'Many Indians want big fat Bollywood wedding'

Some want a beach wedding like in "Salaam Namaste", some prefer a farmhouse gala a la "Hum Tum", while others go pompous with the kind of decor depicted in "Band Baaja Baaraat". The glitzy and jazzy wedding set-ups in Bollywood movies are becoming a fad in real life, giving a filmy twist to the country's approximately $30 billion wedding market.

Hindi films have been a major influence on the common man, admits Nandita Sharma of BollywoodShaadis.com.

"Bollywood always has an influence on people's mind in terms of weddings. People see a movie with a wedding sequence and they immediately decide the wedding trousseau, decoration and invites accordingly," Sharma told IANS.

The trend started with movies like "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", "Hum Saath Saath Hai", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" and "Kal Ho Naa Ho". Recent flicks like "Tanu Weds Manu" and "Band Baaja Baraat" took it forward.

If people love taking inspiration from films, they also add a personal touch to it.

"Nowadays, people are more pro towards adding that 'personal touch' to their wedding decor. That's the reason why their creativity overflows in terms of wedding sets. People want exotic fruits, flowers, show pieces, lights, candles, props, cloth being used for their wedding stage," said Sharma.

The most preferred Bollywood style has been Arshad Warsi's beach wedding in "Salaam Namaste" or the depiction of Las Vegas in "Kites".

"We have clients referring to beach weddings, or to get a classy touch like from the movie 'Kites'. The Las Vegas theme is also going strong, as the city is famous for its glamour, casinos and larger than life image. So, the set-up with chips on every table, with roulette games add the wow factor," added Bharat Kanodia, CEO and founder of Shaadi-e-Khas.

The personal touch comes when people choose to do up the wedding space in subtle colours. Even though Bollywood uses bright colours, people off the screen prefer a minimalist, simpler look.

"People today prefer simple colour schemes over any traditional theme. They look for subtle colours over bold and solid ones. They also opt for different colour themes in all their different functions. For instance, a whole marigold-coloured theme for a mehdi function partnered with a village-like personification of the venue or a complete blue or aqua theme on the cocktail night," said Mukta Kapoor, director, Yuna Weddings.

If you plan to go ahead with such ostentatious ideas, expect to burn a hole anywhere between Rs.500,000 and Rs.5 crore in your pocket. But fret not, even if you have a smaller budget. With some cost-cutting here and there, it's not too tough to get a customised wedding set-up.

"First of all, it is better to skim through some ideas for the kind of wedding set you plan to have; then execute the idea with the help of a decorator who can provide you with simpler options of the material used.

"One can choose artificial flowers over real flowers to make it cost-effective. Choosing seasonal flowers instead of exotic flowers, getting look alike of expensive cloth material such as polyester fabric instead of silk and using show pieces as centre pieces is another idea for cost cutting. Using these ideas can bring the price down to Rs.50,000- Rs.200,000," said Nandita Sharma.

With the wedding season almost setting in, are you ready to choose your theme?