Indians are willing to move away from ‘muhurat’ for their weddings in 2020: OYO’s Weddingz.in survey report

Indian wedding industry may see the biggest surge so far this winter

 83.6% of events (weddings or related) that were planned for summer have already been rescheduled to winter.

 The ‘carry forward’ of events from summers is likely to make this winter see the biggest ever wedding season

Mumbai, June 2020: As India witnesses things moving towards normalcy in a phased manner, the Indian wedding industry severely hit by the lockdown is also on its road to recovery. A recent customer and venue partner survey conducted by OYO’s Weddingz.in across 30+ cities & 5000+ respondents in India “Re-setting Wedding Industry Expectations in the Post-COVID-19 World” highlights that the industry will witness a massive surge in the number of events by the end of the year, making this one of the biggest wedding seasons so far.

The report reveals:

• Basis the incoming customer inquiries, 83.6% of events (weddings or related) that were planned for summer have already been rescheduled to winter.
• Average guest list size for events in Oct-Dec 2020 basis customer inquiries is between 400 to 500 pax which is consistent with pre-covid numbers.
• 56.44% of customers and 55.83% partners expect the upcoming winter wedding season to be the biggest so far. The ‘carry forward’ of events from summers is likely to make this winter see the biggest ever wedding season.

Adherence to safety and hygiene norms tops the list of customer and partner priority for the upcoming season with 69.6% of partners ranking hygiene and sanitation standards as their number one priority. This is evident by the fact that the survey shows nearly 61.9% of customers willing to opt for bigger venues to avoid overcrowding in the near term to help maintain social distancing & 65.22% willing to pay a premium to ensure a safer experience for their guests and families.

Another interesting fact highlighted in the survey is that Indian’s are willing to move away from the concept of stringent ‘muhurat’ or wedding dates. Approximately 42% of customers pan-India are willing to opt for non-muhurat dates due to the high expected demand for muhurat dates to host their events, with the highest willingness coming from North India with 45.35%.

Speaking about the findings, Sandeep Lodha, CEO, OYO’s Weddingz.in said, “Weddings in India have always been an elaborate affair since they are considered to be a huge milestone for families across cultures. At present, the Indian wedding industry is slowly and steadily on the road to recovery. Our recent customer & partner survey indicates a similar trend earmarking the boom of the big fat Indian weddings this winter with safety and hygiene norms topping the list of pre-requisites. The ‘carry forward’ weddings from summer to winter will generate high demand for wedding venues and planners who employ best practices and protocols to conduct weddings in a pandemic hit reality. Understanding the need for safe weddings, we recently launched  ‘Wz Safe’ tag on venues that ensures highest standards of hygiene, cleanliness, minimum touch SOPs, and safety precautions are followed across venues. We are committed to delivering on this promise so that customers can celebrate their special day without any fear or apprehensions.”

Recently Weddingz.in launched on their app and website a ‘Wz Safe’ tag to showcase venues that meet cleanliness standards and have implemented Wedding.in defined safety norms.

Additionally, to keep up with the changing times, OYO’s Weddingz.in is presently offering packages inclusive of key requirements such as food, DJ, photography, makeup, digital invite, LIVE streaming services for small weddings accommodating 50 or 30 people, in line with the government guidelines across some cities.