From destination weddings to Instagram-first shoots, India’s wedding spends rise in 2025

From Instagram-focused shoots and destination celebrations to personalised décor and unconventional jewellery, weddings in India in 2025 reflected a shift towards curated and experience-led events, even as gold and silver prices rose sharply during the year.

The year saw both high-profile marriage cancellations, including those involving cricketer Smriti Mandhana and music composer Palash Muchhal, and several celebrity weddings such as Aadar Jain-Alekha Advani, Netra Mantena-Vamsi Gadiraju, and Armaan Malik-Aashna Shroff.

Beyond celebrity events, couples from upper-middle-class and middle-class households also opted for larger celebrations. According to wedtech platform WedMeGood, overall wedding spending rose 8 per cent in 2025, with the average wedding budget on the platform reaching around Rs 39.5 lakh.

Industry participants expect spending to rise further in 2026, driven by destination weddings, professionally managed events and social media-ready formats.

Destination weddings recorded a noticeable increase in 2025. “In fact, one in every four weddings in 2025 was a destination event,” WedMeGood co-founder Mehak Shahani told PTI. “Among weddings with budgets of over Rs 1 crore, more than 60 per cent were destination celebrations. Last year, the average destination wedding cost around Rs 51.1 lakh, but in 2025 it rose to about Rs 58 lakh,” she said.

Within India, Jaipur, Goa, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla, Jim Corbett, Udaipur, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur emerged as the most-preferred wedding destinations in 2025, Shahani said. Bali, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia were the leading international choices.

Online B2B travel concierge CoTrav said wedding spending increased mainly due to weddings becoming more experience-led and professionally executed, rather than an increase in the number of ceremonies. Based on CoTrav’s on-ground experience with around 60 luxury destination weddings during the year, a five-star destination wedding typically carried a budget of Rs 3 crore or more.

“These budgets follow a clear structure, with 20-25 per cent allocated to premium venues, 10-15 per cent to guest and family travel, and around 10 per cent to artistes, performers and crew logistics. The remaining 50-60 per cent is directed towards decor, food, planning and celebrations,” Vinod Kumar Sah, co-founder and CTO at CoTrav, said.

While overall wedding spending increased, the wedding photography segment saw changes during 2025. Photography styles shifted towards Instagram-led formats focused on immediacy, refined visuals and quicker social media-ready content.

“Personalisation is at an all-time high, with custom details and bespoke decor offering more intimate storytelling moments. Candid, documentary-led narratives continue to dominate,” Harsheen Jammu, co-founder of luxury wedding photography service Ombre, said.

The average spend per photography assignment declined marginally. According to Jammu, the average spend in 2025 was about 6.8 per cent lower than the 2024 average, though it remained around 22.1 per cent higher than the 2023 per-day average. Ombre also reported a 30-50 per cent decline in the number of wedding shoots during the year.

The wedding jewellery segment faced pressure as gold and silver prices rose sharply. As of December 22, gold prices increased by Rs 58,810, or 74.07 per cent, from Rs 79,390 per 10 grams on January 1, 2025. Silver prices more than doubled, rising 137.02 per cent, or Rs 1,24,000, from Rs 90,500 per kilogram on January 1 to December 22.

Jewellers said the surge in prices could impact wedding jewellery sales growth for the overall 2025-26 fiscal year. Experts also pointed to increased recycling of jewellery due to high prices.

“All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council Chairman Rajesh Rokde said, “On an average, 40-50 lakh marriages take place in India a year… There has been 30-40 per cent growth in sales in value terms in wedding jewellery in 2024-25 as compared to the previous year.”

“Recycling of gold wedding jewellery was 10-15 per cent before 2023, which increased by 15 per cent in 2023-24, and another 20-25 per cent in FY25,” Rokde said, projecting a Rs 2-3 lakh crore business in the wedding jewellery segment in FY26.

Hotel chains also reported strong growth in wedding-related business and are expecting robust demand during the November-February wedding season. Supreet Roy, General Manager at Sheraton Grand Pune, said industry estimates suggest hotel-led wedding business grew 10-12 per cent in 2025.

Destination weddings accounted for 55-60 per cent of premium enquiries, Roy said, adding that Sheraton Grand Pune saw a rise in multi-day celebrations, with families opting for two- to three-day itineraries.

Roy also noted a behavioural shift towards personalisation, with custom décor, thematic entries, handcrafted menus and regional culinary experiences increasing by 15-20 per cent and contributing to higher per-guest spends.

Looking ahead to 2026, industry participants expect further growth along with increased digital adoption. “Digital adoption will keep rising, whether it’s for payments, planning tools or guest logistics. We will also see wider use of AI and tech among wedding vendors, helping them deliver better service, faster communication and smoother operations,” Shahani said.

Roy projected 8-10 per cent growth in 2026, led by destination weddings across tier-II and tier-III cities. Despite higher jewellery prices, industry players said the wedding market remains poised for continued growth in the coming year.