Diwali is days away, and if you listen closely you can already hear the dhol warming up behind the patakhas. Once Dev Uthani Ekadashi arrives on Friday, 20 November (as per the Haindavam panchang), India slips into its favourite sport. Shaadi season.
Remember Band Baaja Baaraat? Yash Raj Films gave us Bittoo and Shruti in 2010, two Delhi kids who started a tiny wedding planning company called Shaadi Mubarak for middle class families. No big budget, no fancy office. Just hustle, jugaad and a knack for making every family feel like the only family in town.
That, in one filmy line, is how a small brand wins this season. Be close by, be quick, be trusted, and be easy to forward on the family WhatsApp group.
The shaadi kahaani, in numbers
Every year the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) talks to trade bodies across 75 cities to size up the season. For the 2025 season, between 1 November and 14 December, CAIT estimated about 46 lakh weddings and ₹6.5 lakh crore of business.
Look at where that money went, as per the same CAIT study. Jewellery took about 15%, apparel and sarees 10%, catering 10%, sweets and dry fruits 5% and gift items 4%. Even digital content creation and social media coverage get 1 to 2% of wedding budgets.
The WedMeGood Annual Wedding Report 2025, which surveyed over 2,000 couples, puts the average Indian wedding budget at ₹39.5 lakh, with Mumbai couples spending ₹35 lakh on average.
So what does that mean for a brand owner? A big wedding is really a hundred small purchases. Mehendi cones, blouse alterations, hampers for the bua, a cake for the sangeet, a cab for nani, a facial three days before the haldi. Somebody is going to sell all of that. It may as well be you.
Who is on the guest list?
If you run a jewellery store, boutique, salon, caterer or decor studio, you already know this is your IPL final. The guest list is much longer than that, though.
Think bakeries and mithai shops, florists, gifting brands, photographers, fitness studios, travel agents and the cafe where the first rishta meeting happens over cold coffee. Skin clinics too. WedMeGood found that 65% of couples went for clinical skin treatments before the big day. If a family will spend on it between now and mid December, you have a seat at the table.
Moves to make before the first muhurat
Plan around the muhurat calendar
Weddings bunch up on auspicious dates. VedicFeed's Delhi panchang lists 21, 24, 25 and 26 November, and 2 to 6, 11 and 12 December as vivah muhurat dates this season. Dates differ by city and community, so check with a local pandit or simply ask your regular customers.
Then work backwards. Trials, fittings and hamper orders happen well before the pheras, so your offers and reels should go live early. A shaadi package posted the week of the wedding is like reaching the mandap after the vidaai.
Be the paas wala favourite
WedMeGood found that 69% of couples chose venues within 10 km or a 30 to 40 minute drive. If distance matters that much for the venue, it is a fair bet it matters for the mehendi artist and the mithai shop too.
Make sure your Google Business Profile has the right hours, fresh photos, your area name and a WhatsApp number that someone actually answers. When masi searches for bridal makeup near her at 11 pm, you want to be the first name she sees.
Reviews are the new rishta aunty
One in three couples checks online reviews before booking a vendor, says WedMeGood. In a country where every match gets vetted by a dozen relatives, this should surprise no one.
After each order, send a polite WhatsApp asking for a Google review, with the direct link. Reply to every review, the glowing ones and the grumpy ones.
Get ready for longer questions
On 28 October, Google announced that ads in AI Mode, its conversational search, are scaling to India. Google also says AI Mode queries run about three times longer than regular searches, based on its research in the US.
Picture a cousin asking for a Jain friendly caterer in Navi Mumbai for 300 guests, within a set budget per plate. To show up for questions like that, paid or unpaid, put real answers on your website and Google profile. Services, price ranges, areas you serve, dietary options and how far ahead people should book.
Make content the family group will forward
Wedding decisions are made by committee, and that committee lives on WhatsApp. In our chai fuelled experience, short reels that show the process get forwarded far more than polished catalogue shots. A lehenga fitting, a hamper being packed, a cake getting its final tier.
CAIT's study also noted that online invitation platforms and AI based planning tools saw 20 to 25% growth in wedding related sales, so couples are clearly happy to plan on their phones. Make it easy for them with a Shaadi Specials highlight on Instagram, a one page price list and a WhatsApp catalogue.
Your shaadi season checklist
Mark your city's muhurat dates and plan offers backwards from them.
Update your Google Business Profile with hours, area, photos and a working WhatsApp number.
Create one shaadi package or bundle with a clear price.
Ask every happy customer for a Google review, with a direct link.
Add FAQs to your website that answer real wedding questions, prices included.
Shoot three behind the scenes reels this week and save them to a Shaadi highlight.
Set up a WhatsApp catalogue and quick replies for enquiries.
Plan a small thank you for repeat families, like a mithai box or a discount on the next function.
Ready for the baaraat?
Bittoo and Shruti built Shaadi Mubarak by making every family feel looked after. Do the same this season, show up where families are searching, and your brand gets invited to a lot more shaadis.
Want help planning your shaadi season content, reviews or local search? Book a chai pe charcha with Catch 24 and let's make your brand the one every family group forwards.
Sources: CAIT press release on the 2025 wedding season (30 October 2025); WedMeGood Annual Wedding Report 2025, as reported by EVENTFAQS and BW Travel (December 2025); Google Ads and Commerce blog on ads in AI Mode (28 October 2026); Haindavam and VedicFeed panchang listings for 2026; Band Baaja Baaraat (Yash Raj Films, 2010).
