Kolkata couples choose domestic destinations for big fat weddings – Times of India

A recent high-profile wedding in Kolkata, which saw quite a few Bollywood celebrities in attendance, has set the ball rolling for big fat weddings in the city. After the pandemic ruined marriage as well as travel plans for more than a year, people are now opting for destination weddings to get the best of both worlds.
Priests feel the pressure
Nandini Bhowmik, a female priest who conducts marriage rituals, is fully booked till April 2022. “Enquiries are still coming in, but I am having to refuse them because of the huge rush. With so many weddings getting postponed in the first and second waves, there is a massive backlog that is being cleared now and the pressure on us is extreme. Some people have even started booking my dates for winter weddings starting from November next year!” said Nandini, who recently went to Tripura for a wedding assignment and will be travelling to Udaipur for another destination wedding in December.
It’s the season of revenge weddings
Usha Agarwal from a travel agency said the demand for destination weddings within India has seen a huge growth. “Jaipur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Ranthambore, Kerala and Goa are among the most sought after destinations this wedding season, which is from November to March. Most hotels there are booked and not accepting new reservations unless you book at least a month in advance. Just like revenge eating, people are now going all out for revenge weddings after suffering from the pandemic for so long,” she said.
According to Usha, gone are the days of intimate weddings with a limited guest list. “People are back to hosting lavish events and celebrating with all their loved ones. Those who want a royal touch are opting for places like Udaipur and Jaipur. On the other hand, beach weddings in Goa are very popular among people who are looking to have fun in a relaxed setting,” she added.

Celebrate before the third wave
Wedding planner Bhavna Hemani too agrees that big fat destination weddings are back with a bang. “People are eager to go out, chill and enjoy every occasion to the fullest after the pandemic induced break. With the fear of the third wave lurking, they want to get their wedding plans on track as soon as possible,” she said.
From the wedding outfits, pre-wedding functions, decor of the venues to the menu – lavish seems to be the flavour of this wedding season. “Many have patiently waited up to one and a half years and now that the pandemic situation is better, they are leaving no stone unturned to splurge,” said Bhavna, adding that many are even waiting to get married abroad. “While domestic destinations are currently very popular, a lot of people are waiting for countries like Thailand to open up so that they can plan an international destination wedding,” she added.
Love marriage is in the air
Kolkata-based businessman Ranadeep Basu recently got married to his girlfriend Sylvia Qureshi in Goa, and the couple had a blast. “We wanted to get married in Thailand, but thanks to COVID, we had to drop that plan. We were looking for a fun and safe destination – so we chose Goa, which both of us love visiting. Many of my friends are getting married to the love of their lives this wedding season,” said Ranadeep with a smile.
Caterers cheer boom in biz
Rongon Neogi, who runs a catering service in the city, is grateful that the wedding business is booming. “Thankfully, every industry related to marriage is doing well. We have a chock-a-block schedule till March and are unable to accommodate any new orders. In these almost two years of the pandemic, around 100 marriage orders were kept on hold. All of those marriages are taking place between November and March, and many of those are destination weddings,” said Neogi.

Celebrity destination wedding

Many celebrities too are getting married this season and some of them are choosing exotic destinations for the ceremonies. Actress Puja Banerjee tied the knot with Kunal Verma in a traditional Bengali wedding in Goa recently. “I wanted a beach wedding, so we chose Goa. We waited for one and a half years for the COVID situation to improve, so that we could safely get married. So, when the time finally came, we made sure to make the most of it. Thank God we planned our wedding months back. Getting hotels in this mad rush would have been a big challenge otherwise” said Puja.