Wedding season not as rosy, say industry players in Bhopal

Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): The wedding industry remained one of the worst hit during the corona pandemic. Now that the wedding season has kicked in, the banquet owners were hoping for a relief, but the things do not seem rosy even now.

Even after the lockdown was relaxed and the halls were permitted to open up, their hands were tied with certain bans, says the treasurer of Bhopal Marriage Garden Association Harshit Agarwal.

This wedding season is going to last long and yet we are short on bookings as compared to the previous times, he said. When Free Press asked for a comparison between the business post and pre-covid, he said, “We have seen a considerable drop in business. Earlier, there used to be a rush for pre-bookings, as the hall could have gone to the next customer that steps in from the door. It is not the same anymore. We do not have to worry about accommodating two events at the same venue on the same day.”

The owner of a hotel in Ashoka Garden area, Manmeet Wadhwani says that there has been a menial increase in charges given the inflation. But the middle class has turned more ‘budget conscious’ after the pandemic and prefers either hotels or a small-scale wedding on vacant ground adjacent to their residential place, he added.

Ramji of Ramji Catering Services said the cap on the number of guests has been removed, which should have increased the guest list to cater for. But the catering order he has been receiving this wedding season is for limited guests, he further said.

“We have to spend more input if the guest list is short. Food per plate comes down to 50% when we have more guests. But, I guess Indian weddings have passed the lavish stage. Pandemic has changed our way of living,” he added.