Hyderabadis Prefer Heritage Weddings to Western Trends
Buggies, horses, palanquins make a comeback at celebrations
Hyderabad: As the pleasant winter season is about to set in, Hyderabad is witnessing the return of big, traditional weddings, with families opting for grandeur, rituals, and heritage themes over modern trends. Marriage halls, hotels, and venues across the city are packed as the favourable wedding season (muhurtham) began this week and will continue until the end of November.
Families are increasingly choosing lavish ceremonies rooted in old customs, complete with buggies, horses, and palanquins for the wedding processions. Organisers say there is a noticeable revival of age-old games and rituals once enjoyed by grandparents at their weddings. “Every couple is following the full set of traditional rituals and maintaining the exact timings without compromise,” said one event planner.
According to M. Lakshmi Narasimha Acharyulu, head priest of the Sri Venkateswara Temple, “Vidya is auspicious till the 17th of this month, which is Ekadasi. A large number of marriages, house-warming ceremonies, and business openings are scheduled. On the 11th alone, many weddings are expected to take place.” He added that weddings will pause for Diwali and resume on October 24 (Tadiya), continuing through Kartika Masam.
Event planners say the pandemic-era simplicity and post-lockdown western food courts have given way to fully traditional weddings. “Everyone now wants a total traditional wedding with all rituals intact,” said Purabhi Mahapatro, chief operations officer of Vanaja Rao Wedding Planners. “Weddings are lasting a week, with haldi, mangala snanam, and family games accompanied by folk songs. One Tamil family even recreated a full village-style menu from their hometown.”
Traditional craftsmanship is also making a comeback. At Sree Vasavi Silk Palace, a 90-year-old Kancheevaram weaving house, Naresh Kumar Kalavala, a fourth-generation weaver, said: “We recreated a 120-year-old sari from an old photograph for a bride who wanted to wear what her great-grandmother wore. The entire process took four months.”
Function halls and hotels are fully booked, said Vinayak Vengala of Raja Rajeshwari Gardens, Sikh Village. “Clients are demanding ethnic backdrops, themed decorations, and grand entrances.”
Akhilesh Kumar, an event manager, added that guests are being hosted in star hotels, and wedding processions are designed like movie sets.
On days when a large number of weddings is scheduled, several roads especially where many function halls are located generally see traffic jams. Asked if the traffic police was taking up measures for traffic regulation, a traffic police official said there were no special arrangements planned yet but they would step in if there were VIP movements or major events require diversions.
