Knot so expensive

If you thought that wedding extravagance happened only at a Jayalalitha’s son’s big day,then rethink. The above-mentioned arrangement was at business tycoon L N Mittal’s daughter’s wedding — one of the most expensive weddings of the history — where Mittal spent $60 million.

But take heart. You need not be Laloo Prasad,Jayalalitha,or for that matter,business tycoon L N Mittal to arrange for an impressive wedding ceremony. Proper planning should be the keyword when it comes to having a good memorable wedding ceremony without having to spend too much. Keeping in mind the limited finance and unlimited desire of the common man,a budget wedding is a trend that is fast catching up.

An advantage of having a budget wedding is that it bridges the difference between the parents,who want a talk-of-the-town kind of wedding,and youngsters who’d rather have a more subtle affair for the concept offers more choices and channelises the expense,thereby checking the unnecessary ones.

The wardrobe
If you plan to get something on the similar lines of the costumes of Saif Ali Khan and Shah Rukh Khan in the song Aaja Mahi Ve in the movie Kal Ho Na Ho,you may give a second and practical thought. While sherwani and turban are a must for the occasion,spending thousands on them,which would just occupy space in the wardrobe,might not be a very good decision. So why not rent it out?

“If you wear a suit for your wedding,you will be able to use it on other occasions too. But sherwani is such a costume that will never come into use. The same is the case with the turbans. That is the reason people find renting better than buying,” says Virendra Jadhav,proprietor of Jadhav Natya Sansar,where wedding sherwanis and turbans can be hired on rental basis.

Like Anil Choubey,who plans hire three sherwanis for three different occasions for his wedding ceremony,feels that the bride and the groom are the cynosure of the occasion so they must dress up in a special way. “All the guests and relatives are interested in your ‘look for the D-day’. No one is bothered whether you have spent 10,000 or 1000 on your costume. Being a north Indian,we have three main functions – jaymala,wedding and the reception,” says Choubey,who is working as recruitment team leader at Quickstart Global.   

During wedding season,Jadhav supplies as much as 30 to 40 pieces of turbans on,however,renting of sherwanis is less than the turbans. Whether it’s a turban or a sherwani,the order is delivered a day in advance.

Jadhav’s client list ranges from a middle class salaried professional to rich businessmen. “It’s not the question of affordability. There are people who splurge and there are people who look for value for money; renting suits them the best,” says Jadhav.

Rent charges
Turban – Between Rs 50 per day to Rs 800 per day
Sherwani – Betweeen Rs 150 to Rs 1000 per day

Plan it out
A wedding planner is always a good idea,when time,money and information are limited. Besides sparing you from running around,it might just give you exactly what you were looking for. “Lot of people think that wedding planners charge exorbitant fees,which is not true,” says Jack Balani,owner J & R events,which recently launched the concept of Budget Weddings in the city for the forthcoming wedding season.

“Budget Weddings is something wherein instead of us giving a budget to the client,it’s the client who gives us their budget for the wedding and in that particular budget we try to give them the best,” says Jack Balani,owner,J & R Events. He admits that every wedding that they organise may be just an event for them but for the client it is the most special day,which comes ones. So as a wedding planner they deliver their best in whatsoever budget given to them.

Giving out the secret of arranging a lavish wedding in limited budget,Balani explains that due to lack of technical knowledge there are many areas where people tend to overspend like lightings,sound box or decoration. “For example it is possible to have amazing arrangement done with less flowers also. Instead of going in for expensive exotic flowers,one can create a beautiful ambience with locally available flowers that look good but cost less,” says Balani.

Explore the less explored
Nirmal Chavan and Swati Nair,both IT professionals,who are getting married in December had earlier planned to go to Kerala for their honeymoon but later decided against it. “Firstly November and December being the marriage season,places like Kerala and other hill stations will be overcrowded,secondly since it’s the peak season for these places,charges will be skyrocketing,” says Chavan.

Instead,the couple has opted to visit silent and nearby tourist place — Tarkarli,an exotic tourist spot famous for its virgin beach,situated along the Konkan coast. “We can spend some peaceful time in each other’s company,” adds Nair.

For the honeymooners who want to go to a foreign location but have a tight budget,there are many places,which one can discover. “Places like Phuket,Turkey,Lungkawi and Bali are some beautiful places for newly married couples and they are also not very expensive,” says Rajeshwari Deshpande,corporate sales executive,Prasanna Tours & Travels.

Quick check
Venue selection:Do not go in for an area more than your requirement; you may end up spending more unneccesarily

Celeb quotient:Avoid.Having a celebrity at your wedding will not only increase your budget but also divert the attention of the guests from bride and groom to the celebrity

Pune expert:If you know anyone who has knowledge about the city,get him/ her to help you run around and negotiate best of the rates

Banquets/open area:If you have a smaller guest list,opt for banquets. Most of the hotel banquets are suitable for indoor as well as outdoor wedding ceremonies