The latest trend in generation Z in India

What comes to your mind when you think of a big Indian marriage?

Dazzling lights, sparkling outfits, bollywood strokes, a sumptuous gorge of food and an atmosphere dipped in the celebration. Everything seems extravagant, emotional and larger than life.

Now imagine all this without the bride and the groom. No Pheras (a Hindu wedding ritual where the couple takes seven towers around a sacred fire), no parents, no farewell in tears. Just the party.

Welcome to the world of false marriages – a rising trend in Indian cities where people meet to enjoy the wedding party, less real marriage.

These ticket events, organized by hotels, clubs and businesses, are designed only for pleasure and promise to offer the complete experience of a wedding party without any stress, rituals or responsibilities. In other words, it is a party party on the theme of marriage.

In recent weeks, false marriages have caused a sensation in big cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Participants are generally young people who seek to enjoy an evening with friends, engaging in the drama and the pleasure of a traditional Indian wedding without the pressures that result from it.

Last week, we attended such an event organized in Delhi – a false sangeet (A Sangeet is a night of music and dance generally organized a few days before marriage).

During the event, held in a plush club, the atmosphere was electric: the women were spinning in Saris Paillettes and Lehengas (long skirts and blouses), men presented themselves in kurtas and tailor -made ethnic jackets. A traditional Dhoh drummer led the crowd to the dance floor and Gol Gol Gol filled with Tequila (a popular Indian street snack) went around.

Shivangi Sareen, who attended an event like this for the first time, found it “incredible”.

“During family weddings, there is so much pressure-the rules to dress, the judgment (of parents). But here, it’s just fun,” she said. “Especially because we were able to do everything with our friends. We decided on our outfits the day before and we prepared each other together.”

Ticket prices generally start at around 1,500 rupees ($ 17; £ 13) and can go up to 15,000 or more rupees, depending on the location and the facilities. Shivangi and his friends paid 10,000 rupees per couple to attend.

“I wouldn’t mind spending this once a month. All experience was worth it.”

Sharad Madan, owner of a restaurant that hosted the event, says that the trend stresses that novelty is the key to the hotel sector.

“We have to continue doing something new for our customers,” he said.

This cost them about a million rupees to plan and organize the event, said Mr. Madan, and the team expected to double through ticket sales. But it’s not just a question, he said.

“This is the commitment. Even if it does not give me the same kind of feedback, I would always do it because our customers want something different.”

Kaushal Chanani, co-founder of 8 Events clubs, which organized a false wedding festival, attended 2,000 people in Bengaluru last month, says that inspiration for false weddings came from young Indians living abroad.

“The people of the diaspora gathered and would dance to the music of Bollywood, dressed in ethnic (traditional) clothing and take advantage of the evening,” he said. “This is also the idea that we followed.”

The response to Bengaluru’s event, held in a five-star hotel, was “overwhelming”, he said. This encouraged them to plan a similar event to Delhi – which has been exhausted – and they started to get questions from event organizers in other cities such as Jaipur, Kolkata and Lucknow.

“We are now distributing our standard operational procedure (SOP) to interested people,” he said. “It is a guide on how to create experience, market it and make it profitable.”

However, not all false marriages follow the same script.

Third place, an experience-based start-up, recently organized a sober sangeet In Bengaluru – No alcohol, just a theme celebration.

“We divided the Groom and Bride team participants and organized games like Charades and guess who is the parent of a stereotype,” said CEO Anurag Pandy.

There were Dhoh drums, a great welcome for all guests and even games on the theme of astrology. Alcohol was deliberately left out.

“Sometimes alcohol removes experience,” said Pandey. “We wanted to do more than just advertising or regular control. We wanted to present the spirit of Indian weddings.”

Commentators say that the popularity of these events reflects the growing desire for young people to find reasons to celebrate.

“People need a hook of a kind … an opportunity to celebrate. And there is no better setting than a marriage, which brings together all the elements of pleasure,” explains the writer and social commentator Santosh Desai.

“It is the ultimate in pleasure – especially when it is free from stress that accompanies real weddings.”

He also underlines that these events give people a reason to go up the costly wedding outfits bought in the past.

So, are such events here to stay here?

The Vijay Arora event planner, founder of Touchwood Events, based in Delhi, believes that false weddings are currently a fashion – but with potential.

“Gen Z certainly wants to be part of these celebrations,” he said.

“If it appears as a new market category, this can change the situation, because the scale will increase – which ends up increasing commercial opportunities for the entire industry.”

The India wedding industry is estimated at around $ 130 billion, according to the investment consulting company Wright Research.

While the sector is booming, there are constraints. Most marriages take place during the coolest months – generally between November and March – and often at good auspicious, while the monsoon season (June to August) is considered out of season.

With free places, available sellers and people who are constantly hunting experiences, false weddings could intervene to fill the void if the trend takes place.

Mr. ARORA says he was surprised by the rise of false marriages.

“But it also helps to understand that such events are something that we want to celebrate or be part. Even if we cannot attend the real events of our friends or family, we always want to experience them by joining these false.”

However, not all guests move away delighted.

Srishti Sharma, a marketing professional based in Bengaluru, 23, said that she was disappointed by the only false marriage to which she attended.

“I have been living far from home for a few years now and I really failed to attend a wedding,” she said.

“The biggest advantage was not to have harassed parents telling you” that you are next online to get married. “

Ms. Sharma and her friends spent hours choosing outfits, but the event failed.

“They started with EDM and went to Bollywood only after two hours,” she said.

“We expected wedding food, but we had pizzas and fries – no dessert, just alcohol. The decor was basic and felt lazy.”

Some have criticized the events, saying that they could appear trivializing traditional Indian events and values.

But Vidhi Kapoor, who attended the False Sangeet in Delhi, does not agree.

“It could have been offensive if people had been invited to dress like a bride or a bride, but here it’s just a party, we should take him in a good mood,” she said.

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