Lavish pre-wedding videos are India’s new obsession as couples ‘show off their cool factor’
- Some old mores are giving way to newer ones in the digital age as popularity of extravagantly designed and choreographed pre-wedding shoots soars in the country
- Firms that produce videos for such ceremonies say there’s pressure on photographers to come up with fresh ideas as many couples want to be ‘famous for a day’
The couple dressed in Indian wedding regalia stand knee-deep in a lake, bouncing their shoulders to a Bollywood song. The groom then bumps his betrothed, loses his balance and topples into the water, finery and all.
It wasn’t an act. The video, shot ahead of the couple’s wedding and meant to evoke their romance, was an epic fail – at least at first. Then the clip turned into an Instagram sensation, amassing 13 million views.
“People started recognising us at meetings, social gatherings, other weddings,” said Jyothi Lakshmi, the 26-year-old bride. “The fall was worth it.”
“Nobody wants to look at stiff, hours-long wedding videos of chanting priests and the couple doing saat pheras, seven circles around the holy fire,” said Gautam Swaroop, chief executive officer of Weddingz, a platform for wedding services. “These days, couples want to show off their cool factor.”