Wedding industry needs regulations, reduced cash factor: WedMeGood founder

The wedding industry has not been taken seriously in the past but now it needs certain regulations, WedMeGood Founder Mehak Shahani said.

"For example, the cash component has to come down," she said.

Mehak was speaking with PTI on the sidelines of an event where WedMeGood -- a wed-tech platform that was established in 2014 -- unveiled the country's top 50 wedding venues.

Further, she said the current year might see a "normalisation of rates", especially those pertaining to destination weddings.

"The hospitality sector has increased prices by 10 per cent year-on-year (for the past few years). And not just weddings, travel in the country in general has become more expensive post-Covid.

"And I think 2025 might see a normalisation... a lot of people are now saying that it's cheaper to organise a destination wedding in Thailand than in Goa. That is unsustainable," she added.

On the change in mindset regarding weddings in the past few years, Mehak said, "Couples have become aspirational... the younger Indians are much more open to travel. They would rather spend on experiences than on gifts, jewellery and other materialistic things."  As a result, destination weddings have just taken off in the last five years, she added.

The top 50 wedding venues were ranked on the basis of four criteria -- aesthetics, quality of hospitality, culinary expertise, and how many wedding spaces they had.

Rajasthan led the awards with Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur; Suryagarh, Jaisalmer; The Leela Palace, Udaipur.

Representing southern India were Taj Bekal, Amitarasa Bangalore and Tamarind Tree Bangalore while beachfront properties like W Goa, mountainside properties like ITC Savoy Mussoorie, and lake-side properties like Kumarakom Lake resort also made the cut.