The Wedding Trend Report For 2025

The big fat Indian wedding is getting bigger in the upcoming new year of 2025. According to the Confederation of All India Traders, 2025 weddings in India will generate a business ofsix lakh crore rupees in the coming times. As the Big Fat Indian wedding gets bigger in the coming year, we will see some unexpected trends making waves this season.

Whether it’s  the increased usage of artificial intelligence (AI) and technological aids for seamless wedding planning, emphasis on implementing sustainable elements for wedding designing or interactive live food stations in  catering, the year 2025 will see innovation in the wedding planning industry like never before.

Wedding Trends That Will Be Everywhere in 2025

Here’s what the experts think will trend in the wedding space in 2025…

Wedding Planning Trends

From increased usage of technological aids, multi-sensory designs and increased collaboration with local craftsmen, these are a few wedding trends we will see everywhere this wedding season.

Increased usage of technology and AI

Who can forgetAnant Ambani and Radhika Merchants'pre wedding bash in Jamnagar that featured a light show across the skies with 5500 drones that showcased the story of Vantara, Anant’s animal rescue and rehabilitation centre?

Whether it’s shopping, travelling or even finding true love via dating apps, technology influences all our major and minor life decisions in modern times. Even in the wedding planning segment, tech and AI have made a place for themselves. Whether it's using wedding planning apps to organise and allocate tasks, venue floors equipped with motion sensors, usage of VFX for bridal entries, 3-D walkthroughs, or using AI software to curate heartfelt messages from deceased loved ones, technology is going to be more prevalent than ever.

“The implementation and constant innovation in the field of artificial intelligence and technology has made the wedding planning process very seamless,” says Palkan Badlani, a Mumbai-based wedding planner and founder of Palkan Badlani weddings and events “From helping to design mood boards, customising invites, suggesting themes or even helping weddings have a social media presence, AI is a very useful tool if it is implemented in the right manner. With constant developments happening in AI with each passing day, we can expect only more of its usage in the upcoming year and the years that follow.”

Multi-sensory designing of wedding venues

Weddings are no longer about visual appeal alone. Trends like scentscaping, or curating customised playlists and soundtracks to play in the background, wedding venues today focus on involving all five senses to create an unforgettable experience.

“It is scientifically proven that the sense of smell invokes memories associated with the brain than those associated with sight,” says Neha Wadhwan, co-founder of Mumbai-based wedding planning company, The Doli Diary, “2024 saw the rise of a wedding trend called scentscaping because of its subtle nature of invoking nostalgia. In today’s date, couples look for more immersive experiences where every element is crafted to evoke emotion and create lasting memories. So, if you want to communicate your story without going overboard or making it too evident, opting for multi-sensory experiences like scentscaping and bespoke decor designed with linen having nostalgic tactile textures is the way to go.”

Nature-centric venues

What was common between actor Keerthy Suresh and Antony Thattil’s wedding at St.Regis, Goa, and actor Pulkit Samrat and Kriti Kharbanda’s wedding at ITC Grand Bharat? Both the weddings had an open-air venue. Compared to closed spaces, open-air venues allow people to get one step closer to nature and also offer ample space to incorporate multiple elements to design and bring the wedding theme together. Also, outdoor venues may offer stunning natural scenery and great natural lighting for some lovely wedding pictures.

“As couples today look for more nature-centric venues, Open-air venues will remain popular in the year 2025,” says Chundur Phani, founder of Hyderabad-based wedding planning company, The Yellow Pages. “Outdoor venues provide ample scope to play and implement multiple elements of wedding designing and planning thereby providing optimum utilisation of space. Also, open-air wedding venues negate the feeling of claustrophobia and can accommodate a wide range of people due to their spread-out nature.”

Mindful opulence

Do you remember actor Rakul Preet and Jackky Bhagnani’s wedding that emphasised sustainability where the couple opted for paperless invites, ditched the fireworks and planted trees at their wedding venue to compensate for the carbon footprint generated by their actions during their wedding?

Yes, the Big Fat Indian wedding will get bigger in the year 2025, but with a lot more emphasis on sustainability. Couples today look to implement upcycled pieces of decor and opt for locations that implement sustainable practices like solar panelling and rainwater harvesting to make their weddings environment-friendly. As per Ashwin Malwade, co-founder of Mumbai-based event planning company Green Myna which focuses on sustainability, an average three-day Indian wedding produces about 700 to 800 kilos of wet waste and 1,500 kilos of dry waste.

“2025 is the year of sustainable weddings,” says Shruti Tiwari, co-founder of Goa-based wedding planning company, VLW Global. “The increased emphasis on climate change has been an eye-opener to everyone and the wedding planning industry in particular. Today due to increased awareness of environmental welfare, couples want to opt for upcycled decor, paperless invitations, natural linen for tabletop decorations and florals for decorating venues, rather than opting for non-recyclable decor.”

Increased collaboration with local artists and talent

With the launch of the ‘Wed In India’  and the ‘Vocal for Local’  initiative by the Indian government,  planners have been collaborating with local artisans in many different ways. Whether it is implementing local craftwork techniques to design mandaps, inviting dancers and musicians skilled in local art forms to perform at venues or collaborating with artisans to curate gifts for their guests, the year 2025 will see increased collaboration with local craftsmanship.

“The increased emphasis on supporting local artisans over the years has influenced wedding designers, planners and event managers hugely,” says Anant Khandelwal, founder of Jaipur-based wedding planning company, Indian wedding planners. “Couples are now looking forward to implementing culture-centric elements like calling local dance troupes to perform at their wedding venues. Also, rather than opting for readymade packages, couples are focusing on curating return gifts that reflect the rich cultural heritage of the land like opting for embroidered gifts and also gifting packaged local delicacies.”

The Wedding Colour Palette that will Dominate 2025

Deciding on a wedding theme can be a confusing task. To help you out,  here are a few wedding themes that will become massively popular in 2025.

Earthy browns and mocha tones

As Pantone has revealed ‘mocha mousse’ to be the shade of the year, the shade will dominate the wedding colour palette of 2025 and inspire many wedding designers to curate themes around the same.

“Earthy tones have an understated elegance and they pair beautifully with natural elements and rustic themes and offer a sophisticated yet grounded vibe,” says Aditi Kakar, co-founder of Delhi-based wedding designing company, Timoniyo, “They also blend beautifully with natural lighting and hence are a great choice for pre-wedding ceremonies like Haldi.”

Lilacs, purples and lavender

The colour purple radiates luxury, and elegance making it a great choice for weddings. The elegance and depth offered by the shades of Lilac and lavender make the colour a popular choice for weddings happening in 2025.

“Wedding themes designed with shades of purple and lilac are a feast to the eyes when paired with metallic accents like white and shades of silver”, says Priyanka Birla Wadhwa, founder of Hyderabad-based wedding designing company, Shaddi Ka Ladoo. “As 2025 will be the year of minimalism meets luxe, the colour purple and shades of lavender and lilac are a great choice for anyone who wishes to embrace both simplicity through elegance.

Blue

For cocktail parties, sangeet and post-wedding brunches the colour blue is a great choice. The best part is that it pairs beautifully with yellow and white themed flowers, and silver lighting which makes it a versatile hue to work with.

“Blue is a colour choice that is slowly gaining popularity among couples”, says Shruti Tiwari, “The deep hue of the colour makes it a great choice to be paired with bold colours like red wine and velvet and also light colours like white, sage green and silver for a ravishing contrasting effect.”

White and greens

The shade white has been prevalent in the wedding colour palette for the past few years. Whether it's Parineeti Chopra’s wedding with Raghav Chadda or Sonakshi Sinha and Zaheer Iqbal’s wedding ceremony or Aditi Rao Hydari and Siddharth’s wedding at Ranganayakaswamy Temple in Wanarparthy, Telangana. The colour white has made a place for itself and will continue to dominate the wedding colour palette of 2025.

“Instead of pure white, the year 2025 will see more of its fusion with green. This combination is a great choice for a nature-inspired look or an enchanted garden look. Couples today opt for nature-inspired themes while approaching the process of wedding design. For a forest-themed wedding, this combination can never go wrong. Also, you can play and experiment with shades of green like sage and pistachio to create a distinctive visual appeal,” says Mumbai-based wedding designer and planner Janvi Dave.

Orange

The colour orange is associated with optimism, positivity and vibrance. The warm and evoking shade pairs well with browns, blues, greens and whites to create a great visual appeal. Also, it offers a modern twist without making it too conventional and is an emerging choice among couples.

“The shades of amber, peach, coral, and golden hues evoke warmth without making the colours look too overwhelming.” says Neha Wadhwan, “The colour pairs well with rust and shades of brown to give the wedding venue an earthy elegance. Also, it goes well with greens for those looking to craft a nature-themed wedding.”

The catering trends that you will get to see at 2025 weddings

Food remains one of the most noticeable factors at Indian weddings, here are a few catering trends that you will see at weddings in 2025. Why are these suddenly numbered?

Increased representation of regional and local cuisine

The increased emphasis on encouraging local crafts has had an impact on the wedding industry as a whole and particularly the segment of wedding planning. Couples today are opting for local delicacies that connect with their palate, rather than opting for dishes that they do not connect with.

“Couples today look for creating culinary experiences at their wedding that depict the cultural heritage of our country India,” says Chef Sanjay Vazirani, founder of Food Link Luxury Catering. “People today opt for locally sourced ingredients and dishes made with traditional cooking techniques as they have understood that bringing in ingredients not just reduces the nutritional value but also increases transportation costs.”

Interactive catering experiences

Interactive concepts like making your own salad, DIY cocktails bars or personalised menu creation at live counters are gaining popularity among today's couples.

“Interactive cuisines, immersive dining experiences, live cooking stations, and DIY dessert bars, are what couples are opting for while planning their menu,” says Mehreen Mehra, founder of Delhi-based wedding catering company Moets Catering. “With increased usage of edible cutlery and concepts like interactive gastronomy, food, beverage and dining concepts are focused on providing guests and attendees a wholesome experience.”

Dishes that invoke nostalgia

Personalisation is a big favourite of couples getting married in 2024 and it will continue to reflect in the catering space in the coming year One way couples are looking to incorporate an element of nostalgia in their weddings is by introducing an heirloom recipe or a dish that was a family favourite into their menus.

“Nostalgia is a strong emotion. Flavours that we love and growing up have a big role to play in the people that we become. Couples want their menu to tell a story, often reflecting their own story, from dating to marriage and inclusive of shared travel experiences,” says Aditi Dugar, founder of Sage and Saffron catering.

Menus with limited dishes

Having multiple dishes and extensive menus not only increases operational costs but also gives rise to staffing and budgeting problems. So, couples today are opting for a limited number of dishes across cuisines without going overboard on their wedding menu.

“Gone are the days when people used to have 10-12 sweet preparations and dishes and multiple bar counters to suit their catering needs,” says Mehreen Mehra, “Today couples opt for limited dishes and beverages so that it does not lead to unnecessary wastage and spoilage.”