KOCHI: Couples pushing the boundaries of tradition, exchanging vows atop cliffs overlooking the sea or immersing themselves in Avatar-inspired wonderlands complete with lush greenery and mystical creatures. Others stepping into Casablanca-themed fantasies with family and friends playing the roles of heroes and villains. The sky’s the limit, and Kerala’s wedding industry is booming like never before, generating unprecedented revenue and breaking boundaries!
Raju Kanampuzha of Executive Events attributes the growth of the wedding market to the arrival of destination weddings in the state, which has spurred a cycle of big spending on large-format celebrations. “During the last leg of the pandemic, the state saw a boom in destination weddings because international air routes were closed. Kerala and Goa were the chosen places for destination weddings, and the impact on the sector was very powerful. The state earned huge revenue from the weddings and the trend caught on,” he told TNIE.
Kishore G Das of Kollam-based Eve Experience, in fact, underlined a change after Covid: couples are engaging event managers for their celebrations. “Earlier too, there were big weddings with huge attendees, particularly in north Kerala where the focus was on food. Immediately after Covid, the number of guests was controlled and families started spending more on the function. The intimately curated functions started creating beautiful moments and experiential events, and the trend caught on,” he said.
The traditional weddings in the state, which were minimalistic, have now given way to celebrations that span three to four days with elaborate ceremonies like Mehendi, Haldi, and Sangeet, which are common in north India but not so common in Kerala.
“The increasing number of functions and rituals in a wedding makes it convenient for families to attend to the wedding guests who arrive on different days. Rather than hold a big function with a large number of people, when you call small groups for different functions, you get an intimate group and a sweeter experience,” Das said.
‘Fastest-growing sector in the country’
Raju, who is also the state president of the Event Management Association of Kerala, estimates the wedding industry in the state to have an annual turnover of Rs 1,500 crore, and growing robustly.
The wedding industry is the fastest-growing sector in the country, Joel said. There is an ecosystem that involves food, clothes, jewellery, entertainment, lights, sound, photography, vehicles, gifting, and tents. “In Kerala, there are 15-20 big destination weddings happening per year with a budget of Rs 3 to 10 crore, and probably there are 20-30 smaller destination weddings that come to between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore,” he said.