Post-Covid impact: 63% of millennials plan weddings through online platforms, says study

New Delhi: Large gatherings, rich food with finest cutleries, week-long exuberant ceremonies and unrestricted guestlists - this was how Indian weddings used to be defined mostly before Covid. However, a considerable change in priorities of people ready to say 'I Do' took place in a post-pandemic world. India’s largest online wedding platform, Weddingz.in has recently revealed emerging trends around the wedding industry in its recent Trend Survey, conducted in October 2022.

The survey demonstrates that the pandemic has given a significant push to ‘digitization’ accelerating the growth of online wedding platforms. This has come up as the trend ruling the wedding scenes. There has been a rise in awareness and usage of online wedding platforms. In fact, the survey shows that over 63% of millennials prefer planning weddings through online platforms.

The study also reveals the reasons for the inclination towards online wedding platforms. Over 60% of individuals prefer to plan weddings online as it is an affordable choice. Nearly 70% of consumers feel that online wedding mediums are easy to use, offer better customization and a variety of options. In all, an online wedding platform is a one-stop solution for multiple requirements. In addition, over 78% of respondents prefer online wedding platforms as they provide them with better options in terms of venues. The survey also reveals that the most searched services on online wedding platforms are catering/ F&B, entertainment and decoration.

Furthermore, the survey highlights that although people are still splurging on their weddings, couples are choosing to be more conscious about the outcome. They are preferring quality over quantity and also trimming the guest lists. This is led by couples now focusing on more customised and personalised experiences. Across several trending wedding styles, over 43% of Indian couples prefer to have intimate celebrations with only a chosen few present on their special day, followed by big-scale weddings (23.2%), intimate and luxurious weddings (17.6%), big-scale weddings with luxurious amenities (13.6%) and others (2.4%). Interestingly, actress Anushka Sharma and cricketer Virat Kohli’s wedding in Italy has topped the charts as the most-wished dream wedding. Furthermore, Goa has come up as the most preferred wedding destination.

Sharing his insights on wedding trends observed in 2022, Aditya Sharma, Business Head, Weddingz.in said, “Post-pandemic there have been considerable changes in terms of how families are approaching weddings. Hence, this survey was undertaken to study the changing dynamics of the wedding industry, along with changing consumer behaviour, wedding arrangements and other crucial factors. We witnessed emerging trends such as increasing use of technology by the younger generation to plan their weddings. In addition, we witnessed that the new sub segment of pax size below 100, which was created during the pandemic, continues to exist and thrive as couples look forward to personalised experience and customised solutions while their big day."

"We aim to cater to the ever-evolving needs and aspirations of our consumers. With a great level of innovation and new-age offerings to keep up with the evolving times, it is our endeavour to be a trusted partner to our vendors and asset partners," he added.

The desire for locations that fulfil all safety regulations and social separation has increased in the post-pandemic era. The main aspects are taken into account before making any venue reservation including hygiene and sanitisation checks. In order to offer customized experiences, Weddingz.in enables digital solutions to keep consumers engaged by introducing flexible packages for customers, among a lot more.