Marriages are made in Goa

 

 

PANAJI: Azim Premji did it, so did Anand Jain. Got their children married off in Goa, that is. In the last couple of years, getting married in Goa is a dream many couples have realised. Whether it's a traditional Goan church wedding or an elaborate affair on the sylvan beaches, getting hitched in Goa has become a fad of sorts.

 

"Goa has everything to give you a wedding of your dreams," says Illidio de Noronha, the co-author (along with Lester Fernandes) of Getting Married in Goa: The complete wedding guide. The third edition of the guide was released last week. "In ninety-nine per cent of weddings that I organise, the couples or the families have no connection to Goa," Francis Serrao, Director, Crosscraft Pvt. Ltd, told DNA.

 

So significant are the number of weddings in Goa ---almost all of the 11 five-star hotels along the coast in Goa had a wedding in the last weekend of June and there were 11 weddings in the last week of April --- that Francis built up a production house with inventories that include mattresses, glasses, bolsters apart from equipment necessary to put in place a stage/pandal. He outsources mehndiwalas, hairdressers and even the horse for the baraat, apart from florists.

 

While foreigners mostly get married during the tourist season, which runs from October to April, because they come to Goa on charters, the monsoon season sees parents from Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore booking five-star hotels to give their son or daughter the best wedding they can dream of.

 

"They get more value for less money," says Ranjan Pattanayak, who started Wedding Planners Goa six years ago and has got "very busy" organising weddings in Goa since 2004.

 

"It's the wow factor," says Swati Dhir, sales director, Taj Group of hotels when asked why Goa has emerged as a wedding destination. According to her, the wedding segment in Goa has grown significantly in the last couple of years. "Last calendar year, there were 18 weddings in our hotel. And if you take Taj Exotica in the south, then you would have to add 12 more," says Samir Khanna, Area Director, Taj Group. The Intercontinental will have eight weddings this year compared to three in 2004 and six in 2005. "The wedding segment is a new market for us which is in addition to conferences and the package segment," says Vikram Antao, Resident Manager, Intercontinental -The Grand Resort.

 

The Grand was the venue of the wedding of the daughter of Anand Jain, one of Mukesh Ambani's close aides, last year. Interestingly, Mukesh Ambani who was at the time involved in a bitter feud with brother Anil Ambani, took three days off to be at the wedding.

 

And it's the five-star hotels that are benefiting the most. "On an average, our hotel earns Rs 6-7 lakhs a day on a wedding. And it's the same for all the hotels here. Even Club Mahindra, which is primarily a timeshare resort has its share of weddings. Recently, 50 of the resort's apartments were booked and the lobby was turned into a wedding pandal," says Sanjay Punj of Club Mahindra.

 

Accessibility (Goa is directly connected to all major cities) is one the reasons why Goa is giving Rajasthan ---- the original wedding destination ---- a run for its money. "And films like Monsoon Wedding have played a role in NRIs coming here to get their children married," says Samir Khanna.

 

 

Getting hitched in Goa has become a fad of sorts

 

Almost all the 11 five-star hotels along the coast in Goa had a wedding each in the last weekend of June

 

While foreigners mostly get married during the tourist season, the monsoon season is a hit for Indians

 

It's the five-star hotels that are benefiting the most

 

Accessibility is one the reasons why Goa is so popular