Tiger Shroff performs at the launch of Mariette Bonoy’s wedding. Photo credit: Special Arrangements
Eighty kilograms of silk flowers, 52 lanterns, Karan Johar with his repertoire of wisecracks, Shyamik Dawar’s dancers with bright props that look like fireflies moving in a rhythmic pattern, and Tiger Shroff with his signature Presenting motions.
Over the weekend, JW Marriott Mumbai witnessed the re-launch of Wedding on the Lawn at Sahar by Marriott Bonvoy Re-imagined, an end-to-end wedding service solution, with an event they like to call “the biggest concert of the year”. do While there was no actual wedding taking place, it was a wedding by Marriott Bonvoy to demonstrate what their clients are capable of arranging if they are willing to marry them.
“Weddings is a very important business segment for us,” says Khushnuma Kapadia, Senior Area Director of Marketing – South Asia Marriott International Inc., adding that in 2022 alone, 5,000 weddings were held at Marriott properties across India. 12% of their revenue came from wedding-related events last year. The wedding market is currently witnessing a recovery rate that is at an all-time high post-pandemic. “The last two quarters of FY 2022 have been the most promising we’ve seen,” she adds.
Karan Johar was the master of ceremony.
“Planning weddings can be stressful for families and with our services they can leave it to us and enjoy the festivities,” says Khushnoma. Every hotel has a wedding specialist. With a list of services spanning menu curation, beauty rituals, entertainment, decor, and even honeymoons, Marriott today is more than just a destination. “We take care of the little things. For example, if a family is conservative and has dietary restrictions, their Your Highness She can come and cook in our kitchen,” she adds.
From vows on the beach to intimate ceremonies in the hills, they have it all arranged. St. Regis, Goa and Mumbai, JW Marriott, Missouri, Sheraton, Indore, W, Goa are some of the popular properties for destination weddings. “We have 138 hotels and resorts in India,” says Khushnuma. Now with the arrival of new hotels and resorts in various locations including the Himalayas, Shillong, and Coorg, this ready-made wedding service will be available in more locations.
With the world constantly changing and everything evolving, wedding trends also go through ups and downs. The wedding team keeps up with these changes whether it is in the culinary department or in the bridal attire. There are experiments and innovations that take place within the country as well. She says, “At the launch, we had a never-before-seen dessert bar. As for the food menu, while guests sampled global cuisine, what stood out was the fermentation lab. Thi (featuring “gut-friendly” dishes made with a technique that uses 2 percent lacto-fermentation and kimchi) and Ano-Vegan, which was unconventional. Flavors like Puran Poly Ice cream, sand pit roasted potatoes, and nitro Khurvas.
