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India Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
I attended a fake wedding party in Delhi, and this is how it went
Bohca, the elite club in South Delhi's Qutub Institutional Area, looked nothing like its usual edgy, neon-lit self that night. Gone were the dim mood lighting and peppy international beats it's known the Fake Sangeet a few weeks ago, the space was draped in vibrant yellow and magenta fabrics, with fairy lights twinkling overhead, floral installations at every turn, and even a mehendi wala tucked into a corner -transforming Delhi's sleek party spot into a full-blown shaadi setup. Fake wedding setup at Delhi's premium Bohca club. advertisement'You know the concept's a hit when a place like Bohca agrees to play host,' said Sahib Gujral, co-founder of Jumma Ki Raat - the group that launched the Fake Sangeet in February 2025, giving India (and now the world) a whole new way to party. Over the past few months, the concept has gained wild momentum, with cities like Goa, Lucknow, Jaipur, Bengaluru and Kolkata jumping on the bandwagon. India Today, the first to report on this Indian Gen-Z party craze before it went nationwide, recently attended one to see what the buzz is all about.A pathway decked with traditional floral decorations - unmistakably reminiscent of a wedding entrance - led us to the venue, which was buzzing with full-on shaadi vibes. To my left, girls gathered around mehndi artists, getting their hands adorned with henna; on the other side stood a rickshaw covered in flowers, doubling up as a photo station. Dance and decorations for a fake sangeet in Delhi. The fashion quotient? So damn on point. It was as if the attendees had received the wedding invite weeks in advance and carefully curated every detail of their looks. We're not even kidding! Chalk it up to Delhi's fashion pulse, maybe - but the fake shaadi fashion was the one thing at the event that could easily pass for the real deal. Okay fine, not just fashion - add the music and decor to that list too!Glittering lehengas, anarkalis, sarees, Kareena-inspired bralettes with shararas, sherwanis styled with dupattas, heavy earrings, maang tikkas, bangles - the entire vocabulary of desi wedding fashion showed up for this fake wedding. Some even brought out their designer best - think a Masaba Gupta ensemble - for this shaadi without a couple. Fashion picks for the fake wedding (Photo: Instagram/JummaKiRaat) Others brought out the best of their quirky style. Imagine swapping that pair of salwars for sheer stockings to pair with an embellished kurta- would you dare wear that to a real wedding? One fashion-forward guest did just that, confidently flaunting a Y2K-inspired look with a bold twist. A guest in her stylish best at a fake wedding event. (Photo: Author) At the core of the hype around fake wedding parties is a blend of things that really work well for youngsters: the thrill of dressing up, Bollywood music, booze, and friends. For lovebirds, it gave them the 'feels'.Unlike real weddings - where every move is scrutinised, from what you're drinking and eating, to how much weight you've gained, who you're hanging out with, how well you're dancing, and how many people you're talking to - this crowd seemed to revel in the fun without the mask of pretence or judgmental relatives watching. Vibes were totally also love that fake wedding parties come without the burden of responsibilities. At a family wedding or a close friend's, endless duties can quickly overshadow the fun - from coordinating with decorators and handling airport pick-ups to carrying heavy mithaai boxes and dealing with the occasional bridezilla. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Medha Chawla (@medha_chawla)advertisementThe indoor hall was where the actual fun was happening. DJ blasted the best of Punjabi and Bollywood music – a playlist straight out of a grand wedding Sangeet night. Mauja Hi Mauja, Laung Da Lashkara, Nach Baliye and of course, O ho ho ho (Ishq Tera Tadpaave). Adding to the shaadi vibes was the ceiling decoration - marigold strings and Jaipuri decorative umbrellas cascading gonna lie, eventually it got so crammed that there was barely any space to breathe or move freely – unless you were too drunk to for the 'Gram'!FOMO seemed to be the driving force behind many attendees. Phones were out at all times - capturing glimpses of the event, snapping the best angles at every possible corner, even let's be honest: did you even attend a shaadi if you didn't get those perfect clicks in ethnic finery against a dreamlike decor backdrop?But at this fake sangeet, the phones were way too present. Like the actual guests of honour! In fact, many content creators and fashion brand owners were in attendance just to shoot 'content'. A designer even came with an elaborate clan - all dressed in outfits from his label. The reason? To shoot cool content and promote his major miss? The lack of food! The fake shaadi event we attended didn't have a single food stall. Sure, three bars and upbeat music kept the crowd going, but ordering food from the kitchen was barely an option. Calling it a fake wedding - be it a sangeet - and not having a proper food spread? Unacceptable, IMO!But many organisers do it differently. Some fake weddings come with full food spreads, while others take the quirky route with sober, experience-led setups. Think wedding-themed games - dividing guests into ladkiwaalas and baraatis, playing charades, or guessing the relative based on classic stereotypes. Without these wedding-specific elements, a fake shaadi party could easily pass for a quintessential Delhi Diwali fake shaadi parties surged during the off-season (May to August). With the real wedding season now underway, it remains to be seen whether the trend will fade into obscurity - like so many viral fads.- EndsTrending Reel
Khaleej Times
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Dubai's newest party trend: A big fat fake Indian wedding
Who says you need a wedding to throw a wedding party? Dubai's newest party trend — the Fake Sangeet — is serving full-blown shaadi (marriage) vibes minus the drama, family politics, or actual nuptials. View this post on Instagram A post shared by fake sangeet dubai (@fakesangeet) Set to take place this weekend at Tania's in Dubai Hills, the invite-only bash promises ethnic glam, live dhol (Indian drum) beats, henna counters, and a Bollywood-heavy DJ set. And yes, despite the name and the pink invite, it's not just for the ladies. For the uninitiated, a sangeet is one of the most anticipated events in a traditional Indian wedding — a night of dance, music, cocktails, and performances where families and friends let loose before the big day. With India's wedding industry valued at over $50 billion (Dh183.61 billion), these pre-wedding parties have become spectacles in their own right: lavish, loud, and Instagrammable. Now, they've inspired something new and proudly unserious. 'First things first, Fake Sangeet is for everyone,' says Shivam, the founder of Fred's Coffee Party and the brain behind the concept. 'The idea came up in the most casual, random way. I asked someone what the best party they'd ever been to was, and without blinking, they said their cousin's sangeet. The dancing, the madness, the music. They joked they wished their friends would get married just so they could experience that again.' At the same time, Shivam came across a viral fake wedding party in India. 'As someone from India myself, I just knew I had to bring that vibe to Dubai,' he says. 'So I decided, let's throw a wild, beautiful fake sangeet," he told Khaleej Times. What started as a plan to invite 10–12 close friends has now snowballed into something much bigger. 'Over a thousand people have messaged us for invites,' Shivam says. 'The response has been beyond anything we imagined.' The best part? It's currently free. 'It's proper shaadi vibes — Bollywood DJ, dhol, mehendi, cocktails, ethnic outfits — everything except the bride and groom.' And it's not just the desi crowd showing up. 'What's been most beautiful is how it's resonated beyond just the Indian community,' Shivam adds. 'Even our non-desi friends are dressing up and counting down the days.' The first edition kicks off on June 21 — and if the buzz is anything to go by, it might just become Dubai's favourite excuse to party.
India Today
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Shaadi without a couple? Welcome to Delhi's fake wedding party scene
Next time a relative asks about your wedding plans because they're itching to dance and dress up for the celebrations, just tell them to attend a fake wedding party. (Kidding not actually.)Delhi's hep party scene has a new entrant: fake wedding celebrations. Guests dress in their ethnic best, head to a venue decked up like a real shaadi, and dance the night away to dhol beats and wedding playlists. A couple? Not necessary. These parties are all about the vibe, not the Avantika Jain, a Delhi-based social media professional, came across an online ad on Instagram for a Fake Sangeet bash, she couldn't resist sharing it with her friends. 'Back in college, we always dreamed of throwing a wedding-themed party. This event felt like the perfect chance to finally make that happen — we were all instantly on board,' Jain tells India Today. An invite for a 'fake sangeet' party in Delhi. 'We quickly signed up online and paid an entry fee of around Rs 550 per person to join the event,' she April 25, she was among almost a hundred other youngsters who rushed to Mehrauli Lane — a revered hub of premium restaurants and clubs overlooking the Qutub Minar — not for just another Friday night party, but for a Fake Sangeet bash at Zylo (a rooftop restaurant).advertisementThe dress code was strictly hesitantly wore a black blouse paired with a plum-hued pleated lehenga, worried it might be 'too much' for a South Delhi club on a Friday night. But she was in for a surprise — almost everyone at the bash was decked out in glittering ethnic finery, dressed as if it were a real Sangeet night. The venue was bedecked like a quintessential wedding venue. Think vibrant yellow-magenta drapes, marigold decorations and quirky photo booths. Mehndi artists were also present to laden your hands with henna for added 'wedding feels'.The best part? A playlist straight out of a wedding celebration. 'We danced our hearts out to Punjabi and Hindi bangers. Between sets, dhol wallahs took over, and the crowd was genuinely having a blast,' says Jain. Scenes from Fake Sangeet event organised in Delhi on April 25 (Photos: Avantika Jain) 'Not just Gen Zers, but we also saw some elderly people and people in 40s at the bash. We enjoyed not just with our friends but as a whole; trust me, no one wanted to leave by the time the event got over,' Jain a society like India, where there's an immense craze for weddings and the festivities that come with them, wedding-themed parties are likely to become the next big trend on the party no longer have to wait for wedding season or a real invite to dance like it's your best friend's big day or dress up as if the baraat is at your doorstep. All you need is a ticket to one of these events to enjoy a full-blown shaadi-style Ki Raat, an event company, launched in December 2024 has hosted two such fake wedding bashes so not a new concept, mock weddings are organised for a variety of reasons ranging from promotional events to socialising and shooting social media October 2024, when the Shangri-La Group launched Bandhan, its specialised wedding service, the announcement was marked by a mock wedding. A model couple arrived in wedding-ready outfits designed by Tarun Tahiliani, while guests enjoyed a live Sufi performance, gajra stalls, and an elaborate, lip-smacking buffet. Stills from mock wedding hosted by Bandhan by Shangri-La advertisementIt's also common for wedding dance choreography companies to stage mock weddings for content creation. Videos that look like real wedding moments are more likely to go viral than those shot in have also been several instances of students studying abroad hosting pompous mock weddings as a means to socialize and celebrate their culture while being miles away from home. These celebrations feature lots and lots of dance, elaborate food spreads, traditional outfits, an at-home feel and perhaps some event management lessons as would you be willing to pay to attend a fake wedding?
