COVID-19 altered the way couples plan their weddings: Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the way couples plan their weddings with many of them now focusing on more personalized experiences, preferring quality over quantity and trimming guest lists, according to a survey by Weddingz. in.

Also, the pandemic has given a significant push to the 'digitization' of wedding planning with the most searched services on online wedding platforms being catering, food and beverages, entertainment, and decoration.

''Across several trending wedding styles, over 43 percent of Indian couples prefer to have intimate celebrations with only a chosen few present on their special day,'' said the online wedding platform, Weddingz. in its 'Trend Survey' conducted in October 2022.

Although people are still splurging on their weddings, couples are choosing to be more conscious about the outcome, it said adding,'' they are preferring quality over quantity and also trimming the guest lists''.

The survey took responses from 1,350 respondents online.

When it comes to big-scale weddings, 23.2 percent of the respondents still preferred the option, 17.6 percent wanted intimate and luxurious weddings while another 13.6 percent was for big-scale weddings with luxurious amenities, it added.

Weddingz. in Business Head Aditya Sharma said that post-pandemic there have been considerable changes in terms of how families are approaching weddings with emerging trends such as increasing use of technology by the younger generation to plan their weddings.

''In addition, we witnessed that the new sub-segment of pax (guest) size below 100, which was created during the pandemic, continues to exist and thrive as couples look forward to the personalized experience and customized solutions on their big day,'' he added.

In terms of planning, over 60 percent preferred to plan weddings online as it is an affordable choice, according to the survey.

''Nearly 70 percent of consumers feel that online wedding mediums are easy to use, offer better customization and a variety of options,'' it said, adding, ''over 78 percent of respondents prefer online wedding platforms as they provide them with better options in terms of venues.''