MAM
48 per cent urban couples influenced by cost-affordability for destination weddings: Betterhalf survey
Mumbai: Indian weddings are renowned for their elaborate ceremonies, exquisite decor, picturesque venues, and culinary creations. All of these have contributed to making the Indian wedding market the second-largest in the world. In fact, weddings in India have truly evolved as brides and grooms today are more than ready to have their dream destination weddings instead of fitting them into the little traditional box.
Given the burgeoning trend of destination weddings, Betterhalf- India’s leading matrimony super-app and premier tech-enabled end-to-end wedding planning company recently conducted a survey to unveil a new perspective on Indian destination weddings, breaking them away from the connotations of being exorbitant affairs. With more than 47 per cent of eligible bachelors and to-be-wed couples opting for destination weddings, Betterhalf’s survey also debunks the myths associated with the trend.
The majority of around 48 per cent of urban professionals preferring to have a destination wedding are significantly influenced by the affordable cost associated with them. This majority underpins that destination weddings have departed from being costly celebrations to becoming more customizable as per the couple’s wedding budget. In addition, 25 per cent of urban professionals value location while 23 per cent consider experience as the key influential factor to choose a destination wedding.
“Destination weddings have evolved so much over the years, that they have emerged as the most favorable wedding option for India’s diverse populace. That being said, destination weddings are elaborate ceremonies and people tend to think of them as over-the-top expensive affairs. With our survey insights, we are hoping to break away from this persona of the Big-Fat destination Weddings, making it a dream come true for all by making budget-friendly destination weddings more accessible,” said Betterhalf co-founder and CEO Pawan Gupta.
For all to-be-wed couples, budget plays a significant role, which was highlighted by Betterhalf’s survey as 72 per cent of urban professionals considered it significant when planning a destination wedding. As a result, the secret ingredient to having the most surreal yet economical destination wedding that perfectly aligns with your budget is to engage the services of online wedding planning platforms, as preferred by 38 per cent of couples in contrast to traditional planners.
With an online wedding planning platform, one can be guaranteed to have a fairytale wedding come true, in perfect accordance with the budget set. These online wedding platforms create a synergy between affordability and top-notch quality, and their network of multiple vendors further helps them offer the best services within the decided budget. While destination wedding planners can certainly help in allocating the budget effectively, over 54 per cent of urban professionals want them to offer additional services like travel arrangements. Apart from this, over 30 per cent of them look for assistance in on-site coordination respectively.
Thus, amidst all the pomp and circumstance, destination weddings can truly be economical. By choosing to engage the services of online wedding planning platforms, you stand a chance to save big bucks on your big day. Having said that, destination wedding or not, the most important element is cherishing the future that awaits you and your partner on this incredible journey.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
