‘Vow’ affair

Jasmine Singh

It was Lake Como in Italy for Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, Tuscany wedding for Anushka and Virat Kohli, royal Jodhpur wedding for Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, and Roadies fame Raghu Ram and Natalie Di Lucio got married in Goa recently. Well, if it is the season of big fat Indian weddings, it is surely the season for destination weddings too. Couples who are about to start their new life, choose to do it at some place they love. This giving extended time to family and friends to relax. Customised weddings, whether in India or abroad, are definitely the in thing, not just for celebrities, but for people in Chandigarh and the region too.

As you like it 

Until recently, the bride and groom, including their family, would settle for pre-packaged weddings, but now weddings are customised according to their choice, and the choice of destination is the first thing on the list. Richa Sharma, managing director, Lifestyle Wedding Planner, has clients all across Punjab. “Destination weddings are popular for many reasons, one of course is that the wedding parties get arranged away from the hustle and bustle of a city, and two, they get to enjoy the luxury of being at a new destination. They also meet and greet all guests personally,” adds Richa who personally experiments a lot with white and gold theme. 

Destination wedding can actually been seen as an intimate affair where every minute is enjoyed, for days together. Agrees, Salina Uppal, Chandigarh-based Social Media Strategist and lifestyle blogger, who recently attended her friend’s wedding in Bikaner, “At a destination wedding, there are just your close ones and you enjoy every minute with them.”

Faraway land

Mala Dhanda, a jewellery designer from Ludhiana, recently attended a wedding in Bangkok. “Destination wedding is one of the ways where not only the bride and the groom but even the guests can also enjoy the celebrations for two-three days and attend all ceremonies, which not everyone does if the celebrations are in their local city.” 

Cost no bar

According Vandana Bhardwaj, co-founder Shaadinvogue 

• For a hi-end wedding in Udaipur and Jodhpur, be ready to shell out Rs 5 crore and more. This does not include travel.
• In Jaipur and Goa, it would be Rs 3 to 5 crore for three days two nights.
• Europe as a destination would mean Rs 12-15 crore and above for 300-400 guests approx. This does not include travel. 
• Dubai would be Rs 5 crore plus. 
• In Turkey, the expenditure for a similar arrangement would cost anything between 8-10 crore. 

Favourite international destinations

• Thailand 
• Malaysia
• Sri Lanka 
• Bali 
• Italy
• Portugal 
• Dubai
• Turkey 
• Switzerland 
• Istanbul