How Much Does it Really Cost to Host a Wedding at 5 Star Hotels in Delhi?

Star studded weddings in exotic locales with multi crore budget is a new thing for the rich and mighty to flaunt their wealth. India’s capital city Delhi is a great location for a grand wedding (assuming one doesn’t want to fly 1000 people abroad and have a wedding in say Thailand) and it boasts some of the best five star hotels in India. If you are planning a wedding and sorting out the budget, which should be one of the first things you do after making up your guest list, here are some facts and figures to give you an idea of what it will cost:

Venue

The rest of your wedding planning can only start once you’ve chosen and booked a venue, and it is also where a large part of your budget will go. Five star hotels in Delhi will cost you anywhere from Rs 18,450 for a night’s stay at The Imperial to Rs 2250 per head for a full reception. Visit as many locations as you can and ask for quotes before making the final decision.

Dining

A five star venue will likely be able to include catering as part of your wedding package. Many hotels give banquet halls free if you agree to pay for say minimum 100 plates of buffet dinner. These hotels hire well trained chefs who can provide excellent meals. If you want to save money by hiring outside caterers then it will cost you about two to four lakh rupees. Don’t forget about the drinks as well. The hotel will likely have a bar, so you can hire a bartender or even just glasses, which might be cheaper. Check with your hotel if this is allowed and what the laws say you can and can’t do.

Beauty treatments

This is another area where a luxury hotel wedding can save you unnecessary time and stress on the big day. Most five star hotels have an on-site spa and salon with beauticians to help the bridal party get ready. Often this can be included with the hotel deal but you will likely have to book an appointment. Hiring an outside make-up artist will cost about Rs 7,000 and a beautician to give you the full works (make-up, hair, and lehenga) will cost upwards of Rs 14,000, and that’s just for the bride.

Using the hotel salon is much less stressful than going out to a salon or having a beautician drive in, as the Delhi traffic can easily hold them up. A spa treatment the day before the wedding will help the bride relax and de-stress, or a full treatment can even be used as a gift for the bridesmaids. Again, check with your hotel before you book as the beauty treatments might have to be booked separately from the room and venue.

Photographer and videographer

It is best to hire a photographer and a videographer (if you are using one) who knows about and has worked in venues like the one you are using before. Familiarity with the venue means that they can get the lighting and angles perfect. If you can find somebody who has filmed an event at your hotel before, that is a huge bonus. Either way, some wedding planners can include this with your wedding package and it will cost you 1 to 2 lakh for each. This isn’t an area to go cheap as you can only get your wedding photos and video once—and you will need them to be perfect the first time around. 

Extras

It is inevitable that even a carefully organized wedding will have one or two disasters to sort out and some additional expenses you didn’t previously think about. How will you transport guests to the venue, especially in Delhi’s traffic? What will you do about small children becoming bored and irritable? And what about insurance? (You can’t get insurance against wedding not lasting more than few years, but insurance can be had against other accidents) Some hotels can help you with these and other services for a low cost or for free, such as providing you with an iron or laundry services. A hotel might even be able to provide you with transportation for guests or on-site entertainment or babysitters for children.

It is best to plan ahead, make a full list of the things you will need long before the wedding, and budget about five to ten percent extra to cover any disasters or oversights. Don’t forget to book a few extra meals and seats just in case uninvited guests show up. Be sure to have an emergency sewing kit on hand, and arrange who is going to take your elderly relatives safely back home again.

Obviously, there are many things to think about and organize before you finalize your budget. You will be able to get a more definite quote by visiting your ideal venue or asking your wedding planner. A hotel wedding may seem expensive at first, but it provides many benefits for an enjoyable and slightly more stress-free wedding since there will be staff and facilities on hand to make this happen. Remember that just like the wedding itself, the most important part of wedding planning is to not worry about the cost and simply enjoy it.