WedMeGood launches their 4th Annual Wedding Report 2024: Social media takes over dating apps this year!

A wedding planning website and app, WedMeGood has launched its 4th Annual Wedding Report, 2024 after conducting a comprehensive annual survey by quizzing over 3500 engaged couples from Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities with weddings until March 31, 2025.

The comprehensive survey delves into key trends and insights surrounding wedding budgets, honeymoon preferences, wedding planners, and the growing influence of digital tools in shaping modern weddings, with the report covering key issues like spending habits, wedding trends, honeymoon destinations, and more.

According to the report, Social media apps gained more popularity than dating or matrimonial apps with 30% couples having met online while 60% met offline with 10% through hybrid methods. Bumble and Hinge emerged as the most popular dating apps for engaged couples, with Shaadi.com in the matrimony space. The report also mentioned that the average wedding budget stood at INR 36.5 Lacs with the average destination wedding budget being INR 51.1 Lacs. India’s income disparity can be seen in the fact that 9% of weddings planned cost over INR 1 core.  82% of weddings were financed by personal/ family savings, 12% via wedding loans and 6% via liquidation of assets like jewellery.

As per the survey, Wedding planners are rising in popularity with 16.7% couples hiring wedding planners; a 15% increase year on year compared to 2023- 24. This is still under-penetrated as 1/3rd  couples in the USA hire planners- double the penetration in  India. This trend is largely being driven by the increase in destination weddings. Destination weddings now form 1/4th of total weddings planned, with over 60% of weddings costing over INR 1 crore being destination weddings. The average honeymoon budget was INR 3.7 Lacs and the average honeymoon duration was approximately 8.5 days. 40.2% of honeymoons were planned internationally with Switzerland, the rest of Europe, Maldives, Bali, and Thailand emerging as top international choices for Indian honeymooners.

On the other hand, 45.5% of respondents claimed to have opted for lab-grown diamonds with varied use cases, while  52% of couples opted for eco-conscious choices such as donating excess food or limiting the use of plastic. The report looks at cultural differences between Gen Z and Millennials with respect to conversations before and after marriages and choices. Some interesting insights noted are the emergence of social media managers for weddings, the popularity of bachelorette trips, and detailed discussions about finances and mental health before marriage.

The report also highlights that followed by social media, wedding planning apps such as Wedmegood and Bollywood weddings were the top influencers for wedding decisions. Wedding vendors are now increasingly being discovered online with 55% of the audience using either a social media app or a wedding planning app like WedMeGood for hiring them.

Commenting on the report's findings, Mehak Sagar Shahani, Co-founder of WedMeGood said, “Our annual report highlights key trends in the wedding industry in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. The average wedding budget is INR 36.5 lacs this year, and in general weddings have become 7% more expensive as compared to 2023, owing to rising hospitality (venue and catering costs) in 2024. The rising popularity of destination weddings, professional wedding planners, and even social media content creators all point to Indian weddings moving towards a more organised, professionally planned space, whilst still retaining their strong family and cultural values which continue to be the number one influence for young couples.  WedMeGood continues to be at the forefront of these transformative trends, offering innovative tech solutions to help couples make more informed bookings and vendor decisions along with digital invitations and tools to help families plan their weddings stress free.”

The Indian wedding industry has experienced a significant transformation over the past four years, overcoming the challenges brought on by the pandemic; showing incredible resilience and growth.