayaari.com, a wedding planning portal, has seen a huge increase in the spending pattern of the NRIs who recently got married or are planning to tie the knot in the coming days.
“The decrease in the rupee value has increased the lavish quotient of these weddings. The NRIs, who used to stay in three-star hotels are now wanting to stay in five-star accommodation. The food, the dress, etc, that they are demanding now have become more lavish. They are spending a lot more money now compared to what they used to do earlier,” says Gaurav Verma, head of Shaadikitayaari.com. As the bookings are done well in advance, Verma believes that the coming months will see an increase in their number too.