A look on how marketing and trends is clouding the customer’s judgements when it comes to weddings.
India has always been associated with big fat weddings that lasts for days till you don’t drop and the money won’t stop. But in life, as change is the only constant, the wedding scene also sees changes in the way people look at it and want to go about it. Gone are the days when the girl is still in her teens going off to her groom’s house to learn the grind. We live in a fast-paced life with long working hours, dating culture where people meet, get to know each other and take the next step of getting married when sure, and an official agreement between the couple to live together. Two independent working individuals who can pay their own bills usually plan their own wedding and pay for it too. Their parents can of course chip in some extra for ease of load on payments. Practicality and good judgement of spending on things that actually are of value like the money you save on weddings for many more trips or on setting up the house is the way most go about. If you have a wedding coming up and you are in this head space, you’re still saved from all the marketing baits that can hook you on.
One day out on wedding shopping makes you realise how the films, labels and glamour industry is wooing people into believing whatever is selling is the norm. From pushy salesmen complimenting you through an “it looks better on you than even Anushka Sharma” to “this is the latest from the Sabyasachi collection,” you see your budget stretch phenomenally as you see more of it. One cannot forget the emotions at play too. You’re getting married once, can’t you even thin your wallet slight more for your daughter’s happiness? One thing leads to the other, you’re swiping your card with more denominations than you intended to but ask yourself the question for validation “Am I going to wear this again? Would this still be in trend in future?” There’s no Anushka Sharma, Deepika Padukone or Priyanka Chopra to answer that question as they have that capacity to spend, and of course are being consulted by the top designers who know what will pay for their dream condos and cars in the following months to come.
Recently Priyanka Chopra shared her list of gifts that the couple would like through an Amazon registry. A registry made open for all to see on one of the most popular online sites. Amazon has pledged 100,000$ to UNICEF through Priyanka Chopra’s registry with all her must-have items. It’s a great cause but also a promotion stunt for Amazon in terms of creating a space for weddings and also all the brands/products listed showing what she desires.
Any brand out there knows that if they have a space that caters to anything to do with weddings, it is bound to be sold for extra bucks than the normal. Let me illustrate an example, if a soap brand that packages its soap in blue and white (priced x) comes up with an exclusive soap for the “radiant bride”, it will be packaged in a vintage looking box with red bows that will be priced 4x. The consumer feels he is getting more and hence justifies the cost whereas the soap could have been the same. Whatever services it might be, wedding industry is big and only getting bigger. What one must also note is that the industry should stay wary of the changing mindsets of the customers amidst brands like Stage3 and Flyrobe that lets one rent out that expensive designer wedding wear/jewellery that you know would not wear again for much lesser. Inviting only the people close enough to be a part of something that is quite intimate or opting for a destination where it’s assured you get a beautiful backdrop, a more chilled out scene surrounded by people who actually care enough for you to travel to the destination all ensure that you bring the other costs down. Weddings are no more about flaunting your wealth or making statements but that’s not a direction the big industries would like to take. Hence, you will always be clouded with the questions of what it could be and what it should be. The dilemma continues as we go on to speculate what the next big wedding trend would be.
Brand value differs between the youth and older generations. A study shows statistics with the trends of shopping and purchasing habits amongst the youth.
Reference: Ray, S., 2017. HT Youth Survey: India’s young like quality, but don’t like to show off, s.l.: Hidustan Times.
