Most Extravagant Indian Weddings 2025: Mareesha Parekh’s Sneak Peek

2025 is the year of Extravagant Indian Weddings, says Mareesha Parikh of Swaaha Weddings & Experiences

Renowned for her fusion of creativity and exacting precision, Mareesha Parikh has emerged as a leading visionary in the realm of luxury Indian weddings and experiential events. As the Director of Swaaha Weddings & Experiences and CEO of Nautanki Company, she’s pushed boundaries by crafting immersive celebrations that brim with inventive storytelling, elaborate design, and emotional resonance.

With her expansive industry acumen that spans from lavish multi-day festivities to out-of-the-box, entertainment-driven spectacles—Mareesha consistently raises the bar for event experiences. She deftly interweaves cultural authenticity with modern flair, ensuring that each wedding or celebration speaks to her clients’ personalities while offering guests a captivating journey from start to finish.

Mareesha talks about her 2025 vision promises a new era of unconventional, unforgettable Indian wedding celebrations that redefine the possibilities of luxury and imagination.

What mood boards will trend? 

As I understand, there will be a wave of unique artistic mandaps that will be the flavour. This will vary from light structure to heave structures, heavy floral dominated, unconventional colours as well. There will still be many who will prefer traditional mandaps but with a touch of modern approaches.

Gen Z weddings and new trends

Gen Z Indian weddings are all about personalization, sustainability, eco-friendly, and intimate experiences; having said that there is a set of families who will believe in going all out in making it larger than life on all fronts, though the number of such events will be much lesser than the way it used to be in the last decade.

Couples now are blending traditions with modern aesthetics, opting for eco-friendly décor, digital invites, and meaningful gatherings. Fusion fashion, immersive entertainment, and interactive elements create unique celebrations and thus, the focus is on experiences over extravagance, making weddings more conscious, engaging, and memorable as individual experiences.

Food styles to trend in 2025

I believe Pocket Experiences will define Indian wedding dining in 2025, bringing a fresh, interactive, and immersive touch to celebrations. We should expect unique fusions where Indian flavours meet global influences and vice versa in a much newer fashion, creating exciting culinary surprises. 

Health-conscious choices will take centre stage, with millets, vegan, and gluten-free options becoming staples, alongside customizable “Make Your Own Bowl” concepts and vibrant live food stations. These days, guests count their calories; hence, low-calorie fusion dishes will see a rise, thereby ensuring indulgence without guilt. 

Traditional buffet setups with chafing dishes will surely take some backseat, making way for a greater emphasis on starters and live stations. A subtle yet intriguing shift will be seen in pass-around delicacies—crafted fresh and presented in real-time, adding an element of performance to the dining experience. 

In 2025, wedding feasts won’t just be about eating; they’ll be an adventure in gastronomy!

Which countries do you see being top choices in 2025 and why?

The Middle East and Southeast Asia will continue to be hot favourites, thanks to their short travel distance and easy visa processes. But the real game-changer? The Middle East is expanding beyond just Dubai and Abu Dhabi! Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar are stepping up, offering stunning venues, great connectivity, and tourism boards eager to attract Extravagant Indian weddings with irresistible deals.

For summer weddings, when India gets too hot, couples are looking towards breathtaking destinations like Baku (Azerbaijan), Georgia, Turkey, Prague, Budapest, and Mauritius. These places offer a mix of culture, history, and spectacular scenery, making them ideal for dreamy celebrations.

Personally, I’m excited about the unexplored gems—hidden treasures in Oman and lesser-known spots in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Eastern Europe. These destinations bring something fresh to the table, giving couples a chance to create unique and unforgettable wedding experiences.

What kind of locations will couples prefer in 2025

Mountains and beaches have long been the go-to choices for destination weddings—but 2025 is all about thinking beyond the usual. We wedding planners introduce fresh ideas and hence couples are opening up to historic and timeless cityscapes, romantic vineyards, majestic desert mountains, charming farm settings, and even iconic monuments as their extravagant Indian weddings backdrops.

Imagine saying “I do” in a centuries-old palace, under the Tuscan sun in a vineyard, amidst golden dunes with the desert sky above, or within the grandeur of a historic monument. These unique locations bring a sense of magic, exclusivity, and unforgettable charm. Mind you, I don’t mean those readily available palaces and venues converted into hotels and resorts, these are rare venues and not used extensively. These will be a watch out and 2025 will be the year of breaking tradition and embracing destinations with stories to tell.

Colours, lighting, flowers – ambience that will trend?

Indian weddings are a riot of colours, creativity, and personality—and that’s not changing anytime soon! With six or more events in a typical wedding, each one brings a fresh vibe, unique colour palette, and distinct lighting, very much in line with the big fat Indian wedding.

In 2025, trends won’t be set by a rulebook—they’ll be set by the brides! Every bride today has a vision, pushing boundaries to create events that feel personal and one-of-a-kind. From romantic pastels to bold jewel tones, dreamy candle-lit settings to vibrant LED experiences, lush floral cascades to minimalistic greens, the mood changes with every function.

It’s all about customization, mood-driven décor, and making every event feel different. The only real trend? There are no limits—just imagination, emotion, and unforgettable ambience!

Wedding jewellery? Bride and Groom wear in 2025 

This is one area where I as a wedding planner don’t step into and will not like to do so as well, hence, I will refrain from commenting here. There are many accomplished stylists who we work with on projects who then guide our brides, grooms, and their families on the trends and new fashion presented in the current season. 

Wedding vows, grand arrivals that could go big in 2025

Over the past three years, wedding vows, grand couple entries, and larger-than-life varmala moments have become the showstoppers of Indian weddings. In 2025, this trend is only getting bigger, bolder, and more creative as extravagant Indian weddings make it to the top!

As a wedding professional, I’ve seen the growing demand for highly personalised, never-seen-before experiences. That’s exactly why my company, Nautanki Company, collaborates with HNI clients and top wedding planners to bring fresh, innovative ideas to life. From jaw-dropping couple entries to immersive sangeet themes, we make sure every event feels like a spectacle straight out of a dream!

So, what’s next? Mythological themes are set to take centre stage—grand, cinematic storytelling inspired by ancient Indian epics, blended with modern theatrics, music, and lighting. But personal storytelling will always remain a classic, couples love weaving their own journeys into the celebrations, making each moment unforgettable.

At the heart of it all, the question is always: “What’s new?” And that’s exactly what we deliver, unique, magical, and one-of-a-kind experiences!

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