Debarati Bose
Director of Sales and Marketing JW Marriott Hotel Pune
LESS IS MORE
In weddings today, less is more in terms of themes and décor. Couples prefer to have quaint destination weddings with their closest friends and family. People opt for chic over loud. Traditional Indian experiences with a pangatstyle seating and thalis are increasingly gaining popularity. Generally, the duration of the stay during weddings is about two nights/three days.
ROLE OF DMCs
We work with key DMCs such as Horizon WIE and Vivah. At JW Marriott Pune, utmost importance lies on quality. On case-tocase basis, we are open to the vendor/ suppliers that bring the finest quality of work to the table and do not stick to anyone in particular.
PLANNING THE BUDGET
When it comes to wedding planning, people like to spend lavishly and do not compromise on grandeur and festivity. The average residential wedding would cost somewhere around `70 lakh.
EXPERIMENTING WITH THEMES
The wedding trends we see today are of colourthemed weddings; a lot of discerning couples also plan their wedding with eco-friendly décor as their share to preserve the environment. In terms of meals, people experiment with diverse cuisines and bite-sized meal portions and offbeat entertainment at the wedding.
While one part is open to experimentation and opts for quirky and unique weddings, the trend of going traditional will never fade. As they say, old is gold, the traditional wedding with a pangat thali is one of the most sought-after wedding themes we do. People have moved on from the older options of having weddings in a wedding hall and prefer having their weddings in hotels as it is more convenient and hassle free.
You get top-notch quality of stay, food, and other amenities. People also pick offbeat destinations for their weddings.
NOT AFFECTED BY THE BAN
Fortunately, we are one of the few hotels that have not been affected by the liquor ban.
Demonetisation to some extent worked in our favour as large-scale weddings (over 3000 pax), which we were unable to accommodate, were being reduced to smaller sizes like 500-1000 pax, which we could execute.
OUT-OF-THE-BOX REQUESTS
One time, on the wedding day, the groom’s father had misplaced his outfit that he was supposed to wear during the wedding ceremony. The hotel helped him purchase a new outfit immediately.