Weddings are celebrations of a lifetime, and one recent savvy addition to the palette is the Destination weddings du jour, transforming and recreating the way couples celebrate their love for each other. From exotic locations, Intimate settings, and the seamless combination of a wedding and honeymoon, the occasion offers an unforgettable experience for couples and guests alike.
What makes India a popular wedding destination?
While Destination weddings have been a fad in the past two decades, India has been a top rival for its rich culture and captivating charm. Famous for its iconic landmarks, majestic palaces, immaculate landmarks, and alluring beaches, India has surfaced to be a premium destination for its remarkable, even so, stunning experiences.
Let us dive in and explore why India is the most popular destination for weddings and guide you through the process of discovering top destinations, choosing the perfect venue, understanding legal requirements, finding the best time to plan, and offering tips for a budget-friendly celebration.
Choose the perfect venue for your destination wedding in India
Selecting an ideal venue is a crucial step, let us unravel India‘s top wedding destinations that can cater to different preferences.
Udaipur: Home to Royal Weddings
An exotic and serene wedding venue in India is Udaipur, where royals tie the knot. The extravaganza of architecture and romantic landscapes make it a perfect aperture for the Grand gesture of royal weddings. One such gem situated next to Lake Pichola is the Oberoi Udaivillas, fancied with a painted sky dome, with luscious in-house and outhouse banquets perfect for pre and post-wedding celebrations. Popular movies like Yeh Jawani Hai Dewani were shot here, making it an on-demand wedding destination for most, with an additional layer of royalty.
Kerala: Backwaters Wedding Destination
Located in the southern part of India is a beautiful coastal region surrounded by stunning backwaters and flourishing greenery is Vasundhara Sarovar Cherthala, a Premiere Resort beside the backwaters of Alleppey, a 5-star resort and a perfect place for a destination wedding in Kerala. This place is decorated eloquently with contemporary furniture and heritage motifs. Includes 60 rooms, a sabha, a banquet hall, and a lawn, and has the ability to accommodate a large number of guests. A Houseboat wedding is also provided if the couple wishes to tie the knot in the Alleppey backwaters.
Bangalore: Heritage Venue
At the heart of Bangalore is the luxury outdoor wedding venue called The Tamarind Tree. Curled up in a five-acre garden with beautiful green trees and a 400-year-old tamarind tree itself, the heritage luxury venue comprises a pond, a colonial Bandstand, elegant pavilions, and ample open spaces. Exchanging vows with Kalyani (pond) as the backdrop is an enthralling experience worthwhile having once in a lifetime. It is home to astounding antiques and monuments of up to 200-300 years old, The Tamarind Tree is a perfect place to immerse oneself in the grandeur of mother nature with a combination of modernization.
Goa: Beach Wedding Destination Venue
If you’re a beach baby and cannot keep away from the water then an outdoor beach destination in Goa would be your idyllic location. One such property that comes to mind is a 24-acre property called Carvella Beach Resort that fulfills all your needs. Comprising 199 rooms, this venue comes with beautiful lawns and golf courses alongside picture-perfect locations, golden sands, and cerulean skies. This location ensures you receive the perfect beach wedding. In addition to the outdoor beach venue, Indoor banquet rooms are also available to accommodate different ceremonies.
Jaipur: Pink city fairytale wedding
Jaipur, the pink city, land of fairytale weddings is home to the 475-year-old Samode Palace, showcasing Indo-Saracenic architecture adorned with ancient murals and paintings on the walls. The entrancing architecture alone speaks for this place, making it one of the best destination wedding venues. From Darbar Hall to Mughal Gardens, this palace revisits romance and offers a number of venue options to choose from as per the requirement of your ceremony and guest count.
Agra: Taj Mahal Wedding destinations
While Agra, the location of eternal love needs no introduction, the one in 7 seven wonder monument makes it a popular wedding destination for most couples. ITC Mughal, the only Indian Hotel that has received the prestigious Aga Award, is a monument exposing red brick with a plentitude of greenery and architectural elements of the Mughals integrated into the designs. Located in close proximity to the Taj Mahal, the rooms are positioned within three courtyards in two-story quadrangles, linked by pedestrian bridges. If Delhi is your preferred location, this is the right place to go to for a wedding that will go down in history.
What are the legal requirements for destination weddings in India?
In the hustle and bustle of weddings, it’s often common to overlook a few things, like the licenses and legalities. Since there are so many, let’s summarize and make it easier for you. Here is the list of all legal licenses and permissions you would need to carry out a wedding or any similar event in India.
PPL License (Phonographic Performance Limited)
Under the Copyright Act of 1957, for any live performance that involves music being played in a public space, a performing license is to be obtained. It is a mandatory music license under the norms of the Government of India and differs in price across the country. A PPL license can be customized for each licensee.
IPRS License (Indian Performing Right Society)
The Indian Performing Right Society is an organization that issues licenses to utilize copyrighted music for performing at events, social gatherings, concerts, etc. If you’re planning a sangeet or a karaoke night, this license is a must-have. For weddings, the cost of the license is zero, but there is still a mandate to obtain the license and provide a copy to the wedding venue/hotel/resort.
Novex License
Novex is a body that ensures that artists are compensated for the work that they have produced. This organization represents the music of certain labels, and anyone utilizing this music in a public space is obligated to take a license for the same. The music covers a wide variety of songs from various languages in India, and the price for the same differs based on event size. So, if you’re planning to dance all night to a DJ playing Bollywood music or some South Indian dance numbers, this is a compulsory license to obtain!
CL-05 Liquor License (For Karnataka only)
If your wedding is not hosted at a hotel that already has the license to serve liquor and if wish to acquire alcohol for your guests during the event, a CL-5 Liquor license must be obtained from the Excise department a week prior to the event. Once sanctioned, the alcohol should be bought from the KSBCL outlet only. As per the Karnataka Excise Department (sale of Indian and foreign alcohol) of 1968 rule 8(5) the prescribed fee per day is Rs 11,500. A copy of the wedding invite, identity proof of the hosting family, and a no-objection certificate from the wedding venue are some of the documents that are needed for the application of a liquor license.
No Objection Certificate
NOC from the Local police department for sound and from the collector could be acquired if the event is occurring in a public setting or if the location of the venue is in a residential area.
Best time to plan a destination wedding in India
After narrowing down the location, the next best thing is to decide when to have it in the first place. Although peak seasons vary slightly every year, according to Nikkei Asia, an estimated 3.2 million weddings would happen from November to December, while December is the most popular month. Similarly, May and June account for 8-9% of the weddings, where couples prefer outdoor weddings at this time due to favorable weather conditions throughout the country.
If you would prefer to have an affordable wedding, anywhere in the months of July and August could help you acquire great venues on a lower budget. But one must keep in mind that locations with unpredictable weather, though fall under a low, will be a hassle to manage.
Tips to plan Budget-Friendly wedding destination in India
Planning a big-fat Indian wedding can come with a big fat cost, especially if you’re looking for a destination wedding, but need not worry, we have listed down a few ways you could work smartly to ensure everything goes according to your budget.
Appoint a Wedding Planning team
In reality, weddings can be a tedious task in calculating all costs as well as any incidental costs that could occur during a big celebration, and it more often than not may feel like a heavier task than a celebration, which is why a wedding planner could come into play. The Tales of Tradition are experienced planners that cater to all your needs, to plan a wedding anywhere in India within the boundaries of the budget you may draw. They have a proven track record of successful weddings and a large vendor network that will ensure that you get your money’s worth while planning your wedding.
Throw your wedding and reception in the same venue
Lodging you and your guests for two different venues is an exorbitant task. So, once you have selected the venue of your choice, hosting all your events in the same venue helps to reduce costs on a larger scale. Ask what best packages the venues could provide to go ahead with that particular venue.
Opt for off-season weddings
It’s no hidden information that off-season weddings will offer lower pricing. Compromising dates of peak wedding season will also ensure that you get the best vendors for your wedding. Since there are lesser weddings around, even your vendors will have 100% focus and creativity toward your wedding, getting the best quality at the best rates. If you’re obligated to host during peak season, you can also try doing weekday weddings to keep costs at bay, as venues and vendors might charge lesser and since it’s a weekday, your guest count can also be controlled.
Choosing Seasonal Flowers
Choosing the right wedding designer is an important factor, and one must do homework before choosing the right one. A good designer can stick to your budget and deliver an elegant and cost-effective arrangement based on the season of your wedding. Choosing flowers according to the specific season will make a huge difference in reducing expenses, with the additional advantage of fresh flowers to make your wedding decorations more beautiful!
In a Nutshell
Whether you choose to plan a wedding in the Himalayas or by the backwaters in Kerala, the best advice you can get before you begin is to hire a wedding planner first. With so many years of experience and a multitude of weddings of various styles under our belt, The Tales of Tradition will ensure that the experience that you are dreaming of will be a reality that your guests will experience. We bring together the quintessence of tradition and the celebration of romance all on a platter. It’s no surprise why couples handpick us to plan and create their dream weddings.
