What’s Next, Wedding Regulatory Authority of Kerala?

With lavish weddings on an upward spiral in Kerala, women’s commission pushes to implement regulations.

Late Sunanda Puskhar (L) and her husband Shashi Tharoor at their wedding ceremony at Tharoor’s house in Palakkad, in the southern Indian state of Kerala. (Photo: Reuters) 

The Kerala Women’s Commission has given another push to its proposed guidelines to the state government on regulating expensive wedding in the state. Stating that lavish weddings were increasing in the state the commission had initially proposed that the government to implement regulation of expenses for weddings in 2013. There are now renewed efforts to implement the rules.

“People spend several lakh rupees for a wedding, where in the other side there are families who struggle to conduct their daughter’s marriage. So we should put an end to this,” says K C Rosakkutty Women Commission chairperson.

According to the proposal the total wedding budget should not cross more than Rs 5 lakh. A detailed expense list has also been proposed by the commission.

Meera Jacob, an event manager based in Thrissur says that the average budget of the last five weddings she organized was Rs 45 lakh.

“There will be two or three separate functions, the decorations itself cost around one or two lakh. In most weddings I have organized, the bridal wear cost more that Rs 35000. Some of the invitation cards cost Rs 700 to Rs 1000 per piece. All together the expenses will be around Rs 45 lakh including the ornaments,” she says.

(Photo Courtesy: The News Minute)

However the Commission proposes that there should be only one function for the marriage and the guest number shall not cross 200.

In the proposed regulations no invitation card which cost more Rs 25 should not be used, the auditorium rent should be less than Rs 25000 and decorations cost shall not cross Rs 5000.

The commission has also recommended that the bride shall not wear more than 120 grams of gold. It has also been suggested that the bridal wear should not cost more than Rs 10000 and groom wear should be within Rs 5000.

“Advertisements which promote that gold ornaments and costly silk sarees are a must for weddings should be banned. Lavish weddings should be prohibited,” reads the proposal by the Women’s Commission.

Rosakutty says that if the government approves the proposal, lavish weddings will be fined, and the fine amount will be used for marriages of woman from economically poor background.