Love marriages are on rise in India while arranged marriages are witnessing a decline, a survey by WeddingWire India, the Indian subsidiary of The Knot Worldwide showed.
"The data report conducted amongst engaged/recently married couples divulged that love marriage is increasingly getting clearance in India. In the last survey that the brand conducted in 2020, 68 per cent of couples revealed that their marriage was arranged. On the other hand, in the 2023 survey, only 44 per cent of couples opted for the option resulting in a 24 per cent drop," WeddingWire India said in a report.
As per the report 41 per cent of the couples start planning their wedding 4-6 months in advance, followed by 32 per cent who plan it only 1-3 months in advance.
"It is interesting to note that the engagement period in India is much shorter than in countries abroad as a majority get engaged only six months or less prior to the wedding (72 per cent). This also leaves couples with a shorter window to plan their weddings," the report said.
The survey found out that the young couples are utilising online resources while planning their marriages.
"Approximately every second couple that participated in the survey was aware that 6 out of 11 key activities like budgeting, finding trusted vendors, finding the right ring etc. can be undertaken online by using online planning tools. Couples are utilising these tools for planning, budgeting, finding trusted vendors, reading reviews, etc. Based on the survey conducted in 2023, there was a 11 per cent point jump in adoption of wedding technology platforms, as it was found that 58 per cent of couples now prefer to use wedding planning websites to plan their weddings, as compared to 47 per cent in 2020," the report said.
“It is noteworthy that India as a country has beautifully adopted some global traditions while keeping the traditional ones at its core. For instance, love marriage especially amongst urban millennials is becoming a common norm while also keeping the traditional stance such as arranged marriage intact. Similarly, we are intrigued to learn that formal proposals are becoming popular in India. This opens a new revenue stream for our vendor partners who can offer customised services to cater to this demand. We are also closely observing the consumer behaviour of Gen-Z couples who have just entered the wedding cycle to understand the next big trends in the industry,” said Anam Zubair, Head of Marketing - WeddingWire India.
