indian cruise wedding cost

How Much Does a Cruise Wedding Cost in India?

By Robert Palmer

Are you dreaming of tying the knot on a luxurious cruise ship while sailing across the sparkling waters of India? A cruise wedding can be an unforgettable experience that combines the thrill of a vacation with the romance of your special day.

But how much does it cost to have a cruise wedding in India? Let’s break down the expenses and find out.

The Basics: Before we delve into specifics, let’s get an idea of what a typical Indian cruise wedding package includes. At minimum, you can expect a basic package to cover the following:

• Wedding planner services
• Decorations and floral arrangements
• Photographer and videographer services
• Ceremony venue rental
• Catering for all guests
• Accommodation for the bride and groom

Factors that Affect Cruise Wedding Costs:

While the above-listed items may seem comprehensive, there are several factors that contribute to the overall cost of a cruise wedding. These include:

Ship Choice:

The ship you choose can significantly impact your costs. Larger, more luxurious vessels tend to come with higher price tags.

Guest Count:

The number of guests you invite will also play a role in determining your expenses. Cruise lines typically charge per person for catering and accommodations.

Additional services such as spa treatments or custom menus can add up quickly.

Cost Breakdown:

Now let’s talk numbers. The cost of a cruise wedding package in India ranges from ₹5 lakhs ($6,700 USD) to ₹50 lakhs ($67,000 USD) or more depending on your preferences. Here’s a rough breakdown of what you can expect to pay for each expense:

Wedding Planner:

The services of a wedding planner typically start at around ₹25,000 ($335 USD) and can go up to ₹2 lakhs ($2,700 USD) or more depending on the level of service required.

Decorations and Floral Arrangements:

This cost can vary widely depending on the level of customization you require. Basic packages start at around ₹1 lakh ($1,350 USD) while more elaborate arrangements can cost upwards of ₹15 lakhs ($20,000 USD).

Photographer and Videographer Services:

Basic packages typically start at around ₹50,000 ($670 USD) and can go up to ₹5 lakhs ($6,700 USD) or more for premium services.

Ceremony Venue Rental:

This is often included in the wedding package but may be an additional charge if you require a specific location or customization. Costs range from around ₹50,000 ($670 USD) to ₹5 lakhs ($6,700 USD).

Catering for all Guests:

Expect to pay anywhere from ₹1,500-₹5,000 ($20-$67 USD) per person for catering depending on your menu selection.

Bride and Groom Accommodation:

This is typically included in your package but may depend on the ship and room class selected.

In Conclusion:

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CRUISE WEDDING INDIA

Plan your cruise wedding in india.

We specialize in cruise weddings in India, and we'd love to help you plan your destination wedding. We're a trusted name in the wedding industry, and we have the experience and expertise to make sure that your big day is exactly what you want it to be. We'll be there every step of the way, from conception to completion. We dedicate our services to creating a personalized service and exceptional attention to detail, ensuring that your destination wedding is the most memorable and incredible experience of your life. For any information on Cruise weddings Call us at +91 70236 55379 for free Consultation.

HOW TO PLAN A CRUISE WEDDING?

1. Select Your Dates Based on Cruise Itinerary

In India, cruises usually offer trips for 2 nights, 3 nights, and 5 nights. You can choose to have your wedding celebration on the cruise for either 2, 3, or 5 nights, depending on what the cruise line’s schedule allows. Take a look at your favourite cruise lines’ itineraries and pick the dates that work best for your wedding.

2. Plan Your Guest List

For a cruise wedding, it’s best to have a guest list of 100-250 people as it’s easier to handle. But don’t worry if you have 400-500 guests because cruises can still work well for large weddings. They have many rooms to accommodate big groups. Just remember to check if the cruise you choose has spacious venues to fit everyone comfortably.

3. Custom Itinerary

With a custom itinerary, you can choose the destinations, activities, and duration of the cruise that align perfectly with your wedding celebration. In India, some cruise liners can arrange their sailing schedule to match your wedding dates, especially if you have a large group of more than 500 guests.

4. Plan Your Wedding Venues

When planning your wedding on a cruise in India, you have two venue options: cruise venues and land venues.

You can have all your wedding functions on the sea by selecting from the cruise’s function spaces. They offer various deck options for the ceremony, a theatre for pre-wedding functions, and elegant banquets and ballrooms for receptions. Alternatively, you can choose to have your wedding at the beach or a hotel in the destination where the cruise docks.

5. Popular Cruise Wedding Routes in India

In India, cruise ships operate both domestically and internationally from ports like Mumbai, Kolkata, and Cochin. From Mumbai, you can choose from destinations such as Hi-Seas, Goa, Diu, and Lakshwadeep. Kolkata offers routes to Andaman and Varanasi. Kerala’s port in Kochi connects to Maldives, Singapore, and Lakshwadeep. Additionally, there are other uncommon port routes that begin from Mangalore, Pondicherry, and Chennai.

6. Rooms on Cruise

In India, cruise liners can accommodate a range of passengers, usually between 700 to 2000 people, with 350 to 700 rooms available on board. These rooms come in various categories, offering different sizes and features. The options range from 100 sq feet cabins to more spacious suites ranging from 200 to 300 square feet. It’s advisable to avoid the lowest room category as they can be quite small. Instead, it’s better to opt for the second room category, which often includes amenities like an extra bed, a balcony, and a room size larger than 150 square feet.

7. Boarding and Check-In Process on a Cruise

At every port, there is a spacious terminal where you can board the cruise ship. To ensure a smooth experience for your wedding group, you can request the cruise company to assign dedicated managers and representatives to exclusively look after your guests. By providing the cruise company with guest details and documents ahead of time, the check-in process can be made quicker and more convenient for everyone involved.

8. Food Arrangement on Cruise

On a cruise, food is typically served at large restaurants, which may or may not be exclusive to the wedding group. However, you can request a private venue exclusively for your wedding group, ensuring no outsiders are permitted.

9. Entertainment on Board

Cruise ships offer a variety of entertainment options, including DJs, bands, Bollywood shows, theatrical acts, and children’s performances like magic shows. You can inquire about the onboard acts and hire them exclusively for your function, saving on artist expenses, accommodation, and food costs.

10. Group Booking through a Wedding Planner

Travel agents and wedding planners can get very good rates as compared to individual bookings. They will also be able to customize your package with a variety of supplements and add-ons. Booking the wedding through a professional, such as a wedding planner or travel agent, is advised.

Discounts/Deals on Cruise Weddings

When comparing costs, choosing the best cruise ship for your wedding can be much more affordable than having a land wedding at a 4-star or 5-star property.

1. Consider Booking Early –  Based on our experience, booking early offers significant advantages over last-minute bookings. By reserving 6 to 8 months in advance, we’ve saved up to 40% on costs and enjoyed better room options in higher categories.

2. Group Bookings & Wedding Packages –  Combining group bookings and wedding packages can lead to significantly better rates. When negotiating room costs, venues, meals, and extra activities together, you can secure massive discounts. Additionally, beyond the wedding ceremony, you’ll also enjoy discounts on activities during port stops, such as snorkeling or exploring port cities. You can even opt for premium add-ons to enhance the dreamy adventure, though they aren’t essential.

3. Hire an Experienced Wedding Planner –  Hiring a wedding planner for your cruise wedding not only helps with negotiations for a good deal but also ensures you are aware of crucial aspects in the planning process. They take charge of coordinating your wedding days, relieving you from the stress of managing everything yourself.

Other Important Things to Keep in Mind While Planning

Contact info.

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Email : [email protected]

Contact No : +91 70236 55379

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Cruise Destination Wedding Cost

Mumbai – goa – mumbai – cruise destination wedding cost.

(EDITED: FEBRUARY 2023)

Recently, we have been getting inquiries on cruise destination wedding, so we decided to do a decent research and partnered with a luxury cruise line and here we are with this post on cruise destination wedding cost. This post is basically about organizing a wedding on a cruise sailing within the Indian subcontinent specifically, within Mumbai and Goa. This post shall deliver decent information about itinerary, services and most importantly cruise destination wedding cost!

You would anyways get know about the features of the cruise when you decide to host your wedding there, so we will not bore you with that now, instead our post shall focus on organizing the wedding on the cruise. So here we go…

BRIDAL PARTY & GUESTS

You may host an intimate wedding with 100 guests or an elaborate wedding with 1000 guests – the cruise line has the capacity to accommodate the guest number of your choice.

TRAVEL TO CRUISE

Cruise is parked at the Green Gate Port in Mumbai, India. So your guests from Mumbai can take a cab to the port and those who are traveling from other cities or abroad can arrive via airways to the CS International airport and take a cab to the port. Mumbai is well connected with other cities by railways too.

CRUISE ITINERARY

Presently we are sharing 2 types of itinerary, 2 nights and 3 nights respectively

• MUMBAI -SEA – MUMBAI : This is a 2 night duration itinerary. Day 1: The ship starts boarding passengers from 3pm and the boarding continues till 8pm. The ship starts to sail at 9pm and is at the sea the whole night. So your guests may start checking in, enjoy lunch or snacking, explore the cruise and enjoy a pre wedding function hosted in the dine in theatre. Day 2: The ship is at the sea whole day and night. So you may choose to host your wedding function this day during lunch or dinner time or may also host an after party at a designated area. Day 3: The ship arrives at Mumbai at 8 am in the morning.
• MUMBAI – GOA – MUMBAI: This is a 3 night duration itinerary. Day 1: The ship starts boarding passengers from 11am and the boarding continues till 6:30pm. The ship starts to sail at 8pm and is at the sea the whole night. So your guests may start checking in, enjoy lunch or snacking, explore the cruise and enjoy a pre wedding function hosted in the dine in theatre. Day 2: The ship arrives at Goa Mormugao at 12 noon, so you could have the whole day to your excursion in Goa before departing at 9:30pm in the night. Day 3: The ship is at the sea, so you may choose to have your wedding function during the lunch or dinner time.Day 3: The ship arrives at Mumbai at 6 am in the morning.

Please Note: The cruise reserves the right to change the itinerary duration, so you may have select your wedding dates accordingly.

ACCOMMODATION

Ocean view rooms, State rooms and Suites – you may choose from these category of rooms to accommodate your guests

FOOD & BEVERAGE

All day dining restaurants serving Pan Asian cuisine, from home style curries and breads to salads and soups, there’s food for every mood. The restaurants are open 21 hours, so you enjoy your favorite comfort food with good music in a chic ambience. Pre – wedding and wedding feast meals could be arranged on special request and price.

Lunch and Dinner menu grid may comprise what’s below:

2 Soup (02 Veg) , 4 Starters,  3 Option in Starch (Rice) & Assorted Rotis  1 Dal ,  05 Veg Mains,  Chef’s choice – Pasta , 3 Continental Starch (03 Veg), Chinese (Rice / Noodles/ Gravy),  3 Salads & Condiments,  4 Indian Desserts , 4 Euro dessert , Assorted fruits

SERVICES AND COST

INR 15K  is an average cost per person per day including the below mentioned:

FUNCTION VENUE AREA

Decor and entertainment, artiste services, wedding planner, average budget for 100 guests wedding.

Have you any suggestions, write to us at [email protected]

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Cordelia Cruise Wedding Package | Cruise Wedding in India

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Cordelia Cruises Wedding

Cordelia Cruise Destinations for Wedding

• Luxury cruise in India
• Casino in international waters
• Several on the house meals and beverages
• Broadway-themed theaters with performances from world-class musicians, comics, and dancers
• Disco Cheques and Party Places on board 
• Food Pavilion
• Fine Dine Restaurant
• 3 Specialty Restaurants
• Fitness Centre
• Spa & Salon
• Swimming Pool
• Non-stop Entertainment
• Adventure activities
• Indian & International cuisines

Embarkation In Mumbai

Embarkation Starts 11:00 Embarkation Ends 16:30 Sailing Starts 17:30

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Goa (Mormugao)

Arrive at 10:30 Departure at 18:00

Disembarkation at Mumbai

Disembarkation at Mumbai 13:00

• Only Cabin Fare
• Accommodation with all taxes i.e Port taxes, Gratuity, GST
• Any day dining restaurant ( All meals)
• Marquee Theatre( Broadway Experience)
• The Dome ( Dj Night)
• The Screen ( For movies)
• Gym & Fitness
• Pool Access
• Cordelia Academy
• Casino ( Only entry)
• Rock climbing
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• All bar Packages
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Proposed Accommodation/ Similar

Mumbai - 1 night.

Cordelia Cruise

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Additional Info

Sector note.

Cordelia Cruise FAQ’s

Cancellation Policy

KEY POINTS FOR CANCELLATION

Cancellation fee will be applicable only on cabin fare.

Port Charges & Gratuity will be refunded completely.

GST for the refunded amount will also be returned.

CORONA PANDEMIC RELATED CLAUSE

Incase of the passenger's inability to travel due to the passenger / co-passenger testing positive for Corona or being required to undergo quarantine due to the testing positive of a non-traveling family member, then the passenger can reschedule to another cruise without any rescheduling charges (Subject to any fare difference will be payable and customer must reschedule the voyage 48 hours prior the departure). Customers must provide an authenticated medical certificate/letter to avail this benefit.

100% Refund will be made if Cordelia Management cancels any sailings.

RESCHEDULING POLICY

KEY POINTS FOR RESCHEDULING

Free rescheduling is limited at one time only.

Any further rescheduling will be chargeable @INR 5000/- Rs per Cabin.

Rescheduled Itinerary must commence on or before 31 st March 2022.

Fare difference if any will be payable by the Customer.

GST will be applicable on any payable amount.

If a guest requested for rescheduling from the date of Departure before 4 days and above Rescheduling fee will be NIL.

 If guest requested for rescheduling from date of Departure before 0 to 3 days Rescheduling fee will be 5000/- Rs as per cabin fare

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Cruise Sailing Dates 2021 - 2022

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Accommodation

Best deluxe camps, small boutique chalets, heritage hotels & unique home stays

Bang for your Buck

Get the most value and highest satisfaction for your money

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MAKE IT UNFORGETTABLE ROYAL WEDDING CRUISES 

You’re getting married! This is one of the most exciting and important times of your life, and Royal Caribbean® has everything you need to make your wedding as beautiful and seamless as you can imagine. From the right venue to the right menu, you’ll find fantastic choices onboard. Our inclusive wedding packages leave room for customization and those special personal touches, so the cake, flowers, music, breakfast-in-bed, and more are up to you.

Ready to say “I Do”? Start planning your Royal Wedding by submitting your information.

EMBARK ON ROMANCE 

Invite sailing and non-sailing guests to share in your occasion during embarkation day. Plus enjoy dinner for two at a specialty restaurant and more.

Start your wedding on the right note with live music at the ceremony. Then dance away at your reception with a live band, pianist, or DJ.

From custom bouquets to accents and arrangements, Royal Weddings offers an array of floral options to make your celebration more colorful.

Create a reception that reflects your personal style. Choose from a variety of unique options--from cocktail parties to restaurant buy-outs.

Pamper yourself with a couples' massage, a warm towel shave or prepare for your special day with salon services.

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Cruise Wedding In India

Every couple wants their wedding to be like a fairytale, different and unique from all the weddings they have seen or attended. They are in a constant search for the perfect theme, decorations, food and above all the perfect wedding planner to put it all together. Cruise wedding in India a very new concept which you can consider for your wedding.

We are very much sure that a very few couples take cruise wedding into their wedding destination consideration. Consider a cruise wedding if you can not decide on your perfect wedding destination. A cruise wedding has lots of advantages like you and your loved ones can travel to multiple places by being in one location.

Cruise wedding is a totally different experience. Tieing the knot in between the sea is nothing but magical. Discover the joy of getting married at sea. Kraftstar Management plans the best cruise wedding in India.

Cruise wedding in India or anywhere else works best when your guest list is small. Also, if you have planned to get married on a cruise then you don’t want to exaggerate the settings and keep things simple and elegant. A typical destination wedding in India if compared to a cruise wedding is expensive. But if you want things to be simple and to be tight on your pocket then a cruise wedding is perfect.

For a destination wedding at the sea, you have two costs to cover:-

• One is the expense of the journey. The expense of the journey doesn’t rely upon the number of visitors who will be coming, but it does rely upon the number of days of the journey you book, places that you need to cruise, and the ship that you pick.
• While the other is the expense of the wedding. The expense of the wedding totally depends on your needs. A wedding on a ship cannot be very grand like a traditional wedding but you can hire a band to play soft music, wedding decorators and many more. Considering the above needs the expense may vary.

As the name says, the wedding will occur in the center of the ocean, get on board with everyone to enjoy a wedding which they will remember for a lifetime.

The whole planning and implementing procedure becomes easy when you hire a wedding organizer. As they help you in choosing the journey, masterminding the plan and everything else to take your load off. Everyone in the journey offers world-class comforts and helps with all your needs, that you will treasure for a lifetime. Beginning from your stay to your eating, you will be managed with the best. You can even have live artists perform in front of the audience, have greater kitchens for serving any number of visitors, a professional photographer and a professional videographer who will cruise with you.

With loads of things happening around you, your guests will never be exhausted from the board. The astounding regions, good food, dazzling neighborliness, calm atmosphere, and the magnificent state of mind will make you feel so happy. You and your guests will feel regarded to be a part of the adventure and the memories will stay until the finish of time.

Confused about whether to hire a wedding planner or not? Read Top 7 reasons to hire a destination wedding planner

Visit Our Website For More Destination Wedding Ideas.

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The Ultimate Indian Wedding Planning Guide

• Lauren is a freelance writer for The Knot Worldwide.
• While Lauren has been writing her whole life, she began her career by travel writing and reviewing outdoor gear.
• Lauren is passionate about encouraging people planning a wedding to make it exactly what they want and need it to be.

The process of Indian wedding planning is not simple, as the variety of ceremonies, rituals and guests expected is often quite vast. However, we've consulted with WeddingWire India Lead Editor Rumela Sen to give us all the necessary details and Indian wedding planning tips for making this time stress free. From tips and tricks to a timeline to keep you on track, here's exactly how to plan an Indian wedding step by step.

In this story:

How Long Does It Take to Plan an Indian Wedding?

Average indian wedding cost, who pays for an indian wedding, how to plan an indian wedding.

Wondering about an ideal Indian wedding planning timeline? According to Sen, the average Indian wedding "takes about six months to plan." However, if a couple chooses a destination wedding, she notes that they often give themselves a minimum of eight months to properly organize and prepare the festivities as there will be more tasks to tackle on their Indian wedding planning list.

Sen shared that according to a recent WeddingWire India survey of couples who got married in 2022, the average Indian Wedding cost was 20,94,000 rupees, which equates to just over $25,000. This is up from the average cost in 2021 of 10,00,000 rupees or around $12,000. These numbers do not include the engagement ring or honeymoon expenses.

How to Plan an Indian Wedding Budget

When planning your Indian wedding, Sen urges couples to start with the budget. Once you have an estimated number, she believes "it's time to finalize the destination" based on the budget. After that is chosen, couples "book the venue because that is the biggest expenditure for Indian weddings."

Choosing a venue with catering and accommodations included will also cut down on planning. Sen highlights that "top hotel chains also have trusted decorators and entertainment vendors in their panel" to guide your decisions in this step. If a couple is still struggling with creating and keeping a budget, WeddingWire India does have a budget planning tool in the app to help them distribute money well.

According to the WeddingWire India survey, around 64% of the wedding budget is typically covered by the parents of the couple. The rest of the money typically comes from the bride and groom. Sen wrote that "in India, couples also get wedding cost support from relatives and friends in the form of wedding gifts."

Many couples planning an Indian wedding recently have opted to take out a wedding loan in order to pay for their celebration. While this is not for everyone, it is an option that allows a pair to have a larger budget without having to depend on financial support from their family.

Indian weddings are no simple feat, and pulling one off without a hitch requires an immense amount of planning. To help you with every part of this journey, Rumela Sen shared her expertise when it comes to the most important steps when planning an Indian wedding. From starting to dream up the type of wedding you want to when to pick your mehendi artist, Sen delivered the ultimate Indian wedding planning checklist and guide.

Find your kind of venue

1. finalize the number of wedding events.

Before you get carried away choosing the perfect designer outfit or bridal lehenga, Sen writes that "it's important to finalize the total number of wedding events and the type of wedding first." This step should happen soon after you get engaged and at least six months out from your wedding date. Choosing whether or not you'll have a mehndi party , haldi ceremony , sangeet ceremony or other cultural celebrations and traditions can all happen at this time.

Sen provides the following questions to help you start planning the wedding of your dreams:

• Do you want to plan a destination wedding or a residential wedding?
• How many events do you want to host?
• Are both families planning to host all events together or do you have separate events?

After agreeing on these answers, you can move forward in the planning process.

2. Set a Realistic Wedding Budget

Once you have a broad overview of what your wedding will entail, it is time to finalize a budget that will allow your dream to come true without stretching you outside your financial comfort zone. The number of guests, size of the wedding and destination will be main influences on your final number, although decor desires, outfit considerations and personal preferences for entertainment will also need to fit within the parameters you establish. In order to keep your timeline on track, this step is best done between six and eight months out.

3. Prepare the Guest List

Next, write down a guest list together. The estimated headcount will help immensely in choosing venues and negotiating pricing with other vendors such as caterers and hotels. This should be finished at least six months before the wedding to ensure vendors can be properly booked.

4. Book the Venue

According to Sen, booking the wedding ceremony and reception venue is the next major task. This is typically the largest portion of the wedding budget. This should be done a minimum of six months in advance, although the sooner you discuss potential wedding dates with your preferred venue, the more likely you are to get the one you want.

5. Hire Wedding Planner

As Indian weddings are often complicated affairs with many moving parts, wedding planners and day-of coordinators are essential to making the events go smoothly. Sen advises couples to "book the wedding planner first and then decide on other vendors because planners have strong relationships in the industry and can help to book the right vendors for different requirements." This step should be done around six months out, but if you already have a date, there's no reason to wait.

6. Create a Personal Wedding Planning Checklist with Deadlines

If you hire a wedding planner, they will create the planning checklist and coordinate deadlines. However, if you have chosen to forego their services, writing down a clear wedding checklist with hard deadlines is essential to staying on track. Sen calls this "the most important step" of wedding planning in order to pull off your event seamlessly and with the least amount of stress along the way.

7. Agree on Decor Theme and Look for a Wedding Decorator

Sen asks couples to "prepare a mood board to easily communicate their vision to wedding decorators/designers ." This is a great time to discuss what you would like your mandap to look like, should you choose to have one. Once a theme is chosen, team up with a decorator to keep your decor on track without going over your budget. This can be done anywhere from three to six months out as long as your preferred decorator has space to fit you in.

8. Choose Wedding Outfits and Jewelry

While you have probably perused many wedding outfits by this point in the planning process, Sen notes that the next step is to "keep exploring wedding outfits and jewelry simultaneously" and "opt for jewelry designs and outfits that complement each other." If you want a designer outfit, Sen encourages you to move this step up to after you book "the venue because designers need a minimum of two or three months time to customize the bridal lehengas and sherwanis." She also advises that sarees take less time to make for those in a time crunch.

9. Interview and Book Primary Vendors

Interviewing and booking vendors is a key part of wedding planning as you communicate your vision, understand their technique and offerings and see who is within your budget. Sen encourages couples to check out online portfolios and starting package prices of photographers and makeup artists before reaching out. Most of your vendor contracts should be signed at least twelve weeks before the special day.

10. Finalize Invites and Send Save the Dates

Next up is putting the final touches on invites and sending out save-the-dates . Sen believes the latter should be sent at least three months before the wedding, although for destination weddings a longer lead time will allow more guests to plan on attending.

11. Book Secondary Vendors

Sen encourages couples that the next step is to "book entertainment vendors like choreographers, DJs, emcees and folk singers" as needed. Don't forget to book a mehendi artist for the big day as well. After this is done, move on to transportation vendors such as cabs and limos that will move family and guests to and from the airport and venues throughout the wedding festivities. All of these details can happen in the final three months before the wedding.

12. Plan Performance Rehearsals and Send Outfit Details

At this point, you're in the final weeks before your wedding. About three weeks out, Sen recommends couples schedule rehearsals for performances, coordinate outfits and ensure all alterations are complete if needed. At this point, ensure all guests, family and bridal party members know their duties and what events they are expected during the wedding week.

13. Take a Deep Breath and Celebrate

As the final details fall into place, remember to set some time apart with your future spouse to soak in the last days of your engagement. Once the wedding events begin, it will be a whirlwind of family, friends and fun until you say "I do."

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A Wedding Editor's Guide To Using a Free Indian Wedding Cost Calculator

If you are about to get married soon and are looking for a simple Indian wedding cost calculator, then your search ends here. Here is how the WeddingWire India Budget tool can guide you through your wedding budget planning, seamlessly. Read to know more.

Hi, I am the Lead Editor at WeddingWire India, and I recently planned a residential wedding in Delhi, NCR, and used the WeddingWire India budget calculator to plan my expenses. Planning your wedding budget will always be the most important step in wedding planning. The first step on my wedding planning checklist, even before I started looking at wedding venues and wedding vendors  was deciding the total budget for the wedding. I highly recommend this as the first and most important wedding planning step. Once you have an estimated wedding budget in mind, the next steps, like the total guest list, the destination of the wedding, and choosing the perfect wedding venue will become easier. 

The WeddingWire.IN’s budget tool is a blessing for all couples. I have put together my wedding budget planning experience here for your ease. Check it out here.

In this blog:

1. Planning the Budget

2. The WeddingWire India Budget Tool

3. How to Use the Budget Tool

4. Categories Under Budget Tool

5. Pros of Using the Budget Tool

Planning The Budget

If you are a millennial or Gen Z bride or groom-to-be who is here for wedding planning advice, I am assuming you are taking the major wedding planning decisions together. Even if your budget decision is being made by your parents, it is important to answer a few questions along the way. Here's how I reached the final wedding budget decision when I was planning my wedding:

1. What is our (couple + parents of both sides) wedding vision?

Are you dreaming of a destination wedding, or do you want to focus on catering to all your contacts within the city and opt for a local venue accordingly?

2. What's the tentative guest list you all have in mind?

A very important question that you must answer before the wedding planning begins is the desired wedding guest list size. Your budget and a lot of wedding planning decisions depend on this.

3. How many events do you want to plan?

How many pre-wedding and post-wedding events do you have in mind? This should be discussed well in advance with your partner and family to plan the total wedding budget and how it needs to be broken down for different categorical wedding planning decisions.

Once you have taken mutual decisions, put the estimated wedding budget on the tool and let the WWI free budget calculator break your main expenses down for you.

Plan Your Wedding Budget Here

The WeddingWire India Budget Tool

Allotting a certain amount to each of the zillion requirements, major and small, is not that easy. This is when the WeddingWire India's Budget tool comes as your saviour. The Budget Tool is a genie in a bottle. It is not only easy to use but also boasts some automated estimation that helps you segregate a certain percentage of your wedding budget into each of the required sections from your planning checklist. The Budget tool will provide you with a clear idea of how much money from your budget needs to be invested in certain areas once you provide your estimated budget amount here.

How To Use The Budget Tool

Click on this Sign Up link and create your account on WeddingWire India. Follow the below-mentioned steps once you have logged in.

Step 1: Create Your Account

You need to register on the WeddingWire India App, Wedding Planner by WeddingWire.in, from the Play Store or App Store (for Apple) with your email or Facebook or Google account. You can also avail the benefits of the Budget Tool on the WeddingWire India website. Provide the details of your wedding, including the wedding date, the name of the groom, and so on.

Step 2: Select the Budget Option

Select the budget option from the drop-down list under Planning Tools.

Step 3: Add the estimated budget for all categories 

The Budget Planner will now give you the option to add the 'estimated budget' that you have in mind for all wedding planning costs, from booking the wedding venue to hiring the wedding decorator, finalising catering costs, buying your wedding attire, and more.

On the left-hand side of the screen, you will find the major cost categories listed, like events, catering, photography, and videography. Click on each of these categories and start updating them as per your wedding requirements. The WWI Free Wedding Cost Calculator will break your estimated budget down to major wedding expense decisions here. This can help you get a hang of the average budget you need to keep in mind for each category and ensure that you don't go overboard when you look for wedding venues and vendors.

Editor's Tip: Once you know your estimated venue budget, close on booking the wedding venue first. Try to find a wedding venue that offers amazing catering services in-house. Also, check with both families beforehand if you need accommodation within the venue, or you will simply book the banquet space and catering services. This will help you finalise the biggest wedding cost.

Categories Under Budget Tool

There are 16 categories listed under the Budget tool, and each of them leads to a list of sub-categories. This is an exhaustive tool that will ensure that your wedding budget is tailor-made and that the budget checklist does not miss out on even minute factors.

The various expenses that you need to plan under the Events category include:

1. Venue rentals for each of your pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding ceremony 

2. Tent house rentals if you have outdoor spaces in the venue

3. Chairs, linens, etc 

The Events category covers all the venue-related expenses. It is one of the major chunks of expenses on which your budget gets spent. Indian weddings include various wedding ceremonies, both pre- and post-wedding. If you have a separate venue in mind for each of these ceremonies, you can allot the estimated or agreeable amounts to each.

Editor's Tip: My tip would be to look for one picturesque wedding venue where all your events can be hosted. Many hotels and resorts have multiple spaces within the venue to host your wedding ceremonies, like a poolside area, banquets, glass houses, terrace set-ups, lawns, and more.

Book a Wedding Venue in Your Budget

The tool helps you plan your budget for the following catering-related expenses:

1. Meal costs for various wedding events

2. Cost of tea or snacks during baraat

3. Wedding cake 

4. Mithaai and other desserts 

The Catering section in the Budget tool takes care of the meal budget throughout the wedding. The wedding ceremonies will include guests, and their meal costs and beverage expenses need to be kept in mind. The catering costs are generally calculated per plate according to the number of guests. You can also spare some of your budget for some customised plates. The wedding cake is also counted under this section.

Editor's Tip: Add your per-plate cost calculations here in the final cost section; this should be the amount that has been quoted by the venue or caterer. Once you update this cost, the tool will automatically deduct the total cost of the venue and catering from your total estimated budget. You will know exactly how much to spend on your remaining categories accordingly. 

Find Top Caterers in Your City

Photography and Video

Photography has turned out to be one of the most important expenses for wedding planning these days. Photography and video charges vary from vendor to vendor and the requisites you would like to add to your wedding package. Some basic expenses include:

1. Engagement Shoot 

2. Photographer chargers for wedding events 

3. The videographer charges

4. Additional charges for Photobooth installation

The wedding ceremonies have different photography needs, and to keep tabs on each of the photography and video requirements for each day (pre-wedding, wedding, etc.), this category has listed different sub-categories like engagement, photographer for the wedding events, videographer for the wedding events, the number of hard copies or prints that you need, and so on. You must consider the different packages depending on your photography needs, like candid photography, traditional photography, drone shots, etc.

Find Top Wedding Photographers in Your Budget

1. The expense of hiring a professional wedding planner 

2. You can ignore this section if you are planning the wedding yourself. 

Editor's Tip:  What I absolutely loved about this tool is how it adds vendor suggestions for each category within the calculated budget. You can also go directly to our marketplace and add filters like fee, services offered, etc. to find an ideal wedding planner.

Find Trusted Wedding Planners in India

While we are mostly talking about bigger wedding planning costs like booking the wedding venue, it's so important to take the bridal jewellery cost into account. I mostly wore heirlooms for all my wedding events and didn't have to add an additional budget for them. I highly recommend doing the same if you want to add your family's legacy to your look. If you are an experimental bride and want to try out new looks and jewellery designs, make sure you add the total allotted cost to the budget calculator.

The two major expenses that have been enlisted in the budget calculator include:

1. Bridal jewelry (total amount)

2. Wedding Rings

The bride can pick the groom's ring and vice versa, but the budget has to be in one place to tally it right. You can even plan on experimenting with jewellery on rent, which is a big hit these days.

Editor's Tip: Don't skip this step because I have mostly seen families going over budget here. It's advisable to allocate a certain budget for jewellery if you want to invest in statement pieces.

Bridal Jewellery Stores Near You

Flowers and Wedding Decoration

Endless wedding decoration inspiration from Bollywood movies and Instagram feeds now enables us to plan the most picturesque wedding boards for all of our events. The biggest celebration of our lives deserves the most amazing decorations. If you have a vision of your own and want to explore elaborate wedding decoration ideas, put your decoration costs together using the tool.

1. Wedding event decoration 

2. Lighting expense

3. Car decoration 

Editor's Tip:   Head to Pinterest or Instagram and put a mood board together with all the wedding decoration pictures you like. Share these links with the wedding decorators you are talking to and get separate quotes for the types of decor you choose. Do not skip these discussions and take the final quotations from the decorator for the decoration mood boards you finalise for each event. Negotiate and close on a final cost and ensure all the deliverables, like phoolon ki chaadar , jai mala, etc., are covered.

Find Top Decorators For Your Wedding Events 

Transportation

One category that we often miss until the last minute is booking transportation services for your guests. Plan airport pick-up and drop-off and to-and-from car rentals from the venue beforehand. The budget tool has taken these into consideration within the budget you have estimated and allocates about 2% of the budget to transportation.

Major expenses enlisted are:

1. Wedding car 

2. Guest Transportation 

3. Baraat: Groom Transportation

Hire Wedding Transportation Vendors in Your City 

Wedding Cards

While WhatsApp invitations are taking over the industry, wedding cards still continue to be a must-have for many families in different parts of India. Be it digital or print, wedding invitation cards are a very important investment in wedding planning. The cost calculator covers:

1. Save the Dates

2. Wedding invitations.

You can add more categories if you plan on sending a different invitation for different ceremonies.

Top Wedding Invitation Designers In Your City 

Bridal Accessories

Lehengas, party dresses, shoes, and lingerie are some of the most important buying decisions for your wedding events. Add your estimated budgets for each of these categories before you go outfit shopping. This needs to be done along with wedding jewellery budget planning if you want to invest in designer wear. Balance the costs accordingly. 

Look for Bridal Lehenga Stores in Your City 

Groom's Accessories

The bridal or groom accessories and outfit costs might be separate buying decisions for each of you, but I would recommend adding your personal budgets here to stay on track. This section covers the cost of the groom's sherwani, shoes, and other accessories.

Sherwani Stores Near You

How can we miss the cost of hiring a hair and makeup artist for your wedding celebrations? This has become one of the most popular decisions for brides today. Take your whole budget distribution into consideration before you start talking to our favourite HMU artists. Hire the best makeup and hair artists to ensure that you get the wedding look you have envisioned. Cost planning includes:

1. Bridal hair 

2. Bridal makeup

3. Bridal beauty treatments 

4. Mehndi Artist

The preparations for the wedding glow start way before everything else. The expenditures for the regular salon visits and the mehndi artist can also be easily accounted for under the Health and Beauty tab of the budget tool.

Top Bridal Makeup Artists in Your City 

Entertainment

The DJ, the wedding band, and the dholis in your baraat are part of the entertainment budget slot. You must also include the audio and video equipment and the professional choreographer's budget if you plan to hire them too. Apart from this, if you want to hire musical bands, magicians, MCs, and so on for live entertainment at your wedding, you can add these to the entertainment slot of the budget.

Expenses you can calculate under this section include:

2. Dholi 

3. Dance Choreography

4. Audio and Video equipment 

Editor's Tip:  If you are looking for entertainment vendors on a budget, ask your venue manager for top recommendations. Booking a vendor from their panel can save on the cost of equipment rentals. Decorators and planners can also help you find entertainment vendors within your budget.

Find Top Wedding Entertainment Vendors 

The WeddingWire India budget calculator tool has a dedicated category for 'guests'. You can enlist the following expenses below the tool:

1. Guest accommodations 

2. Wedding favours 

The budget tool plans the budget, and the segregation is inclusive of the expenses for the guests. The guest accommodation is one of the major expenses set aside for the guests. However, I would recommend adding the accommodation costs to your venue budget. You can use this section if you are renting a separate house or rooms for your guests instead of accommodating them in the wedding hotel.  Along with this, there is also a list of wedding favours and return gifts that you need to consider under this header. Be it the traditional mithai dabbas or other wedding favours, don't forget to add the cost here for your ease.

Find Luxury & Budget Wedding Gift Vendors

On the day of the ceremony, there are many minor expenses that need to be taken care of in the budget and are best accounted for while planning. Without you having to worry about the firewood, priest payments, donations, flowers, and other miscellaneous expenses on the wedding day, the budget tool immediately sets aside 0.8% of the entire amount for the ceremony requirements.

The budget tool also assists you in taking into account the budget that you want to invest in a honeymoon. The honeymoon is often set aside from wedding planning. However late you may want to go for the honeymoon, if a honeymoon is on the books, the budget tool makes sure to allot a certain amount of the budget to the honeymoon and divide it among the different requirements like flights, hotel bookings, visas, etc. The free budget tool by WWI helps you plan your honeymoon budget with ease. The sections include:

1. Flights 

3. Excursions 

4. Visas 

Apart from the costs mentioned above, you can add other expenses to your honeymoon budget, like car rentals while travelling, food expenses, and more.

Find Honeymoon Packages from Top Travel Agents 

The Budget tool on WeddingWire, India, also allots a certain amount of the decided budget to the Other category. This category might not seem so crucial in the beginning, but setting it aside saves you from a lot of budget spillovers arising from unexpected expenses. Budget lists you will find under the 'Other' section:

1. Bride/groom accommodations 

2. Family and in-law gifts 

3. Car rentals

4. Bachelorette expenses 

And you can always customise the list and add other expenses to it.

Pros of Using the Budget Tool

• The budget tool is always accessible. If you share the password and login ID with your partner and your family members, they can update the expenses and budget whenever they feel the need to do so.
• It is eco-friendly without many crushed papers finding their way into your trashcan.
• It is budget-friendly; sign up for free!
• It is a go-to organiser and checklist, all in one.
• The data remains as long as you do not delete the website, and it is therefore reliable.
• Calculations are made easy.
• It is easier to keep track and be on the same page with everyone else.

Millennial couples have tried their hand at jewellery on rent, lehenga on rent, and so on, and they have been super impressed with the idea. You can also use alternative millennial options to alter the course of the budget.

How about you save on every possible frill and splurge it all on your honeymoon? Book a relaxing spa and rejuvenate your senses by just unwinding post-wedding. Going out on 18-hour flights won't help you do that, so try booking a honeymoon destination  that is not so far away. Now that you have learned all the things about WeddingWire India's budget tool, make the most of it and nail your wedding planning process like a cakewalk.

Every little thing adds up—that's why we advise you to keep a “miscellaneous” fund that is around 1/10th of your wedding budget. What people generally ignore to account for are the costs of a bachelorette party , baraat for the groom side, wedding giveaways, vendor meals and tips, marriage registration , overtime costs, and Pandit Ji .

For a hassle-free experience, use  WeddingWire's budgeting tool which takes care of tracking all the expenses for you.

Additional Words by Anwesha Das 

Mehndi Design  |  Proposal Lines  |  Simple Finger Mehndi Design  |  Arabic Mehndi Design  |  Propose Day Quotes for Boyfriend  |  Wedding Anniversary Wishes for Sister   | Tamil Wedding Calendar  |  Simple Mehndi Design  |  Pre Wedding Quotes  |  Engagement Anniversary Wishes  |  Funny Wedding Wishes for Bestfriend  |  Blouse Design  |  Rangoli Design  |  First Night Tips for Bride  |  Wedding Anniversary Wishes

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Hire Myshaadiwale Cruise Wedding Planners in India

Cruise wedding sets an example for ‘your wedding something different’. It is not always important to be a billionaire to do something unique. Nothing is impossible, for a very happy onset of life one can opt for a cruise wedding, sailing from one point to another as an ‘ocean liner’ or have a ‘nowhere voyage’ experience with a parked cruise, along with your most loving guests, having the elegant decor for the wedding and also the cocktail party with some skillful bar tenders driving you crazy with the spirits.

Once you are through with the wedding, relish the beauty of the cruise, with adorable dolphins leaping above the sea water in various patterns just to give you a close view, and the stars twinkling just so that you could spend a romantic night on your honey moon, with all the arrangements made admirably by Myshaadiwale – wedding planners in India .

Cruise is also a good place to have a celebration of the special day in the year, your wedding anniversary, having the romantic mid ocean candle light date with your beloved and to make the moment even more precious toast some champagne.

As we are best cruise wedding planners, we arrange Cruise party in various mind blowing destinations Andaman, Srilanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Dubai, Bali and more are a part of the packages that Myshaadiwale (cruise wedding planners in India ) offers. Apart from that in India we target cruise wedding for Goa, Pune, Mumbai, Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmdabad & Surat.

Cruise wedding can be made possible at ones feasible budget. There are a variety of cruises available which has different set ups and pricing.

Jalesh Cruises Routes: Mumbai, Dubai, Madgaon, Diu, Goa, Mangalore, Kochi, Maldives, Colombo, Chennai, Vizag, Andaman, Thailand, Singapore, & Penang

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Jalesh Cruises, a brand of Zen Cruise Pvt. Ltd. is India’s first multi-destination cruise line that has the best of entertainment shows, adventure activities and exotic authentic cuisines packed with international hospitality on the high sea. The cruise is designed & customised especially for the Indian audience and also for the foreigners visiting India to experience the flavour of Indian culture, food & hospitality. We look beyond and always wish to take ‘Incredible India’ on a global platform by contributing to the growth of tourism and allied businesses. Welcome to Jalesh Cruises for a memorable vacation. .

Karnika exemplifies our dream to make the world a happy place. Karnika, our maiden ship is set to take you on an unparalleled journey filled with numerous experiences that will leave you breathless and yet wanting for more.

Make a booking with us today

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Cruise & Ships

Sail into Eternal Love: Experience a wedding like no other aboard our luxurious Cruises and Ships. Set sail on the azure waters, surrounded by breathtaking views, as you exchange vows in a romantic and intimate setting. With top-notch amenities and personalized service, our Cruises and Ships offer a unique and unforgettable celebration. From stunning sunsets to starlit nights, your love story will unfold amidst the magic of the open sea. Let our expert team handle all the details, from nautical decor to exquisite dining, while you and your guests embark on a journey of love and adventure. Whether it's a private ceremony or a grand reception, our Cruises and Ships promise to make your wedding a dream voyage filled with precious memories that will linger for a lifetime.

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• Inspiration

How Much Does an Indian Destination Wedding Cost?

How much does an Indian destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean cost?

Based on our experience, an Indian destination wedding with about 200-300 guests typically costs around $150,000 for a three-day celebration.

But we’ve put together a list of our  favorite wedding packages under $15,000 , and you’ll see there are ample amazing wedding venues and packages available.

Indian and South Asian weddings are famous for being festive, exciting, and often large-scale celebrations. 

With events taking place over three action-packed days, Indian, or Shaadi, weddings include food, fun, and tradition.

Many couples are balancing their family and cultural traditions while dreaming of lavish destinations that soak up the gorgeous tropical scenery for an unforgettable day. 

But how much does this all cost? 

Well, in regions such as Mexico or the Caribbean, full-scale weddings may not cost as much as you think. 

Moreover, they also offer some of the best natural surroundings, architecture, and amenities you can want for an Indian destination wedding . 

Whether you want a traditional Shaadi or a contemporary wedding with traditional touches, many resorts have the facilities, packages, and expertise to make your dreams come true. 

Read on to learn all about the typical costs associated with an Indian destination wedding:

Table of Contents

The average cost of an Indian destination wedding

Answering the question, “How much does a luxury Indian wedding cost?” is like answering, “How many waves are on a beach?” or “How many clouds are in the sky?” 

The answer is that it depends on the conditions. 

The who, when, where, and what affects the cost of an overseas South Asian wedding. 

Based on our experience, an Indian destination wedding with about 200-300 guests typically costs around $150,000 for a three-day celebration. 

A Hindu or sikh ceremony can involve larger guest lists, incorporate more events, and take place over a longer period of time. 

Is it cheaper to do a destination wedding?

Common non-Indian weddings cost around $30,000 at more costly destinations like Hawaii or Europe.

In our experience, destination weddings are more typically $15,000 or $20,000 in Mexico and the Caribbean. 

We put together a list of our favorite wedding packages under $15,000 , and you’ll see there are ample amazing wedding venues and packages available. 

So why is the price so much lower in these areas? And does this translate over to Indian weddings?

Hosting your wedding overseas in these destinations can be more cost-effective when you take advantage of all-inclusive resorts and the packages they offer for weddings. 

This is because of a few factors, including the US Dollar exchange rate and the lower costs of goods and services. 

In fact, many of these resorts offer  FREE wedding packages  for couples who meet particular requirements. 

Common requirements include the couple staying a minimum number of nights in the resort or needing a guest list of a particular size to book rooms. 

This is excellent news for Shaadi weddings! Their length and scale tend to make meeting these requirements easy. 

What’s more,  you can leverage the relationships we hold with these resorts  to get competitive benefits. 

With over 30 years of experience planning destination weddings, we’ve established relationships with the top resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean. 

We can negotiate exclusive advantages and deals for our couples and their guests. 

What influences the cost of an Indian destination wedding?

Below are some of the major factors that can influence the cost of an Indian Wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean:

How many people to invite to your Indian destination wedding?

The number of guests you host is ultimately up to you and your vision.

Okay, it may also depend on how many friends and extended family your parents want to invite. 😅

Most Indian weddings we help plan typically have between 150 and 350 guests.

If you’re hoping to invite outside of your immediate family and close friends, consider the costs of hosting 100 or more people.

It’s important to remember that some invitees won’t be able to make it. 

This is especially true for destination weddings. 

Remember to factor in a 20%-30% invite decline rate in your planning. 

Inviting more guests to your wedding can help reduce some of the costs of your celebration, where resorts incentivize larger guest lists. 

For example, resorts like  Azul Riviera Cancun  offer a “Cash for your Bash” promotion, which rewards the couple and their wedding. 

This promotion earns couples free wedding essentials, such as ceremonies, decor, events, or catering. 

We’ll share more of our favorite resorts for Indian destination weddings below.

Level of decor

Most wedding packages include elegant decor, but this can be slightly more minimalist than you may expect in a traditional South Asian wedding.

This means that you might need to pay extra for decor, whether the resort supplies it or if you need to pay an outside vendor to decorate your events. 

It’s important to note that booking an outside vendor can often incur additional fees from the resort. 

Some specialist South Asian packages that a few resorts offer can include decor, such as ornate mandaps, table dressings, or backdrops. 

Consider how lavishly you want your events to be decorated before you begin planning, as this can help guide your decision-making throughout this process. 

Destination choice

The good news is that the pricing of packages around the Caribbean and Mexico is pretty consistent, no matter where you choose. 

What does change, however, is the price of getting there. 

For example, if you’re based in the southwestern states, flying to Cabo can be faster and cheaper than flying to Jamaica. 

If you’re asking 100-300 guests to pay for their own travel, it’s important to consider how far you’re asking them to go. 

The primary ceremony venue for a destination wedding is often a core inclusion of destination wedding packages. 

South Asian weddings, however, usually involve three full days of events, meaning that several venues may be necessary to book at an extra cost, depending on the package inclusions. 

For example, Mehndi and Sangeet gatherings may require rooms or private areas to be booked, which can add cost to the overall budget.

When you want to get married

Another key factor for the cost of your destination wedding is the time of year you want to get married. 

Planning your destination wedding for the shoulder season can help you avoid higher travel costs and unlock better wedding incentives. 

Ensure that you also research the seasonal weather for your chosen destination because some tropical regions can get wet seasons or even hurricanes. 

Similarly, going in the middle of summer might mean scorching temperatures that can roast your guests during an outdoor beach ceremony. 

If you can, aim for the “sweet spot,” just next to the high season while the weather is still mild. 

The ideal time of year to visit varies from region to region. 

Our experienced team can help you choose the best time of year depending on where you dream of hosting your destination wedding. 

While some resorts are fully equipped to host South Asian weddings, others may require you to book specialist external vendors if you want to include traditional elements in your wedding. 

For example, if you want to book a Mehndi artist, you may need to book this independently of the resort and pay an external vendor fee. 

Say you want the Dulha to ride in on an ornate white horse during the baraat- this is most likely only possible through an external vendor! 

If these aspects are important to you, research whether there are local vendors where your chosen resort is. 

This is also something we can help you with as our client. 

Similarly, consider whether you wish to bring your own officiant from home or if this is someone you need to source in your chosen destination at additional cost. 

Consider which may be cheaper, paying for the travel and accommodation of an extra person for three nights (and possibly their spouse!), or hiring a local. 

Aside from elements specific to South Asian weddings, other vendors such as photographers and videographers, DJs and musicians, and makeup or hair stylists may also be on your wish list. 

As with decorations, if you want traditional food, you’ll want to find a resort that understands the traditional cuisines.

In some cases, you may need to consider working with an external vendor to cater your wedding over some or all of the three days of events. 

Our goal is to find a resort where you can work closely with the resort to design the catering to include the traditional cuisine you want. 

Who pays for what in an Indian destination wedding?

In a strictly traditional Indian wedding, it’s not unheard of for the bride’s parents to cover most or all of the costs of the wedding. 

However, this isn’t strictly the case for all South Asian weddings, especially modern ones. 

Several factors can influence the division of costs. 

For instance, if the groom’s side of the family wants to invite significantly more guests, they may contribute more to cover this cost. 

One factor that’s unique to destination weddings is travel costs. 

So who pays for those?

For destination weddings, it’s typical for guests to cover their own travel fare, including flights and ground transport. 

This is also the case for guests’ resort stay. 

The great thing about all-inclusive resorts is that by covering their accommodation costs, guests can access gourmet dining, drinks, pools, beaches, and other amenities. 

When looking for your wedding venue, consider what the resort offers guests to ensure that the cost of staying there is worth it for them. 

Consider whether kids will have fun, how the food will be, and whether your family and friends will have the trip they want (obviously, in addition to celebrating you!)

We commonly work with couples to have “booking codes” for various wedding party groups. 

We do this often for Indian weddings when the host is paying for some or all of the guest’s stay. 

Resorts and wedding packages for Indian destination weddings

We have a curated list of our favorite destination wedding venues for large weddings, but not all large wedding venues can manage an Indian destination wedding.

Here’s a list of some of our favorite and most cost-effective resorts for an Indian destination wedding, with a brief overview, description of venues, wedding highlights, and Indian wedding call-outs:

The Grand at Moon Palace

The Grand at Moon Palace  is by far one of the best family-friendly all-inclusive resorts near Cancun, with delicious food, activities for all ages, and a wedding team that can design extraordinary events. 

Overview : This resort sits on the luxury end of the scale and offers heightened cuisine, entertainment, design, and amenities for the whole family. 

The Grand at Moon Palace is one of the best resorts for an Indian beach wedding, only 15 minutes from Cancun International Airport. 

The Complimentary wedding package here allows the couple and their families to save money on the ceremony and other core wedding elements. 

Check out our  full review  to learn more about what you can expect from a wedding at this resort. 

• Caribbean beach (open capacity)
• Ballroom (open capacity)
• Caribbean lounge (120 guests)
• Sun Terrace (800 guests)
• Sandero Terrace (120 guests)

Wedding highlights

• $20 per room per night toward free wedding essentials
• Four gorgeous design collections
• On-site wedding planner
• Several other competitive and comprehensive wedding packages

Indian wedding call-outs

• Extensive South Asian wedding menu includes 120 items
• On-site wedding specialists experienced with South Asian Weddings
• Corporate chef Sarvesh Surechandra Patankar specializes in Indian cuisine
• Tropical Traditions design collection for tropical Shaadi

Generations / El Dorado Royale

Two world-class resorts in the Lomas Hospitality group are the  El Dorado Royale  and  Generations Riviera Maya . 

Overview : Both resorts offer the “Always and Forever” wedding package, offering complimentary ceremony and other free elements. 

Technically El Dorado Royale is actually two resorts in one (El Dorado Royale and El Dorado Royale Casitas). 

The Casitas section sits in the middle of the propert and are villa-like properties with thatch roofs, and private swim out pools on the first floor. 

El Dorado Royale is an adults-only haven and Generations Riviera Maya is a family-friendly hotspot for luxury. 

Both of these resorts are located on the eastern shore of the Yucatan peninsula between Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

• El Dorado- Grand Ballroom (800 guests)
• El Dorado- Salon Royale (300 guests)
• El Dorado- White gazebo (300 guests)
• Generations- Sky Deck (300 guests)
• Generations- Beach Gazebo (300 guests)
• Generations- Ballroom (200 guests)
• Generations- Pier (200 guests)
• Wide variety of venues
• Custom package budgets
• Experienced on-site wedding staff
• Indian gourmet celebration cuisine
• Lotus catering menu
• South Asian wedding amenities and services

Azul Riviera Cancun

Azul Riviera Cancun  is a beach resort offering access to stunning aquamarine waters south of Cancun. 

Overview : This 435-room Karisma resort offers a family-friendly luxury escape.

With six world-class restaurants and six bars, thirst, and hunger is a thing of the past, while the acclaimed spa and six pools have sun-soaked fun and relaxation covered. 

With plenty of entertainment for the kids and opportunities for adults to elevate their stay, Azul Riviera Cancun is a resort that can cater to any number of guests. 

• Roof garden (120 guests)
• Lavaz Gazebo (120 guests)
• Sky Deck (120 guests)
• Palapa Yoga (open capacity)
• Ocean Salon (160 guests)
• Zocalo Beach (120 guests)
• Experienced on-site wedding specialists
• Cash for your Bash promotion earns $20 credit per room toward wedding essentials
• Three excellent wedding packages for a range of needs
• South Asian Wedding Banquet Kit
• Experienced on-site wedding team 

Moon Palace Cancun

There are Moon Palace resorts in  Cancun ,  Jamaica , and soon, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

For Indian Weddings, we prefer Moon Palace Cancun, given its proximity to the airport and on-site wedding team that can design and coordinate beautiful events. 

Overview : The Complimentary wedding package at Moon Palace Resorts is one of the most cost-effective ways to host a destination wedding. 

You can bring the whole family and all your friends along for a lavish bash, where they can enjoy the Awe Spas and gourmet cuisine that makes this banner so popular. 

You can read our reviews of  Moon Palace Cancun  and  Moon Palace Jamaica  if you’re still deciding between the two destinations.

Moon Palace Cancun is located directly next to the Grand at Moon Palace. 

Guests staying at the Grand have access to everything at the Moon, but guests at the Moon will need to pay for a day pass if they want to access the Grand and its additional restaurants, amenities, and water park. 

• Cancun- Beach (open capacity)
• Cancun- Bugambilias Gazebo (120 guests)
• Jamaica- North Gazebo (200 guests)
• Jamaica- South Beach (250 guests)
• Jamaica- Starlight Terrace (250 guests)
• Jamaica- Grand and Orion Ballrooms (250 guests)
• Customizable decor packages
• Earn $20 per room per night toward free wedding essentials
• The longer your guest list, the more free events you get
• Indian cuisine by Corporate chef Sarvesh Surechandra Patankar
• Lavish Tropical Traditions design collection
• Experienced South Asian Wedding specialist on-site

Hard rock Riviera Maya

The  Hard Rock Riviera Maya  is just south of Playa del Carmen in the Yucatan Peninsula’s eastern riviera. 

Overview : This family-friendly resort is the best high-energy venue for making unforgettable memories on the Riviera Maya. 

With a stunning white sand beach and world-class spa, adults can unwind while kids enjoy splashing around in the water park. 

The Complimentary package, or “Wedding Inspiration,” offers exceptional value when you bring large groups, although you will need to add on costs for numbers over 32. 

• Starlight Beach (120 guests)
• Heaven Beach (100 guests)
• Stairway to Heaven (200 guests)
• Woodstock Terrace (300 guests)
• Ipanema Solarium (200 guests)
• Maracas Terrace (200 guests)
• Ocean Terrace and Hacienda Overlook (150 guests)
• Convention Center (1,500 guests)
• Event consultant and on-site wedding coordinator
• Huge range of venues with varying atmospheres
• Elegant and customizable designs and decor
• Website and online registry included in Complimentary Inspiration
• South Asian Wedding style catered to
• “Ishq” WOW wedding specialists are experts at planning Indian weddings

Hard rock Punta Cana

Hard Rock Punta Cana  is one of the most excitement-filled resorts on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic. 

Overview : Another great Hard Rock resort offering the brand’s competitive Complimentary Wedding Inspiration is this stunner in Punta Cana. 

This resort also features one of the most popular casinos on the island, while offering the little ones endless fun at the Roxity Kids Club. 

Of course, the Signature Rock Spa is always ready to pamper your guests or help the special couple unwind before their big day. 

• Piano Beach (350 guests)
• Ipanema Beach (150 guests)
• Ipanema Garden (200 guests)
• Eclipse Canal (400 guests)
• Eclipse Garden (100 guests)
• Isle of Wight Plaza (600 guests)
• Element Terrace (300 guests)
• Sax Pool (200 guests)
• Multiple venues capable of hosting over 150 guests
• Customizable decor and designs

Hard Rock Los Cabos

Hard Rock Los Cabos  is in an isolated spot west of Cabo San Lucas.

Overview : Hard Rock Los Cabos also offers the attractive Complimentary Wedding Inspiration, allowing those who choose the dramatic desert-meets-sea environment to take advantage of this option. 

This resort features 639 luxury rooms and all the rock-themed amenities we love from the brand, including the Rock Spa, Roxity Kids Club, and Body Rock Fitness Center. 

• Beach (1,400 guests)
• Tune and Echo Terrace (100 guests)
• Beat Patio (150 guests)
• Coda Garden (200 guests)
• Eden Terrace (400 guests)
• Harmony Ballroom (1,500 guests)
• Harmony Foyer (360 guests)
• Los Gallos Terrace (200 guests)
• Muse Terrace (1,100 guests)
• Serenade Terrace (650 guests)
• Sunset Terrace (220 guests)
• Several massive venues for up to 1,500 guests
• Customizable chic designs and decor
• Online registry included in all packages

Example of an Indian wedding budget breakdown

To help you visualize how all of the core elements come together to comprise a wedding budget, we’ve provided a real-life example from our previous clients.

The couple below hosted a wedding of 175 people at the Generations Riviera Maya/El Dorado Royale. 

They opted for the Always and Forever package, which they got for free through the Cash for your Bash promotion, in addition to $3,520 worth of discounts on catering. 

Welcome Party

• Location (175 guests on Sky Deck):  Complimentary
• Catering (including 4-hr open bar) $69 pp:  (after $1,760 Cash for your Bash discount) $10,315
• Live chef station:  $597
• Furniture:  $2,480
• Decor : $1,665
• Hookahs : $970
• Gazebo : Included
• Sound system:  $1,900

Total : $17,927

Grah Shanti & Pithi

• Location (100 guests in Garden by Casa Dorada):  Included
• Catering:  $1,490
• Chairs : Included 
• Furniture and decor:  $1,445
• Traditional decor : $2,644
• Sound system:  $677

Total : $6,853

Sangeet/Mehndi

• Location (175 guests in Palapa Ganesha) : Included
• Catering $59 pp including 4 hr open bar : $10,325
• Live chef station : $597
• Firepits : $200
• Chairs : Included
• Furniture : $2,466
• Round dinner tables and low tables:  included
• Colorful tablecloths : $300
• Napkins : $225
• Lights : $3,698
• Dance floor:  $6,800
• Decor : $1,394
• Water drum performer s: $1,297
• Sound system : $2,397

Total:  $29,699

• Location : route from beach to White Gazebo included
• White horse : $599
• Percussionist : $694
• Sound system : $997
• Bottled water on ice : $40
• Baraat gate : $899

Total:  $3,229

• Location (175 guests on Aqua Terrace):  included
• Priest : independently sourced
• Ceremony items : $75
• Ceremony platform : $4,899
• Mandap and seating : $10,085
• Furniture : $2,532
• Decor : $1,107
• Aisle : $749
• Traditional decor : $59
• Floral Jaimalas : $373
• Phool chadar : $699
• Ceremony menu : $1,357
• Post-ceremony lunch : $4,550

Total:  $27,482

Cocktail hour

• Location (175 guests in Garden Ballroom) : Included
• Decor : $1,749
• Furniture : $1,658
• Catering (including 1 hr open bar) : After Cash for your Bash discount = $2,090
• Lights : $900
• Musician : $599

Total:  $6,996

Private dinner reception

• Location (175 guests at Grand Ballroom) : $13,535
• Live chef station : $199
• Cake : $340
• Special chef service : $1,500
• Decor : $21,529
• 12 round tables : included
• Furniture : $2,775
• Smoke machine : $699
• Video booth:  $897
• DJ stage:  $799
• Sound system : $3,999

Total : $32,737

Vendor fees were waived because they stayed at the resort.

• Hair and makeup
• Photography and Videography

Cash for your Bash promotion : -$4,470

Total wedding cost after discounts:  $124,923

Summary: How much does an Indian destination wedding cost?

Hopefully, from this post, you’ll see the costs can vary wildly for an Indian or South Asian destination wedding. 

There are many factors to consider, but the important thing is finding a wedding venue, package, and team that can turn your dream wedding into reality within your planned budget.

Need help planning? 

Our  experienced wedding planners  at  Destination Weddings by Vacationeeze  are with you every step of the way.

When it comes to Indian Weddings, we have vast experience and you can see our portfolio at Rishtey Destinations .

With decades of experience planning hundreds of weddings, our team understands what couples are looking for and how to navigate working with the resorts. 

Ready to start planning your big day?

Get in touch with us here . 

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About the author.

Jared Benoff

Jared is a certified destination wedding travel advisor and has been recognized as a top agent by Palace Resorts, Karisma Resorts, Lomas Hospitality, and Hyatt Inclusive Collection.

He caught the travel bug early in his life as his parents (the founders of Vacationeeze!) instilled a passion for travel and adventure in him and his siblings.

Jared has been traveling since a young age and has been helping plan travel for nearly 10 years.

Jared loves spending time with his wife and family, including his parents Jack and Sharon (the founders of Vacationeeze).

He specializes in destination weddings, European travel, and honeymoons.

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Average Indian Wedding Cost in USA – 2024 (Full Breakdown)

• by Marisa Jenkins
• December 14, 2023

Indian weddings are renowned for their grandeur and adherence to traditional cultural practices, typically lasting two to three days and featuring extravagant celebrations.

The average cost of an Indian wedding in the United States, especially in major cities like Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New Jersey, ranges from $230,000 to $300,000, typically catering to around 300 guests.

How Much Does an Indian Wedding Cost?

Punjabi wedding flow and breakdown.

One of the most common styles of Indian weddings is the Punjabi wedding , marked by exuberant music and lively merrymaking. This style adheres to a traditional format encompassing several distinct ceremonies.

Roka And Thaka

This pre-wedding ceremony sees the families of the bride and groom visiting each other’s homes for the Roka Rasam, with the groom’s family bringing gifts for the bride’s family.

The ceremony commences with a puja, where all family members seek divine blessings for the couple’s future. The bride typically doesn’t participate in this ceremony.

Chunni Ceremony

During this ceremony, the groom’s family presents the bride with a red scarf or chunni, which is placed on her head, signifying her status as the groom’s fiancée. Dye is also applied to her hands and feet.

Sagaai Or Engagement

This is a pivotal part of the Punjabi wedding, where the couple exchanges rings. It’s a large event, usually hosted in a spacious function hall and organized by relatives. A typical engagement ceremony with 300 attendees breaks down as follows:

Mehendi Ceremony

This intimate ceremony usually takes place at the bride’s home, with Mehendi designers creating beautiful henna patterns on her hands. The groom also has a bit of henna applied to his hands.

For a Mehendi ceremony with 300 people, the breakdown is:

This major event celebrates the official union of the bride and groom with many guests and musical performances. It’s often the most expensive event due to the need for a large venue, decorations, catering, and high-quality entertainment.

For a sangeet with 300 people, the breakdown is:

Wedding Reception

This general celebration follows the ceremony and includes toasts, entertainment, and merriment.

The breakdown for an Indian wedding reception with 300 people is:

Other Wedding Expenses

Decor – $25,000 to $75,000.

Indian wedding ceremonies occur in a grand mandap or marriage stage. This is a covered structure with pillars and it serves as an altar. Usually, this is adorned with colorful and luxurious fabric.

Entertainment – $20,000 to $35,000

A good DJ that specializes in Indian party music, alongside the stage decor and lighting, will cost $20,000 to $35,000 for a 3-day wedding event. This cost also covers insurance, performance fees, meals, and more. You can also hire a Bollywood singer or professional comedian for $5,000 to $50,000, depending on their acts and expertise.

Professional Wedding Documentation (Photography And Videography) – $3,000 – $5,000

It’s important to hire a professional events coverage team for high-quality photos and videos. This will make your wedding memories last longer and the quality is so much better than relying on footage from the wedding guests.

Some couples only hire a photographer for pre-nuptial and actual wedding photos. If you want more detailed event coverage, you can go for both wedding photos and videos. There are different packages at a diverse range of prices. It’s often cheaper to get both the photos and videos from the same company.

Food Or Catering – $70 to $160 per head

Food is often calculated by plate. It’s not a good idea to skimp on the food because it’s one of the significant things that the guests will remember about your wedding . It’s cheaper to avail of the catering service offered by the hotel venue but you may opt for an independent caterer if you prefer their food.

Select the dishes and cuisines that your guests will appreciate. If you have no idea what to pick, you may send out a survey form alongside the wedding invitations. When guests send back their reservations, they can also tick off their food preferences.

Flights And Accommodations

An Indian wedding in America means flying in Indian relatives and paying for their hotel rooms during their stay. Since the average Indian wedding lasts for 2 to 3 days, your relatives might come in a day or two early and leave a day or two after, leaving some room for sightseeing in the foreign country.

Assuming that they’ll stay for a week, that costs $1300 to $1700 per person. The average roundtrip airfare costs $800 per person. With around $270 for food allowance for that week, that means you’ll spend roughly $2800 per person.

Indian weddings are known for their grandeur. Big weddings stretch for three days with different phases and ceremonies. The costs to accommodate 300 people will surely rack up. While grand Indian weddings are a spectacle to behold, couples can still opt for smaller, less expensive weddings by reducing the number of ceremonies, guests, or decor quality, or by choosing a different wedding location or food selection.

Marisa Jenkins

Marisa Jenkins is a wedding planner and event coordinator. Her main goal for WeddingFrontier.com is to simplify the wedding planning process by sharing her years of expertise in the industry.

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Average Indian Destination Wedding Cost

The answer: YES…if you choose a seasoned wedding specialist to help you. That’s where we come in.We only specialize in South Asian destination weddings in Mexico and the Caribbean. So, we know which resorts and vendors best understand our traditions and can execute everything flawlessly. Plus, our founder has the unique experience of overseeing a DJ company and travel agency so we our relationships with the resorts are deep-rooted.

Typical South Asian Destination Wedding Costs

There are many factors that influence what you’ll pay. They include:

• the number of guests
• how lavish of a wedding you’d like
• your choice of destination
• when you’d like to get married
• the vendors you’ll hire (such as the florist, photographer and mehndi artist)

We know what you’re thinking…and here’s the good news:

These costs don’t mean that you’ll have to break your budget

That is, if you choose the right wedding specialist

A destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean doesn’t need to cost more than one you’d have at home.

And with our relationships with the local all-inclusive resorts there, we have been able to secure:

• Special packages
• Special savings
• Add-ons that won’t break the bank
• And much more!

If you go to the resorts directly, you won’t be able to get access to what we can.

“All our guests raved about how it was one of the best weddings they’d been to, and Ateet did everything he could to make the booking process for our guests as smooth as possible. My husband and I also appreciated all of Ateet’s help in the actual wedding planning process…”

-Ronak and Gopi

So, what can you expect to pay?

You’ve probably seen sample pricing for destination weddings listed on many other websites. But you may have noticed everyone mentions a different price.

Why? That is because there are so many factors involved in creating sample prices or detailed, personalized price quotes as we’ve shared above. So, the sample prices you are seeing are based off of one in hundreds of possible scenarios.

We want to make sure you have the most helpful information so you can make the best decision for your wedding. That’s why we recommend you contact us to get the most accurate pricing.

We think you’ll find that a destination wedding in Mexico or the Caribbean is actually more affordable than you think.

So, here is your next step

Contact us for a no-obligation consultation. We’ll go over our process and answer all of your questions so you feel completely comfortable.

Our promise to you:

• We don’t believe in being pushy or salesy. We’ll share how you can work with us and how it’ll benefit you most. But your conversation with us will feel like you’re talking to a good friend, not a used car salesman.
• We’ll give you the most accurate, up-to-date information.
• Should you decide to get a price quote, we’ll share what works for your budget only. We don’t believe in pushing clients to make choices that make them overspend.
• We’ll answer all of your questions in detail.
• Should you choose to work with us, you’ll get your own, personalized contact and you’ll never feel like just another client.

We can’t wait to discuss your dream wedding!

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On luxury cruises to India with Celebrity, you’ll sail the ancient spice routes along the subcontinent’s western shores, bringing you to some of India’s best port destinations and natural wonders. Savor deliciously spiced curries, explore ancient Hindu temples, and learn about India’s rich history.

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Ancient cultures.

On cruises to India, you’ll immerse yourself in ancient cultural traditions that include yoga, European-influenced old town districts, and iconic holy sites representing the many facets of Hinduism. Experience a cultural heritage that dates back millennia as you discover rugged fortresses, colorful temples, bohemian beach culture, and modern urban cosmopolitan life.

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From dense rainforests and jungles to white-sand beaches, fishing villages, and wildlife sanctuaries, cruises to India bring you to some of the most breathtaking landscapes on earth. Take a yoga class on the sun-soaked sands of Goa, or hike to the cave temples at Elephanta Island just outside Mumbai. While in Cochin, cruise along the famous Alappuzha waterways via traditional rice barge to admire southern India’s lush green rural splendor first-hand.

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Indian cuisine is famous the world over for its variety of spices, flavors, and regional diversity in dishes. On cruises to India with Celebrity, you’ll taste a wide cross-section of foods like a batata vada in Mumbai, made with mashed potatoes, chilis, turmeric, ginger, and garlic. Sample delicious southern Indian dishes like Kerala prawn curry made with a sumptuous ginger-garlic coconut paste with tamarind pulp. Snack on chapati flatbread covered with fresh paneer cheese from street stalls near the beaches in Goa for a local treat and comfort food.

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Cochin is a popular destination in southwest India known for its rich culture and culinary diversity. Spend the day in Fort Cochin, the historic old town that was once home to Portuguese military defenses and is now a popular attraction for visitors to the city. Discover 16th-century European architecture, churches, traditional cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, and the site where famed explorer Vasco de Gama was first buried. Have a chai tea as you walk through the hip, arty Mattancherry district, then learn about the history of Judaism’s role in India at the Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest in the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Mumbai is India’s most populous, vibrant, and cosmopolitan city that offers incredible experiences for travelers on luxury cruises to India. Take a stroll or a ride along the sweeping seaside promenade of Marine Drive, which connects much of the city’s main attractions and historic sites towards Mumbai’s south. Stop in for a meditation session at the Global Vipassana Pagoda, a gorgeous, golden-colored Buddhist temple surrounded by beautiful deep-green nature and walking paths. Head to the historic Gateway of India, an iconic towering arch built over 100 years ago to commemorate the arrival of Britain’s King George V and Queen Mary on their first visit to India.

Known as India’s most popular beach destination, Goa offers visitors a laid-back coastal culture with great surfing, hiking, yoga, and healthy dining options. Pay a visit to the Mangeshi Temple, where you’ll find intricately carved shrines and statues to Hindu deities and an incredibly ornate antique chandelier that draws visitors into the main temple hall. Take a break in the sun on beautiful Baga Beach, where you can swim and surf, shop for hand-made bracelets and tapestries or enjoy a spicy curry and an ice-cold beer with your toes in the sand.

India Cruise Itineraries

Our luxury cruises to India offer itineraries with 12 or 13 nights’ cruising including three or four days at sea. These cruises are one-way and start and end in either Singapore or Mumbai, typically stopping in six ports and including one overnight stop in either of those cities, as well as Cochin, India, and Colombo, Sri Lanka. These fabulous cruises to India sail between November and March with departures throughout the week. Other stops along the way include exciting ports in Malaysia and Thailand.

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Guest Essay

The Spectacle of the Ambani Wedding Event Reveals India’s Inequality

By Sonia Faleiro

Ms. Faleiro is an author from India.

Rihanna, Mark Zuckerberg, bejeweled elephants and 5,500 drones. Those were some of the highlights of what is likely the most ostentatious pre-wedding ceremony the modern world has ever seen.

On a long weekend in early March, members of the global elite gathered to celebrate the impending nuptials of the billionaire business titan Mukesh Ambani’s youngest son, Anant, and Radhika Merchant. Monarchs, politicians and the ultrawealthy, including Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump, descended on an oil refinery city in the western Indian state of Gujarat for an event so extravagant, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was, well, a wedding. But that will take place in July. For the long windup to the big day, some of Bollywood’s biggest stars, though invited as guests, took to the stage to sing and dance in what amounted to a bending of the knee to India’s most powerful family.

Watching the event, I couldn’t help thinking of the 1911 durbar, or royal reception, when King George V was proclaimed emperor of India. Once India won its independence from Britain in 1947, it committed itself to becoming a democratic welfare state — an audacious experiment that resulted in what is now the world’s largest democracy. But in advance of this year’s general election, expected to begin in April, the Ambani-Merchant matrimonial extravaganza shows us where true power in India now lies: with a handful of people whose untrammeled wealth and influence have elevated them to the position of India’s shadow leaders.

It’s difficult to imagine the Ambani-Merchant wedding event in an India that isn’t ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It’s true that the Ambanis have been wealthy for years now and that accusations of favorable treatment from government authorities are not unique to this family or the Modi government. But no other prime minister in India’s history has been so openly aligned with big business, and never before has the concentration of wealth been more apparent. India’s richest 1 percent now own more than 40 percent of the country’s wealth, according to Oxfam. The country has the world’s largest number of poor, at 228.9 million . And according to a newly published study looking at 92 low- and middle-income countries, India had the third-highest percentage of “zero food” children — babies between 6 months and 23 months old who had gone a day or more without food other than breast milk at the time they were surveyed. Oxfam has described this new India as the “survival of the richest.”

For the uberwealthy, this presents a no-holds-barred opportunity to exert their power and influence. In 2017, Mr. Modi introduced a fund-raising mechanism called electoral bonds to allow unlimited anonymous donations to political parties. In the five years that followed, the prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party received $635 million in contributions through such bonds, 5.5 times as much as its closest rival, the Congress Party. The 2019 Indian general elections cost $8.6 billion, surpassing the estimated $6.5 billion spent on the 2016 U.S. presidential and congressional elections.

Analysis by three independent media organizations in India published on March 14 revealed that a company called Qwik Supply Chains purchased bonds in the scheme worth $50 million. One of the company’s three directors, reporters later uncovered, is also a director at several subsidiaries of Reliance, Mukesh Ambani’s megacompany. A spokesperson for Reliance said that Qwik is not a Reliance subsidiary and did not respond to further questioning from Reuters . The Indian Supreme Court has since struck down the electoral bond mechanism, calling it unconstitutional , but the delay in addressing the matter has most likely come too late to change the outcome of the forthcoming election, which is widely considered all but certain to go in Mr. Modi’s favor.

And judging by the omnipresence of Mr. Modi’s image — the state-funded publicity exercises focused on exalting him, the constant advertisements in newspapers and on TV, his image plastered on billboards and life-size cutouts everywhere from train stations to public parks — even those who wish to vote for other candidates might be forgiven for thinking there are none. With the help of a small group of business tycoons, led by Mr. Ambani, the prime minister has dominated the Indian media landscape. Since Mr. Modi came to power, Mr. Ambani has invested heavily in the media and now owns more than 70 outlets, including India’s biggest media conglomerate, which are followed by 800 million weekly viewers. Many of these outlets have been trumpeting Mr. Modi’s credentials and heaping praise on him.

Mr. Ambani has been relentless in expressing his gratitude to Mr. Modi for working in step with Reliance. In January, Mr. Ambani hailed Mr. Modi as the “most successful prime minister in India’s history.” Later that month, the tycoon’s family traveled to Ayodhya for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir temple complex, which is being built on the highly contentious grounds of a functioning mosque that was destroyed by a Hindu mob in 1992. The construction of the Ram Mandir is the epitome of Mr. Modi’s tenure, which has been defined by a violent and divisive Hindu majoritarianism. Mr. Ambani donated $300,000 toward the temple costs.

Mr. Modi was reportedly not present during the Ambani wedding event, leading to speculation on social media that he wanted to avoid further accusations of cronyism in an election year. But his hand was evident. Anant Ambani told the press that he in part chose his family’s hometown Jamnagar as his pre-wedding venue to honor the prime minister’s “Wed in India” call for young Indians to marry at home rather than abroad. Jamnagar is the location of Mukesh Ambani’s oil refinery, which is the largest in the world. And in a brazen misuse of public resources, the government temporarily turned the city’s small domestic airport into a designated international airport, clearing the way for guests to land their private aircraft. The government airport was expanded, staff numbers were increased , and the Indian Air Force deployed additional military personnel — all in the service of one event for one family.

Some Indians viewed the arrival of the world’s elite on their shores as a sign of their country’s growing prominence in the world. The occasion was treated as a national event, with “breaking news” and live feeds of the arrival and then departure of every celebrity, of the more than 1,000 guests who stayed in luxury tents and were provided with makeup artists and sari drapers and were reportedly served 2,500 dishes and of the lion-shaped diamond brooch on Anant Ambani’s suit and his Richard Mille wristwatch, worth an estimated $1 million, which even Mr. Zuckerberg appeared to covet .

But what viewers saw that long weekend in March wasn’t India at all but the playground of an oligarch. The festivities took place weeks before a national election, at a time when India’s democracy is teetering on an edge. Violence against Muslims, Christians and Dalits has been normalized. The harassment of journalists, the incarceration of human rights activists and police violence against protesters have all but wrenched the country from the path chosen by its founding leaders, who wished the people of India to enjoy a “sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.” In 2022, Freedom House, the nonprofit organization that tracks democratic governance, downgraded India from “free” to “partly free.” This status remains unchanged.

The Ambanis are entitled to spend their money on whatever they want (except, perhaps, on electoral bonds). And this latest celebration, while lavish, wasn’t entirely atypical in India, where weddings are viewed as an opportunity to demonstrate status. The giddy young couple at the center of the spectacle are charming: Ms. Merchant is a trained classical dancer; her fiancé is fond of animals. It would be churlish not to celebrate their happiness.

But if the 1911 Delhi durbar was a symbol of British imperial power, then the Ambani pre-wedding event in Jamnagar symbolized the rise of Mr. Modi’s oligarchs. And if these few are thriving in their symbiotic relationship with the Indian prime minister, it comes at the cost of the nation’s experiment with building a democratic welfare state. That’s nothing to celebrate.

Sonia Faleiro is a writer and the founder of the literary mentorship program South Asia Speaks. Her most recent book is “The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing.”

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