MatriMoney – Matter of Money

Today, there is a new industry emerging of getting two people together through the internet medium. It’s an industry worth more than Rs 125,000 crore and growing at 25 per cent every year, so anyone who can find an avenue would like to attach themselves to the great Indian extravaganza.  Matrimony is taking place with internet playing a major role. In earlier days marriages happened in India by exchanging horoscopes and checking the astrological compatibilities. Word of mouth advertising in social circles and family circles also helped in getting two people closer within a particular community and getting into a wedlock. But as times have changed, net meeting and net marriages have become common. People get introduced to each other on social networking platforms through common friends  and take the relationship forward to a marriage. This trend is also showing the launch of a new marriage portal being heavily advertised and launched every week. Simply Marry, Shaadi, Vivah, Svayamvara, Muhurat  etc are the common marketing words and platforms used to market marriages. Meeting points are created for elders and couples to meet after the net meeting takes place and the horoscopes have matched . After several meetings and discussions if the families and couples find each other compatible they go ahead with the marriages.

Parents who are not very tech savvy in searching the soul mates for their sons and daughters are forced to learn basic computing skills now to check prospective profiles online. After all they wish for a long and happy matrimony for their children. Earlier days the marriage classifieds with prospective bride and bridegrooms appeared in the Sunday newspapers. Now the entire model has shifted to the internet where photos, likes, dislikes, horoscopes etc can be posted. The truth is that even your  marriage has become a source of income for many right from the search stage to the wedding completion stage advertisers, portal owner who is now the marriage broker, wedding planners, caterers, decorators. Some of these advanced wedding planners also take the contract for arranging honeymoons to  scenic locations for the couples.

 

Firstly the matrimonial website helps you in finding the perfect match for your life and then the post search stage is also taken care by the wedding planners and enthusiastic event managers. They will customize their service offerings based on your needs, religious beliefs and specific rituals (wedding practices followed in your custom. Decoration, food, clothing requires a special set of planning. Taking care of the guests, attending to the partners family, being hospitable to all is part and parcel of the entire package (goes without saying). InIndia , marriages are one of the important samskaras and huge amounts of money is spent on weddings to prove social status and celebrate with the entire family.  Significant amount of savings are accumulated from an early stage for the wedding affair in the family .Many of them also take loans for the weddings.  30 – 40% goes for the designer jewellery, clothing, 10 % for the invitation cards, food and entertainment services (concert, dance show post wedding). These wedding planners can even plan marriages in palaces, forts, mountains, temples in India  to have a unique marriage experiences. This is called as wedding tourism

 

Marriage now means business and it’s becoming a business more people want to get into. For many of you who have been hit by the recession, probably should try being a wedding planner or a event manager. Touted as a recession free business, entrepreneurs are trying to cash in on the burgeoning business opportunity being posed by weddings. On the other hand there are also weddings which are conducted by many institutions if a couple wants to get married in a particular tradition in a low profile manner without much fanfare and just the family members present . Mass marriages are also conducted for couples those who cannot afford to have abig  fat Indian wedding. And those  who believe in not spending heavily on marriages. Both forms are available, an individual needs to choose what type of wedding he/she wants.