No more legwork: These startups make your wedding a five-minute affair
Ever ask a newlywed couple about the wedding preparation, and the answer is bound to be ‘overwhelming’. Choosing the perfect wedding dress, jewellery, unique invitations, caterers, photographers or venue, even pundits can be daunting. This is where online wedding platforms step in.
They are stealing the thunder from old and trusted marriage markets in many cities mainly because of the convenience they offer. Everything can be got at the swipe of a screen or click of a mouse in the comfort of one’s home. Compared to this is wading in a sea of people, the noise of touts and dubious prices, all in scorching heat or pouring rain, typical of a market such as Delhi’s famed Chandni Chowk.
We handpick a list of wedding platforms which have taken on the task of arranging the nuptials of many, so that the run-up to a marriage becomes an enjoyable and not exhausting time.
SevenPromises
Hopping from one shop to another, looking for that unique wedding card, makes one go crazy. Besides, famous wedding markets like Chowri Bazar or Kinari Bazar of Old Delhi haven’t been able to leave a good impression on customers. The crowds, troublesome touts, and lack of transparency in prices increase the hassle for customers. This is where SevenPromises strives to make a difference. Through this platform, one can easily access the latest wedding products from wholesale markets across India, like Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, and order them online.
Bandbaajaa
In this recession-proof business, even media brand like NDTV is exploring business opportunities. With designers such as Neeta Lulla, Anju Modi, Kisneel, Prama, Kylee & Neha Mehta and a listing of over 1,500 vendors and lifestyle professionals, coupled with over 5,000 products, NDTV launched Bandbaajaa, a one-stop solution for weddings, this year.
Besides assisting the customers in creating a personalised checklist of all the tasks for a wedding, the website also manages the budget and helps finding the right vendors as per preferred location. The website provides an end-to-end solution to the customers – from assistance on venues, photography, DJ and entertainers, wedding décor, makeup artists, invitation cards, caterers, etc., to shopping for the perfect wedding trousseau.
ForMyShaadi
Founded by Sudha Maheshwari, ForMyShaadi is a wedding gift e-registry website for would-be married couples. The platform invites married-to-be couples to create a wish list for themselves. The couple can then share it with their friends and family who can browse through products the couple have selected, make a purchase, leave a greeting for the couple and go to the wedding hassle free.
The platform aims at creating an online marketplace of exclusive brands and unique experiences so that couples can get the gifts they want on their big day, be it by wish listing gifts that will help them set up their new home or by listing experiences and personal items that they would enjoy.
Weddingz
Founded in 2015, Mumbai-based Weddingz is an online marketplace for wedding venues and vendors. The platform now has a presence in 10 cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, and Goa. It plans to extend its reach to 20 cities, including Kolkata, Chennai, and Hyderabad by the end of 2016. During December last year, it raised over $1 million in seed capital from a group of angel investors led by Ambit Capital. Early this year, it raised its pre-Series A round of funding from Sixth Sense Ventures.
According to industry experts, the wedding industry in India is pegged at $40 billion, with 10 million weddings taking place annually. The market is growing at 25 per cent per year.
Wedmegood, Shaadisaga, and Bollywoodshaadis are some of the other platforms which are also offering end-to-end wedding services. During September last year, Gurgaon-based Wedmegood raised Rs 2.7 crore from Indian Angel Network. Shaadisaga has raised funds from Outbox Ventures to increase service categories, expand to other cities, and to further develop capabilities for various service providers.
The enormous marriage market creates a large business opportunity in this segment. Like other industries, this million dollar wedding industry is also evolving. In the past few years, various platforms with new ideas and concepts have come up; thus, associated industries are bound to propagate in the coming years.