The Big fat Indian wedding is just getting bigger these days. Here is an interesting article i read on Times of India. Thought I’d share.
The big, fat Punjabi wedding has just got fatter, and if you are not one of the close relatives, then be assured of a heartburn!
Eleven solitaire rings costing Rs 1.5 lakh each, 7 BMW cars, 11 Tag Heuer watches, Raymonds’ woollen suit lengths worth Rs 2 lakh each — this is not the inventory of any upscale store in a posh neighbourhood! These super-expensive status symbols are being lapped up by the rich and opulence-crazy Punjabi parents to be given as gifts to close relatives of the families of their daughters’ inlaws.
Punjabi weddings, which are alternately described as ‘opulent’, ‘extravagant’ to ‘vulgarly rich’ are touching new scales where spending ability of parents is concerned. Jewellers and luxury stores across Punjab are reporting how purse strings are getting loose more than ever before this wedding season, as parents go out of their way to indulge the in-laws of their daughters. And, as expected, Ludhiana, the abode of rich people of the state, is leading in this trend.
Last year, the city witnessed another first, when a bride’s family gifted seven BMWs to close relatives of the groom at the time of ‘milni’ — a traditional ceremony when upon arrival of the wedding procession, the groom’s extended family is introduced to the bride’s relatives and presented gifts.
This year, a prominent industrialist, who is marrying off his daughter next month, has ordered 11 solitaires worth Rs 1.5 lakh each for the nanas, dadas, mamas, chachas, tayas and their spouses, besides the parents and siblings of the groom. “When this gentleman can book a special necklace for his daughter worth Rs 2.5 crore, then these rings are just ‘small change’ for him,” said the jeweller of a landmark shop in Fountain Chowk in Ludhiana. “Diamond rings are very common for ‘milnis’. But, for a change, this indulgent father has booked solitaires,” he said.
Ludhiana is also cultivating another ‘rich’ trend of return gifts for friends and acquaintances who attend the weddings. Four hundred watches have reportedly been bought by an industrialist, from an internationally recognised watch brand in the city, with a collective price tag of over Rs 14 lakh, to be given as return gifts. "Silver plates, silver vase and other such items are also in vogue. Gold coins with chains is another trendy return gift.