Latest news with #IndianWeddings
Yahoo
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 8th WeddingSutra Influencer Awards to be held on August 20 at The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai
MUMBAI, India, Aug. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- WeddingSutra is all set to host the eighth edition of the WeddingSutra Influencer Awards on August 20, 2025, at the iconic Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai. The awards honour the creative forces driving India's ever-evolving wedding industry. From heartfelt moments and gourmet feasts to dazzling sangeet performances and immersive décor, every detail in Indian weddings is brought to life by a community of talented professionals who juggle tight deadlines with the need for constant innovation. These awards aim to recognise the unsung heroes powering the celebrations and shaping the industry with their innovation, excellence, and passion. The distinguished jury panel is led by Priya Tanna (President of The Right Side) and includes Ashish Bhasin (Founder of The Bhasin Consulting Group and former CEO, APAC, Dentsu), Digvijay Singh Kathiwada (Director, House of Kathiwada), Himani Rajiv Shah (Lifestyle and beauty influencer), Iqbal Khan (Actor), Karen Anand (Food Writer, Restaurant Consultant, and Chef), Khushnaz Turner (Luxury Lifestyle Influencer), Raaj Sanghvi (CEO, Culinary Culture & Co-founder, Sanguine & Caviar Noir), Rahul Jagtiani (Entrepreneur & Founder, Plush Ventures), Rashmi Uday Singh (Food Writer, TV Host, and Author), Renu Oberoi (Jewellery designer), Riyhad Kundanmal (Architect, Entrepreneur, and Founder, KaRRS Designs & Developments), Vaishali Banerjee (Managing Director, India, Platinum Guild International), and Vivek Dhadha (Luxury Lifestyle Influencer). With their diverse expertise across fashion, advertising, media, and entertainment, the jury will evaluate the entries based on creativity, impact, and industry influence. This year saw an outstanding response, with over 5,000 submissions across 27 categories, representing the full spectrum of wedding expertise. The upcoming event will be co-hosted by the IHCL Group and uniting standout names across the wedding landscape for an evening of celebration and recognition. Parthip Thyagarajan, Co-founder and CEO of says, "India's wedding ecosystem thrives on creative collaboration. These awards are a way to celebrate the work of those who are constantly pushing the envelope, offer a platform for discovery, and encourage new avenues for collaboration and growth." About WeddingSutra Launched in 2000, is today India's leading wedding media platform, connecting couples and families with some of the finest professionals in the industry, ranging from planners, caterers, photographers to entertainers and more, to help them curate unforgettable celebrations. Photo: View original content to download multimedia:
Khaleej Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
This artist has big feelings about Indian weddings
When Rajiv Menon opened his contemporary art gallery in Hollywood, California, in February, it was a tumultuous period in the art world in Los Angeles, with many galleries shutting their doors amid the wildfires that had devastated the city. Menon knew the timing was risky, but he was determined to create a space to showcase perspectives from South Asia and the diaspora. 'It was driving me crazy how that wasn't happening on the West Coast,' said Menon, 36. 'We're seeing one-off artists here or there, but never is the work contextualized.' The opening for Rajiv Menon Contemporary brought out about 400 people, from art fans to community members in the area, including writer Jay Shetty. Since then, the gallery has become a cultural hub for conversation in Los Angeles, as one of the few spaces in the United States to specialize in contemporary South Asian art. The gallery's new exhibition, 'Why Did I Say Yes?,' which opened to the public Saturday, features the work of Viraj Khanna, a visual artist from Kolkata, India, who primarily works with textiles. The exhibition, curated by Menon, examines the global phenomenon that the Indian wedding has become. 'Indian weddings have a very plumbable role of soft power of introducing people to different elements of Indian fashion, of Indian music,' Menon said. 'All of it happens through that vehicle, and I think that really has become the major point of cultural exchange between India and the West.' In his work, Khanna, 29, frequently explores topics around conspicuous consumption, excess and social media anxieties. The Indian wedding felt like the perfect grounds to explore those forces, he said. Khanna, a son of renowned Indian designer Anamika Khanna's, pulls from his upbringing in India's fashion elite to satirize the lavish, big fat Indian weddings he grew up attending. Each artwork is paired with a caption of dialogue — snippets of chatter, gossip or internal thoughts that help re-create scenes from Khanna's experiences navigating the wedding circuit. The artwork features vibrant and maximalist embroideries, tapestries and textile works. Khanna collaborated with artisans in West Bengal to incorporate the centuries-old embroidery techniques: ari and zardozi. Each frame is loaded with textures, tempting the viewer to touch it. At the gallery's opening, a large, diverse crowd made its way through the various rooms that took them through moments from the pre-wedding (mehendi and sangeet), the wedding ceremony and the after-party. Khanna and Menon spoke about the inspiration behind the summer exhibition, on display through Aug. 30, their thoughts on big fat Indian weddings and what makes good satire. This interview was edited and condensed for clarity. Q: How have Indian weddings become a kind of luxury theater? KHANNA: The way we are physiologically built, we always want attention and power because it's always sort of been closely linked to survival. It's human nature. Weddings are a great way to get it. It is a spectacle that showcases so much: your culture, your tradition, your taste, hundreds of friends and families getting together. There is a display of wealth and power in different ways. Q: How are you poking fun at big Indian weddings? MENON: The thing about Indian weddings is that there are times when they are intentionally ridiculous. Where else are you going to have to make a grand entrance, learn a dance and put on a performance for people? Despite that, there's also so much art and love at the wedding. The way that this work is titled and presented does have a cheeky sense of humor. One work is titled 'I'm done socializing.' There are these images of people feeling social anxiety. There are moments of people feeling insecure about their singleness at the wedding. I think being able to show the clear, over-the-top nature of the wedding, but then showing that underneath that spectacle, there is this really valuable human experience — that's what makes it feel elevated to me. I think about Kevin Kwan's 'Crazy Rich Asians,' for example, which takes a lot of really big swings at a certain type of wealthy culture, but that is rooted in a love of the characters and a love for humanity that's being presented. I really get that feeling in Viraj. Q: There's a lot of respect in the exhibition for cultural traditions. MENON: There is real reverence for the Indian wedding and for the craftsmanship of the clothes that people are wearing, the care behind the scenes. And then there's acknowledgment that it brings out funny, crazy behavior in people as well. Q: And the spectacle of it all — a lot of people would reference the Ambani wedding as the epitome of that. It drew a lot of criticism. KHANNA: Yeah, but it clearly shows that everyone is so obsessed or so interested in Indian culture and tradition. All my friends in America wanted to attend an Indian wedding after that. Q: How many artisans did you collaborate with for this exhibition? KHANNA: I worked with around 30 artisans for this show, and they're all in West Bengal. My practice does take aspects from the fashion world and eventually gets them into the art space. Q: Were you in West Bengal for this project? KHANNA: I worked with them directly in West Bengal for around six months. One piece can take 2,000 to 3,000 hours. Hand embroidery is a dying craft in India. And it's becoming more and more difficult to find great artisans. This artwork is a way of preserving the craft for me. MENON: Embroidery belongs in a contemporary art conversation because this is a living heritage. Just last week, Louis Vuitton had an India-inspired menswear show. There is this presence of embroidery within the West, and it feels important to make sure that it is contextualized and celebrated in a way that really allows us to keep growing and not just be treated as an object for consumption. Q: Why did you decide to make abstract heads in the artwork? KHANNA: My work has a lot to do with social media. On social media, we create a reality for people to see. We are represented by images in this world. And social media shows a curated version of our lives. So I think that abstraction made sense to bring attention to that. In wedding culture, so much has changed because of Instagram. It's become about one perfect picture and that one moment. Q: What statement are you trying to make with this exhibition? MENON: It's showing that the wedding contains an entire universe. It has its own logic, its own aesthetics, its own cast of characters, and I want to demonstrate that the Indian wedding is worthy of being put in an art gallery because of the level of artistry and grandeur that goes into it. This is a show that really demonstrates that even when we're talking about our pop culture, our weddings, our fun, we belong in the dialogue with other major artists.
NHK
16-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Thailand wooing India's wedding millions
Thailand has courted big-spending Indian couples by showcasing its wedding services at a fair in Bangkok. The event at the weekend featured over 100 exhibitors, offering everything from bridal wear and jewelry to food and entertainment. Indians spare no expense in dressing brides up to the nines. Shops selling traditional Indian apparel flaunted their luxury handmade trousseaux. A Bangkok restaurant set up a tasting corner for vegetarian dishes -- a staple of Indian cuisine. Indian couples who visit Thailand to tie the knot often rent out resort hotels for several days, blowing millions of dollars throwing lavish parties for hundreds of guests. As wedding bells ring, so do cash registers, says the Thai Indian Wedding Association. President Ram Sachdev said that as well as trying to increase the number of Indian weddings his association is "trying to increase the value, the quality. If you're looking for culture, you're looking for exotic beaches, good food, good value, Thailand is definitely the place." Thailand's tourism industry is slowly recovering from COVID-19. But India's economy is booming, and tourists from the country are flocking to Thailand. This year, 2.3 million Indians are expected to visit -- up 10 percent from last year.
Khaleej Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
'Wow' factor: Why more UAE couples are opting for wedding drone shows
Last week in Dubai, wedding guests were treated to a dazzling spectacle as 200 drones lit up the night sky, forming scenes from the couple's love story — including a giant sparkling heart with their initials at the centre. Once considered a futuristic novelty, drone shows are now becoming a sought-after feature for couples looking to make their wedding celebrations unforgettable, according to industry experts. 'When we started, the idea of a drone show at a wedding was almost unheard of — it was considered a novelty for ultra-luxury events,' said Sarita Ahlawat, co-founder and MD of BotLab Dynamics, an Indian company that organises drone shows. 'But now, there's a rapidly growing trend of couples wanting to include drone shows in their celebrations.' Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. The company, which has done over a hundred wedding drone shows across different cities in India, is seeing the demand surging in the region as well. 'Indian destination weddings in the UAE, especially Dubai, have really embraced drone entertainment,' she said. 'We've noticed a spike in requests from Indian families planning weddings in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and other destination locales — they want the same kind of magical show under the open sky. Similarly, we've seen interest in other countries in the Middle East and even Southeast Asia from where couples have reached out after seeing videos of our shows.' The 'wow' factor According to Sarita, it is the 'wow' factor of a drone show that makes it so attractive to couples. 'At the wedding party in Dubai, as the show started there was this collective gasp from the guests,' she said. 'The bride and groom were holding hands and the whole crowd was just spellbound. It's incredibly heartwarming to see an audience of all ages, from tech-savvy kids to elderly relatives, be equally mesmerised.' She added that demand for wedding drone shows rocketed after her company organised one for the pre-wedding show of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in 2024. The wedding of the son of Indian industrialist Mukesh Ambani was one of the most expensive ones ever in the world, estimated to have cost approximately $600 million. 'We flew 5,500 drones — which was the largest drone light show ever done in India at the time,' she said. 'That spectacle made headlines around the world. In terms of public awareness, that event was like flipping a switch. Suddenly everyone was talking about drone shows.' She said that pulling off a flawless drone show required a lot of work. 'It is a bit like orchestrating a symphony in the sky,' she said. 'It requires a lot of preparation, coordination, and precision. We usually prefer to start planning as early as possible, ideally a couple of months before the wedding.' Challenges Meanwhile, a local wedding industry expert noted that it will be a while before drone shows become 'a mainstream trend', primarily due to the prices. 'The cost remains a significant factor, making them accessible mainly to higher-end celebrations,' said Rhiannon Downie-Hurst, Founder of BrideClubME. 'Drone displays are definitely rising in popularity at luxury weddings for couples seeking that 'wow' factor and a truly unforgettable moment. It's important to remember that in the UAE, permits, venue restrictions, safety protocols, and choosing an approved operator are all key considerations when planning a drone show for the big day.' M.K.H., a Dubai resident who did not wish to be identified, said that he explored the idea of having a drone show for his daughter's wedding recently. 'The cost was eye-popping,' he said. 'It would have almost doubled my budget for the wedding. So we decided to stick to fireworks.' However, Sarita said that drone shows come in all scales and budgets. 'Drone entertainment has become far more accessible now,' she said. 'You can have a pretty magical show with a few hundred drones at a cost that is comparable to an elaborate wedding fireworks display or a high-end performance."
