Wedding exhibition in Delhi connects affluent buyers, designers

The 'by invitation only' luxury fair The Vogue Wedding Show, which started on Friday, is back for the third time in the capital and has brought affluent consumers and popular designers, fashion and lifestyle brands under one roof.

The exhibition, in partnership with the Taj Group, to be held till Sunday at the Taj Palace, New Delhi, has around 50 participants including Pakistani designer Sania Maskatiya and India's Anju Modi, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi, Shantanu and Nikhil, and Tarun Tahiliani.

"When we started three years back, we realised that there were many wedding exhibitions happening in the country but they were not curated well. Besides, there was not one destination that brought together affluent consumers and best of designers and brands.

"So, we wanted to create a dream wedding exhibition. We started off with about 40 brands and now there are approximately 50 brands. Even the number of consumers has gone up. The first edition saw about 1,500 consumers and then it increased to 4,000. We are hoping the number will go up within these three days," Oona Dhabhar, marketing director, Conde Nast India, told IANS.

Along with the brands displaying their bridal collections, there will be masterclass on styling, make-up, skin care and more.

This year, the exhibition has introduced separate sections for saris and also to unwind where one can get a foot massage.

Talking about the participants, Vogue India fashion director Anaita Shroff Adajania told IANS: "Everybody is here purely on the basis of merit of craft...those who have a unique voice especially in the bridal scenario. Each designer is in the store and giving hands-on advice.

"There are options for men as well. Men are also taking interest in their wedding outfit. Besides, brides have become very savvy and they also want the groom to be dressed well and look like they are part of the same story."

Due to the positive response to the previous editions of the exhibition, some brands are back to showcase their work.

Bhuvan Ahuja, director retail of Ahujasons, which specialises in shawls, stoles and scarves, said: "We participated last year as well. Post that, people showed interest in our collections. There were queries. Going by our last year's experience, we realised that we needed to include more high-end pieces. The price of the products that we have brought this time ranges from Rs.50,000 to Rs.20 lakh."

One of the visitors shared that the exhibition was like taking a walk in a "high-end fashion street dedicated to wedding".