The return of the big, fat wedding

It’s bonanza time for the wedding industry. With the pandemic-related restrictions firmly behind us, big fat weddings are taking off with gusto. Over 3 million weddings are expected to be solemnized this season, if an estimate by traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) is anything to go by. A wedding in India—seen as a once-in-a-lifetime event and often mounted on grand scale—is a mammoth and serious business. With festivities lasting several days, Marriage Inc. involves multiple sectors and industries at play. Mint looks at what the hype is about.