A bride captured during a wedding ceremony by Bhavna Sadnani known for her candid photographs. (DC)

 HYDERABAD: Perhaps the perfect wedding is beginning to look a little imperfect, as photographs need no longer be flawless, music need not follow the usual playlist and even age‑old rituals are being reconsidered in the spirit of equality. As Hyderabad prepares for another wedding season, couples are experimenting with celebrations that genuinely define them. And since AI can erase almost every imperfection, the most meaningful thing a wedding has to offer is something that cannot be manufactured.

“They actually would like to see artists perform real music, you know, acoustic instruments without much digital manipulation,” said George Hull, Hyderabad‑based jazz musician and saxophonist. Hull performs at 20 to 25 weddings each season, usually at cocktail dinners and receptions. His experience coincides with a wider interest in jazz‑inspired celebrations. Pinterest’s global Wedding Trends Report 2026 recorded a 1,115 per cent increase in searches for jazz‑club weddings and a 225 per cent rise for speakeasy lounges. Couples request anything from soft ballads to Latin jazz, while enquiries for Western classical performances have also grown.

The appeal of something less electronically produced finds a parallel in wedding photography. Bhavna Sadnani, co-founder of Under The Mango Tree Photography, believes AI’s growing role could make people value photographs that retain imperfections. Her studio has been experimenting with direct‑flash photography, a style linked to older techniques, and she hopes to explore analogue film photography, where grain and irregularities remain part of the image. “I am planning to take up film photography soon since I’m hoping the trend would slowly move away from perfection because of AI,” said Sadnani, who is also a woman in a largely male‑dominated field.

That, she believes, worked in her favour. Weddings themselves, she says, are often dominated by the bride’s preferences. Having planned her own wedding — choosing her outfit before the marriage was even decided — she understands the expectations brides bring to their photographs.

The bride’s influence can extend far beyond photographs and clothing to the customs that define marriage itself. Searches for female priests are increasing, though still small in number. Others seek customised rituals that reflect equal partnership. Hyderabad priest Priyanshu Tiwari of Pooja Pandit Services recalled a bride who objected to kanyadaan, the ritual in which a parent gives the bride away.

“I am not an object,” she told him.

The couple wanted their wedding to recognise both partners and their families equally. Tiwari described requests for both sets of parents to receive the same respect and for customary roles to be reconsidered rather than followed without question. He recalled conducting two or three such ceremonies.

Regional clothing, traditional ornaments and individual styling preferences are appearing alongside contemporary aesthetics. That combination is evident in requests reaching Sindhura Kolli, founder of Hyderabad wedding planning and décor studio Dew Drops by Sindhura Kolli. One couple who met at the city’s Numaish exhibition now wants their mehendi to recreate the carnival. Another client, planning a December wedding, requested a traditional South Indian mandapam decorated with European‑style flowers. Kolli says couples increasingly arrive with Pinterest references, colour palettes and themes for each ceremony. Vintage furniture, suspended floral installations, elaborate ceiling decorations and Kalamkari‑inspired draping feature among the ideas reaching her studio. Sufi and qawwali nights remain popular, particularly among clients who grew up abroad and are returning to Hyderabad to marry, while DJs and live bands continue to feature prominently.

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