Indian weddings are famous all over the world for their grand scale, long celebrations, bright clothes, music, dance, and most importantly – huge spending. From jewelry and clothes to food, venue, and decoration, money flows like water. But have you ever wondered how much money the whole country spends on weddings every single year? The numbers are shocking.
According to different reports and studies, India spends between ₹8 lakh crore to ₹12 lakh crore (that is 8–12 trillion rupees) on weddings every year. To make it simple:
- Some reports say around ₹10 lakh crore per year on average.
- This is more than the yearly budget of many Indian states put together.
- It is almost 2–3% of India’s total GDP.
Let’s look at some trusted sources:
- A 2023 report by Jefferies (a global investment bank) said Indian families spend about $130 billion (around ₹10–11 lakh crore) every year on weddings.
- KPMG earlier estimated the wedding industry size at ₹10 lakh crore by 2023–24.
- A CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) report in 2024 said the wedding season of Nov–Dec 2024 alone saw spending of ₹6 lakh crore because 48 lakh (4.8 million) weddings took place in just 2 months.
- If we take the full year, normally 1–1.2 crore weddings happen in India every year. Average spending per wedding is ₹20–25 lakh for middle-class families and easily ₹3–5 crore or more for rich families.
So total national spending easily crosses ₹10 lakh crore every year.
Where does all this money go?
- Venue and decoration: 20–30% of the budget
- Jewelry and clothes: 25–35% (especially gold; India buys hundreds of tons of gold only for weddings)
- Food and catering: 15–20% (one wedding can feed 500–5000 people for 3–7 days)
- Photography, music, dance troops, gifts: rest of the money
Because of this huge spending, the wedding industry has become one of the biggest industries in India. It gives jobs to lakhs of people – caterers, decorators, jewelers, tent houses, priests, makeup artists, mehendi artists, DJs, choreographers, and many more.
Why do Indians spend so much?
- Social status – Showing status and respect in society.
- Family pressure – “Log kya kahenge” (what will people say) is still very strong.
- One-time big event – Many families save money for years only for their children’s wedding.
- Destination weddings – Rich people now spend ₹10–50 crore on weddings in Rajasthan palaces, Dubai, Thailand, Italy, etc.
Good side and bad side
Good side:
- Creates millions of jobs
- Boosts economy (gold, textile, hotel, travel, jewelry industries all grow)
- Keeps traditions alive
Bad side:
- Many middle-class and lower-middle-class families take huge loans or sell property
- Waste of food and resources
- Pressure on young couples who actually want simple weddings
Conclusion
Every year India spends roughly ₹10–12 lakh crore on weddings. This is more money than many countries’ entire economy. Weddings are beautiful and important, but the race to spend more and more is putting unnecessary pressure on families. A wedding should be about love, togetherness, and blessings – not about who spent how many crores. Simple weddings are coming back slowly, many young couples are choosing court marriage or small functions. If this trend grows, maybe in the coming years the total spending will become more reasonable and less stressful for families.
