India's Wedding Market in 2025: Rs 58 Lakh Per Destination, Gold Recycling, and Instagram Glam

2025 weddings in India sparkled with lavish destination celebrations, Instagram-ready shoots, and soaring jewellery prices, blending luxury, personalization, and social-media-worthy moments.

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Glitter, Glamour, and Gold Prices That Soared

From Instagram-worthy shoots to extravagant destination celebrations, 2025 was a year where Indian weddings shone bright, even as gold and silver prices climbed to record highs. Couples continued to celebrate their big day with pomp, personalized experiences, and social-media-ready moments, showing that love and celebration know no bounds.

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Celebrity Weddings and Headlines

The year was not short of high-profile weddings and cancellations that made headlines. While cricketer Smriti Mandhana and music composer Palash Muchhal’s marriage plans were unexpectedly shelved, several celebrity weddings captured public imagination. Aadar Jain and Alekha Advani tied the knot, Netra Mantena married Vamsi Gadiraju, and pop sensation Armaan Malik celebrated his union with Aashna Shroff.

Yet, the trend went beyond the celebrity circuit. Couples from upper-middle-class and middle-class families increasingly embraced lavish celebrations, often investing heavily in experiences and décor. According to WedMeGood, a leading wedtech platform, wedding spending rose by 8 per cent in 2025, with the average budget reaching around Rs 39.5 lakh.

Industry experts anticipate that spending will continue to rise in 2026, driven by curated experiences, destination weddings, and celebrations designed to shine on social media.

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Destination Weddings Take Center Stage

Destination weddings emerged as a dominant trend in 2025. “In fact, one in every four weddings in 2025 was a destination event,” Mehak Shahani, co-founder of WedMeGood, was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

The appeal of destination weddings was particularly pronounced among ultra-premium weddings. “Among weddings with budgets of over Rs 1 crore, more than 60 per cent were destination celebrations. Last year, the average destination wedding cost around Rs 51.1 lakh, but in 2025 it rose to about Rs 58 lakh,” Shahani added.

Popular Indian destinations included Jaipur, Goa, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla, Jim Corbett, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur. For international weddings, couples preferred Bali, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Vinod Kumar Sah, co-founder and CTO of CoTrav, highlighted how luxury destination weddings are structured. 

“From CoTrav's on-ground experience with around 60 luxury destination weddings this year, a five-star destination wedding today typically carries a budget in the Rs 3 crore-plus range. These budgets follow a clear structure, with 20-25 per cent allocated to premium venues, 10-15 per cent to guest and family travel, and around 10 per cent to artistes, performers, and crew logistics. The remaining 50-60 per cent is directed toward decor, food, planning, and the celebrations," he told PTI.

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Wedding Photography in the Age of Instagram

While overall wedding spending rose, photography bucked the trend. The year saw a notable shift in style, driven by couples’ desire for Instagram-ready, immediate content.

“Personalisation is at an all-time high, with custom details and bespoke decor offering more intimate storytelling moments. Candid, documentary-led narratives continue to dominate,” Harsheen Jammu, co-founder of luxury wedding photography service Ombre, was quoted as saying in the PTI report.

Despite the demand for high-quality, social-media-friendly imagery, the average spend on wedding photography dipped slightly—about 6.8 per cent lower than 2024—but remained 22.1 per cent higher than 2023. Ombre also reported a 30-50 per cent decline in total wedding shoots compared to previous years.

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Jewellery Prices Soar, Recycling Increases

The wedding jewellery segment faced challenges due to record-high precious metal prices. Gold rose from Rs 79,390 per 10 grams on January 1, 2025, to Rs 1,38,200 by December 22, marking a 74.07 per cent increase. Silver more than doubled, reaching Rs 2,14,500 per kilogram, up 137.02 per cent from the start of the year.

All India Gem and Jewellery Domestic Council (GJC) Chairman Rajesh Rokde noted that this surge encouraged recycling. 

“Recycling of gold wedding jewellery was 10-15 per cent before 2023, which increased by 15 per cent in 2023-24, and another 20-25 per cent in FY25,” he told PTI. 

Rokde projected a Rs 2-3 lakh crore business in wedding jewellery for FY26.

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Hotels and Personalised Experiences

Hotel chains also reported robust growth. Supreet Roy, General Manager at Sheraton Grand Pune, told PTI, “Industry estimates suggest that hotel-led wedding business has grown 10-12 per cent (in 2025), with a significant surge anticipated during the peak November-February period, which traditionally accounts for the bulk of Indian wedding celebrations.”

Destination weddings dominated premium enquiries, accounting for 55-60 per cent of queries. Multi-day celebrations became more common, with families opting for two- to three-day itineraries. Personalisation, including thematic decor, handcrafted menus, and regional culinary experiences, rose 15-20 per cent, contributing to higher per-guest spends.

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Looking Ahead to 2026

The wedding industry is optimistic about the future. “Digital adoption will keep rising, whether it's for payments, planning tools or guest logistics. We will also see wider use of AI and tech among wedding vendors, helping them deliver better service, faster communication, and smoother operations,” said Shahani.

Roy expects an 8-10 per cent growth in the coming year, with emerging destination weddings in tier-II and tier-III cities driving the surge.

High jewellery prices or not, Indian weddings in 2025 showcased creativity, luxury, and personalization. With destination weddings, curated experiences, and Instagram-ready moments, the market is set to glitter even brighter in 2026.