I wish I had enough of “travel leg” to move around and coordinate Weddings at the most exotic destinations of the World!
If you are considering a Destination Wedding in India and unsure which part of India you should consider and why, here is list of Top 5 picked up locations & destinations (Hotels/Resorts/Venues) in India with a broad idea of budget.
1. Goa
Goa has been popular since the dawn of destination weddings in India about 14 years back. Europeans and second generation Indians settled overseas would chose it more for holiday mixed up with wedding festivity. Laid back lifestyle, beaches and accessibility made it the top choice. The trend still continues but nowadays families with India would want to celebrate the wedding in Goa with close family members and friends. It gives them enough time to get together and have a good time.
Goa for everyone is holiday and fun mood and that’s how the weddings also turn up here. Lot of music, dance, party and celebration.
South Goa has most of 5 start beach Resorts suitable for destination weddings and it averages out to Rs. 40000 to Rs. 65000 per person for 2 days all inclusive budget.
This means for a gathering of 150 guests and 2 days affair the budget would range anywhere between Rs. 60 lakh to 1 crore
Popular choices are Zuri White Sands, Kenilworth Beach Resort, Alila Diwa, Holiday Inn, Ramada, Planet Hollywood, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, The Leela, The Lalit etc.
2. Jaipur
Jaipur with its historical background and a perfect accessibility makes top choice in Rajasthan specially for the Indian families.
Authentic Palaces, old Mansions and historical monuments could be used to host the Wedding festivities.
Imagine the class of a Royal Wedding tailored to fit mood of a Destination Weddings, its a great experience!
Colors, traditions, elephants, puppets, snake charmers, colourful Turbans, Palatial facades all come together to offer a wonderful wedding.
There are varied choices available from top notch Palace to a luxury Resort ranging from Rs. 30000 to Rs. 1.5 lakh per person on an average for 2 days all inclusive festivities.
Often picked up choices are The Raj Palace, City Palace, Samode Palace, Fairmont, Shiv Vilas Palace, Chomu Palace, Le Meridian, Rajasthali Resort etc
3. Udaipur
Out of all, Udaipur has the most upbeat and exclusive locations in India.
Jagmandir Island Palace is known for the celebrity weddings and is one of its kind destination in the world. Situated in the middle of Lake Pichola it offers ones a life time experience.
Guests are ferried by Boats and enjoy ultimate luxury and privacy.
Oberoi Udai Vilas has been awarded as best Hotel in world is also situated in Udaipur and could be taken up to host wedding, similarly The Leela in Udaipur is another retreat by the lake for a top class destination wedding.
Udaipur is amongst the costliest destinations in the world and premium choices range from Rs. 75000 to Rs. 2 lakh person for 2 days all inclusive wedding affair.
There are less costlier Resorts and Hotels also as a choice if your idea is to have a Wedding in Udaipur but not necessarily at one of the Palaces.
4. Hill stations
Coincidentally many auspicious dates fall during the person of April to August which happens to be Summer and Monsoon,
This has lead to exploring hill stations all across India and more specifically in north and south for destination weddings.
Spots like Shimla, Dalhousie, Rishikesh, Nainital, Mount Abu, Lonavala, Munnar, Coonoor etc loaded with holiday Resorts are being picked up to host Wedding.
Depending upon the period, it could budget from Rs. 20000 to Rs. 45000 per person for two days all inclusive wedding package.
5. Independent locations & Resorts
Not everyone prefer to travel across the country to host a wedding,
Which is why the independent locations near major towns have also shown a keen interest in being developed as wedding destination.
Take example of Ramoji Film City near Hyderabad and Amby Valley near Pune.
There are several Theme Parks and Resorts near Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai etc which are equipped to host a wedding.
More or less these options range from Rs. 20000 to Rs. 50000 per person again for two days affair.
What I mean by an all inclusive cost is to cover stay, meals, basic setup and décor, music and entertainment etc. The cost of traveling is not accounted for.