MAM
Navigating trends in India’s booming big fat wedding business
In India, a wedding be it a Nikkah, Vivah, or any other form of union, is not just mere ceremonies but a grand spectacle that celebrates love, heritage, and the vibrancy of life. These joyous occasions are marked by lively melodies, cuisine, numerous customs, and a social mosaic where relatives and communities unite to celebrate the core of unity through various cultural traditions. Over the past decade, we have witnessed a drastic shift in the landscape of wedding celebrations. Once a simple exchange of garlands and vows, they’ve bloomed into the lavish extravaganza known as the “Big Fat Wedding,” overflowing with unforgettable experiences.
Let’s explore the ‘Vows and Wows’ of wedding trends
Customized set & Cinematic experience: In the world of grand weddings, couples are going all out, creating experiences that defy imagination. For example, a recently created luxury “Indian Temples” set, complete with replicas of seven iconic temples as the backdrop, is like stepping onto a movie set. The bride’s grand entrance is accompanied by mesmerizing performances and a dazzling fireworks display.
Inspired by the silver screen, a growing wedding trend is to infuse cinematic magic into the celebrations. Imagine a Bollywood-themed wedding, with dazzling performances by renowned stars like Dia Mirza, Malaika Arora, and Ranveer Singh, transforming the event into a glamorous award ceremony. This trend highlights the enchantment of Indian wedding entertainment and symbolizes a seamless blend of tradition and contemporary flair.
Celebrity performances: There’s a captivating trend of inviting Bollywood and Hollywood stars to grace the celebration with their performances. Remember Rihanna’s mesmerizing debut at Ambani’s pre-wedding bash? Her impromptu groove session with guests on Bollywood tunes stole the spotlight, crafting a headline that reverberated across continents. This interactive engagement with guests transcends the ordinary, infusing the occasion with an unforgettable, immersive charm.
All-inclusive stays: The surge in destination weddings provides guests and families with immersive, meticulously curated experiences that blend inclusivity and luxury. For instance, a couple reserved a palace in Turkey for their wedding, granting guests access to gourmet meals, spa treatments, and more for a memorable stay. Every detail, from lighting to props, is thoughtfully planned to enrich the thematic experience, ensuring a cohesive and aesthetically pleasing celebration ambience.
Embracing Social Change: A deeply touching social shift is underway amid all the glitz and glamor. More and more people are embracing equality and inclusivity in their traditions. They choose female priests and ensure both families are equally involved, skipping old rituals like Kanyadaan. This shift touches the heart because it shows that fairness and equality are becoming important in weddings. It’s a poignant reminder that love knows no bounds and that every moment of union is infused with the warmth of inclusion and mutual respect.
Technology, filmmaking and storytelling: In photography and filmmaking, there’s a noticeable shift towards high-definition cameras, especially with the rise of FPV drones offering unique perspectives. Filmmakers prefer 4K and 6K videos with detailed color grading and sound design, aiming to create timeless documentary-style films that capture the essence of the wedding. While the music fades, the story and emotions endure, portraying the couple as protagonists in their cinematic masterpiece.
Bespoke wedding songs: Couples increasingly add personalized touches to their weddings for a truly unique experience. One trending choice is creating custom original songs for wedding trailers and entrances, reflecting their love story and personalities. This personalized touch enhances the sentiment and authenticity of the celebration, creating special moments for the couple and their guests.
The social media fever: The ascent of social media has bolstered the Big Fat Indian Wedding trend. Platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok inspire couples embarking on their wedding planning journey with new ideas. At the same time, families invest more in photogenic elements, props, wardrobes, jewelry and much more to showcase their wealth and status to a wider audience.
In essence
After experiencing a heavy hit in 2020, the wedding industry has made a remarkable recovery post-pandemic, undergoing significant shifts in trends and consumer preferences. During the 2023–2024 wedding season, its valuation soared to approximately $75 billion, continuing to grow at a steady rate of seven to eight per cent, per year. Renowned for its grandeur and luxury, the industry now embraces personalized touches that add a layer of sentiment and authenticity to each celebration. As couples continue to seek unique experiences tailored to their love stories, the wedding landscape evolves, promising even more unforgettable moments in the future.
The article has been authored by PlaytheNovel co-founder Raveena Doshi.
Brands
Estée Lauder to shed 10,000 jobs as new boss bets on digital shift
The cosmetics giant raises its profit outlook but stays silent on a possible merger with Spain’s Puig, as job cuts deepen and a three-year sales slump weighs on the turnaround
NEW YORK: Stéphane de La Faverie is not done cutting. Estée Lauder announced on Friday that it plans to eliminate as many as 3,000 additional jobs, taking its total redundancy programme to as many as 10,000 roles, up from a previous target of 7,000 announced a year ago. The company, which owns La Mer, The Ordinary, Tom Ford, and Aveda, employs roughly 57,000 people worldwide. The mathematics of what is now being contemplated is stark.
The fresh round of cuts is expected to generate a further $200 million in savings, bringing the total annual savings from the programme to as much as $1.2 billion before taxes. That money, De La Faverie has made clear, will be ploughed back into the turnaround.
A CEO in a hurry
De La Faverie, who took the helm in January 2025, inherited a company that had endured three consecutive years of annual sales declines. His response has been to move fast and cut deep. A significant portion of the latest redundancies reflects his push to reduce headcount at US department stores, long a cornerstone of Estée Lauder’s distribution model but now a channel in structural decline. In their place, he is accelerating the shift toward faster-growing online platforms, including Amazon.com and TikTok Shop, a pivot that is reshaping not just where Estée Lauder sells but how it thinks about its customers.
The numbers are moving in the right direction
Despite the pain, there are signs the medicine is working. Estée Lauder raised its profit outlook for the remainder of the fiscal year, guiding for adjusted earnings per share in the range of $2.35 to $2.45, above analyst estimates and a notable step up from the $2.05 to $2.25 range it had guided for in February. Organic net sales growth is expected to come in at 3 per cent, the company said, at the high end of the range it set out in February.
The share price tells a mixed story. After De La Faverie took charge, the stock surged nearly 60 per cent, buoyed by investor optimism that a longtime company insider could finally arrest the decline. But 2026 has been rougher: the shares have fallen 27 per cent this year, weighed down by disappointing February results and the overhang of unresolved merger talks with Spanish beauty giant Puig Brands SA. The company gave no additional details about those discussions on Friday, leaving the market to guess.
Silence on Puig
The proposed tie-up with Puig remains the most consequential unknown hanging over Estée Lauder. A deal with the Barcelona-based group, which owns brands including Carolina Herrera and Rabanne, would reshape the global luxury beauty landscape. But with nothing new to say and a turnaround still very much in progress, De La Faverie is asking investors to trust the process.
Three years of sales declines, 10,000 job cuts, and a merger that may or may not happen. At Estée Lauder, the overhaul has barely started.
