Bands, baja, and related businesses had a hectic but profitable Thursday evening as more than 40,000 weddings took place in the national Capital, marking the beginning of the marriage season from Dev Uthan Ekadashi. The day is considered the most auspicious for the solemnisation of marriages in India.

From the ghoriwala, tents, banquet halls, and jewellry to caterers, the marriage ecosystem brought in more than `10,000 crore on the first day. The Delhi region is likely to host 3.5 lakh weddings till December 15, generating a business of more than `1 lakh crore.

Starting from November 23, Dev Uthan Ekadashi, the wedding season will continue till December 15. Stars align auspiciously on dates such as November 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, and December 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, and 15, drawing couples to tie the knot.

Following a brief hiatus, mid-January will mark the onset of another phase of wedding festivities lasting till July 2023. Goods trade estimates show a diversified distribution with textiles and garments (lehnga, sherwani, sarees) constituting 10 per cent, jewellry at 15 per cent, electronics and consumer durables at 5 per cent, food items at 5 per cent, groceries and vegetables at 5 per cent, gift items at 4 per cent, and miscellaneous items at 6 per cent.

The services sector is also expected to flourish, with allocations of 5 per cent for banquet halls, hotels, and other marriage venues, 5 per cent for event management, 12 per cent for tent decoration, 10 per cent for catering services, 4 per cent for flower decoration, 3 per cent for travel and cab services, 2 per cent for photo and video shoots, 3 per cent for orchestra and band services, 3 per cent for lights and sound, and the remaining 3 per cent for miscellaneous services.

Rajesh Lochav, a city-based wedding planner, who himself is managing eight marriages, said if Delhi-NCR is divided into North, East, South and West, there are around 200 farmhouses in every zone. Every farmhouse has two-three venues.

“Other than this, there are hotels, community centres, public grounds and lawns. When we get multiple requests for a particular date, and also find that our vendors are already booked on that same day, we figure out that it is a busy day,” Lochav said.

However, challenges surfaced with a scarcity of ghoriwalas, bands, and banquet halls, impacting hundreds of weddings.

For commuters in Delhi , it was just another day of crazy traffic, especially in the evening when the baraats were out on the roads. The traffic was at its peak between 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm as people took out marriage processions on main roads.  Dhaula Kuan, Karkardooma, Chattarpur, Sardar Patel Marg, Anand Vihar, and ITO among others witnessed heavy traffic. Other areas like Punjabi Bagh, Subhash Nagar, Tilak Nagar in West Delhi also witnessed heavy traffic congestion due to marriages. Amid the ongoing marriage season in Delhi, the traffic police said they have deployed adequate number of personnel on the roads especially in specific parts of the city where banquet halls, hotels and community centres are located.

Vedic scholar and chairman of Astrology Science and Veda Gyan Committee Acharya Durgesh Tare said Dev Uthani Ekadasi  is the day when lord Vishnu wakes up from his sleep, which is considered most auspicious day for marriages. Tulsi Vivah ceremony is organised with full rituals on this day which is auspicious for Hindus.

Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) general secretary Praveen Khandelwal estimated a staggering `10,000 crore in wedding-related businesses on the day.

“Hotels, banquet halls, farm houses, public parks, community centres, dharamshalas and all other types of public places in all parts of Delhi have been booked well in advance due to fewer auspicious dates for marriages in November and December,” he added.

The wedding industry saw a surge in bookings for venues, while wedding planners noted a rise in demand for various services like bands, catering, decoration, music groups, hotels and event management. This surge also offered temporary employment opportunities for college students during the wedding season.