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Kerala, for long a hot honeymoon destination, is now emerging as a preferred place to get married with many foreigners, NRIs and desis making a beeline to God’s Own Country to tie the nuptial knot.
With the state’s pristine beaches and backwaters serving as the perfect backdrop for many such weddings, event planners are now factoring in this emerging trend in their calendar.
It is already happening with foreigners booking dates with wedding planners almost a year in advance to have a ‘Kerala wedding’.
“On an average there are about 40 enquiries from foreigners per year and 25 of them look set to materialise. Recently, we had an Irish couple who had their wedding at Taj Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram. Most of the enquiries are from US and Europe. What many are looking for is an entire experiential package, with a taste of Kerala’s native cuisine, traditions and ethnicity,” says Ram Menon, director, Parinaya Wedding Division.
The trend is steadily catching up with desis too as they prefer a festive atmosphere rather than the typical ceremonial wedding. “Recently, we had a family from Gujarat and the marriage ceremony was held at Taj Varkala. The trend is quite evident when you see the number of bookings made with resorts and tour operators,” says Arabind C, who runs his wedding planning company, Tamarind Weddings with his wife Anu.
They entered the wedding market in 2008, after sensing the enormous scope it had, and also with the idea of bringing technology to weddings.
“It was recession time then, and yet no one was sparing any expense when it came to marriages. That itself tells you that people are willing to spend money to have a memorable wedding. They are getting more adventurous and innovative, which is why it’s easy to see destination weddings as the next big thing,” adds Arabind.
Other than hotels, there are many who wish to recreate an old world charm by having the marriage in a typical Tharavad-style building.
Of course, these destination weddings come at a cost.
According to Menon, these destination weddings cost upwards of 80 per cent, compared to a conventional wedding.
“Suppose the cost of a regular wedding is `10 lakh, this will cost around `18 lakh. Much of the extra cost comes by way of putting up guests in good hotels and taking care of their requirements during the stay,” he adds.
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