Merlyn Romit, the creative force behind Desi Wed Australia, made a striking impression in a blush pink lehenga as she welcomed guests to the Big Fat ‘Fake’ Indian Wedding.

The diverse crowd included engaged couples ready to tie the knot and community members eager to immerse themselves in the vivid and lively atmosphere synonymous with South Asian weddings.

Although marriage rates have bounced back to near pre-pandemic figures, event professionals are eager to recover lost opportunities. Romit had this in mind while orchestrating her event.

Maree Whitlock, representing Zest Waterfront Venues, noted that the event offers a delightful chance for attendees to explore South Asian traditions while enjoying themselves.

Among the unique features showcased by vendors was an enormous pavlova, inviting newlyweds to partake in its decoration as a memorable experience for their wedding guests.

Aside from the elephant archway framing the event’s DJ booth, the buzz of the event was sobered by another elephant in the room — the rampant costs associated with South Asian weddings.

In Australia, the average wedding has been estimated to cost over $36,000.

However, a South Asian wedding can be anything but average, often spanning over five days with various ceremonies depending on the cultural roots of the betrothed couple.

Attendees also had the chance to briefly become Vogue cover models. Source: Supplied / Sidd Rishi

Earlier this year, SBS Spice spoke to Sydney-based wedding planner Poonam Gururajan about how much her clients regularly shelled out.

“The smallest wedding I’ve ever worked on, I think it was around $45,000 to $50,000. That was just for the one day,” Gururajan said.

“When you’re looking at multi-day celebrations, it’s anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000. When you talk about destination weddings, anywhere up to $800,000.”

The extravagance of South Asian weddings is no secret — perhaps most clearly demonstrated by the lavish, extensive 2024 nuptial festivities of Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani’s son, Anant Ambani, with Radhika Merchant, which included performances by Rihanna and Justin Bieber.

The evening’s celebrations included a classic game of musical chairs. Source: Supplied / Sidd Rishi

Even before the Ambani wedding, the opulence of matrimonial ceremonies in the diaspora has progressively escalated in line with the rising cost of living, social media trends, and the improved accommodation of South Asian weddings by vendors outside the community.

However, the core of any South Asian wedding is always community, as shown by the warmth among attendees at Sydney’s recent fake wedding, even if they’d come together for different reasons.

Another attendee, 28-year-old Rahul, said: “It’s so rare to meet such a diverse group of people within our own community. And so, for me, that’s what’s important about it.”

“We’re bold, we’re different, we’re challenging the norm,” Romit said.

This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Spice.

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