Indian weddings are kind of on two extremes when it comes to booking windows. The larger weddings with 300+ guests range from 10-12 months and smaller weddings with 150-250 guests range from 2-5 months. More about smaller Indian weddings below. Right now let’s talk in more detail about booking windows.
The other aspect to know about the booking window is the sales cycle. Couples are booking their wedding anywhere from 10-12 months out but the sales cycle with the venue can last anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks.
{Are There More Popular Months For Indian Weddings?}
Summer through Labor Day are definitely the peak Indian wedding season. As couples like to take advantage of outdoor ceremonies. Venues prefer that too because for Hindu and Jain weddings that include the ceremonial fire, it’s just better to be outdoors, even though most venues can do it indoors as well.
But the fact is Indian weddings are happening year round. The only slower period is from Christmas through January.
{Three Day Weekends are VERY Popular for Indian Weddings}
Since Indian weddings are multi-day affairs, all of the 3 day weekends are very popular – President’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th (if it falls on a 3 day weekend), Labor Day, Thanksgiving.
{Smaller Indian Weddings}
A year ago, if you’d asked me about Indian weddings with 150 guests, I would have responded with, “there’s no such thing”. But this year, in 2018, I’ve seen a shift. ShaadiShop has received at least 2 inquiries every month, thus far, for 150ish person Indian weddings.
In raw numbers, two inquiries is nothing. But comparatively it’s a complete 180! So what does this mean? It means:
- the market is growing
- the viable venue pool will grow
The great thing about smaller Indian weddings is that they usually have a shorter booking window which for any venue is like icing on the cake in terms of top-line revenue. And because they’re smaller even if a venue has another event that day, they might still be able to accommodate another.
Smaller Indian weddings are correlated to shorter booking windows. And it’s useful for you to know that the consumer’s mentality changes in this scenario too. Because the event is coming up soon, they’re focused on securing a venue vs. spending a lot of time shopping around. Last month we booked a 100-person wedding in 14 days. That’s light speed for an Indian wedding!
{Indian Wedding Events With Shorter Booking Windows}
Engagement parties usually have a shorter booking window than the wedding but they’re just as profitable as the wedding. In fact, on paper, they’re no different than the wedding:
- a few hundred guests
- outside catering
- open bar
- same setup – banquet rounds, bar, buffet tables, dance floor etc.
{So What Does All Of This Mean For Venues to Capture Indian Wedding Business?}
- Pay attention to your competition – it’s increasing.
- Run short term promotions. Fill up open dates by running short term ads.
- Work with sister properties to cross promote each other.
- Run promotions for three day weekends – maybe don’t lower price but differentiate by adding value.
- Don’t just focus on booking weddings – but engagements too.
This article is part of our series:
{FAQs About ShaadiShop}
Is ShaadiShop a wedding planning service?
“Wedding/marriage” in Hindi and Urdu (2 major languages spoken in South Asia).
What’s the difference between Indian and South Asian?
South Asia is the region of the world that includes India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. ShaadiShop is happy to serve the needs of all South Asians vs. Indians only.
{Conclusion}
Within the Indian wedding market there are segments:
- long term bookings
- short term bookings
- engagement parties
- destination weddings
Each of these segments has unique needs and above we’ve described these so you can create your offerings accordingly. Contact us about marketing your venue direct to the Indian community.
{ShaadiShop Testimonials}
“We just booked a full Indian wedding through ShaadiShop at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. In addition to the business, we appreciate the exposure ShaadiShop creates about our venue, as the couple didn’t know about our resort until ShaadiShop told them about us. Additionally, we appreciate the pre-qualification work that ShaadiShop does to match couples and venues that are a good fit for each other. We had all the info needed to conduct the initial meeting. What a great service for venues to market to the South Asian community!” – Angie Florence, Catering Manager at The Waterfront Beach Resort, Huntington Beach, CA
“We’re so glad we joined ShaadiShop to market this hotel to the South Asian community in the Orange County area. Every wedding we close from their leads returns more than 3x our investment. Moreover, they pre-qualify leads and educate consumers creating a much better sales cycle for our catering team. Venues looking to reach this market, join ShaadiShop!” – Ryan Hurd, Catering Sales Manager, Wyndham Anaheim Garden Grove
“Shaadishop helped me not only find venues but also understand how they work, the fees, and tips that I wouldn’t have otherwise known. Definitely a need service in the desi community. “ Hinna S., Bride
“Cannot say enough good things about the service from Samta and ShaadiShop who helped us research venues for our wedding this year. We wanted a non-hotel venue, and to get married within 6 months. ShaadiShop immediately found us venues, contacted them and educated us about all the things we needed to think about while selecting a venue. They put all the info together in a fabulous, super impressive, spreadsheet that helped us compare venues – seriously amazing and such a great help. Working with them made the whole stressful process MUCH easier and I can’t believe it was all free! ShaadiShop’s website is fantastic and such a great service for South Asians – so glad I found them!” Anjli S., Bride
“We’re so glad we used ShaadiShop to book our venue. The info on the website is amazing and then they gave us such personalized attention! They were such a valuable resource for selecting venues, helping us understand policies and logistics. Their suggestions saved us a lot money too! They really understood us, what we wanted and helped us get it. AND it’s free! So glad there’s a service like this for South Asians. Awesome that there’s something like this for South Asians!” Janki K., Bride
“I worked with ShaadiShop to find a venue for my daughter’s wedding. The website is easy to use and has so much useful information. ShaadiShop made everything easy for me – getting quotes, suggesting venues, explaining fees and policies. Most importantly, my daughter and son-in-law are happy with the venue. ShaadiShop is a great and service for our community. I’m so glad I found them!” Charu S. Bride’s Mother