By Rhea Mogul and Ayushi Shah, CNN
(CNN) — Growing up in India, Shubhangi Seth had always imagined her dream wedding on the mesmerizing shores of Italy’s Lake Como, ringed by stunning alpine peaks and piercing blue water.
It’s where celebrities like George and Amal Clooney as well as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen exchanged vows.
But as the years passed, the Mumbai resident watered down her Lake Como fantasy, prioritizing traditions and culture instead.
“I just want a very traditional, rooted wedding,” the 29-year-old told CNN. “We want to keep it in India.”
These words might be music to Indian leader Narendra Modi who has renewed calls for citizens to take one for the team and avoid holding weddings abroad in the interest of culture – and the economy.
“This trend of destination weddings abroad is growing rapidly,” Modi said at a recent rally. “But consider the fact that this entails a significant expenditure of foreign currency.”
“When it comes to weddings, I do not believe there could be any place more beautiful or sacred for us than our own India.”
Modi wants to conserve foreign exchange reserves to protect the rupee and act as a buffer from further economic shocks.
Modi’s appeal is not new, but it has taken on greater priority as he confronts the economic strain triggered by the Iran war.
India imports about 90% of its oil and gas requirements, much of it from the Middle East. Tensions surrounding the vital energy chokepoint Strait of Hormuz have heightened concerns about supply disruptions and rising import costs, adding pressure on an already weakened rupee.
Modi is now asking India’s 1.4 billion citizens to conserve fuel, embrace remote work and choose domestic holidays.
He also wants Indians – one of the world’s largest consumers of gold – to limit their gold purchases for a year. The country imports much of the precious metal, which holds tremendous significance for the South Asian country and is viewed as something that can bring good fortune and build generational wealth.
All this comes at a time when the rupee has slid more than 5% since the war began, currently making it the weakest-performing major Asian currency.
Epic weddings overseas… and at home
India’s wedding industry has transformed drastically the past decade, fueled by Bollywood opulence, celebrity culture and social media spectacle.
Today, weddings are often sprawling, multiday affairs that power an industry valued around $130 billion, according to a report by United States investment bank Jefferies. This makes it India’s second-largest consumer sector after food and groceries — and nearly twice the size of the wedding market in the US, the report said.
Blending sacred rituals and cultural heritage with theatrical pageantry, Indian weddings can serve as a vibrant showcase of the country’s soft power.
Some have even spawned global headlines.
The 2024 wedding of Anant Ambani, the son of India’s richest man was a larger-than-life affair with events spanning the western cities of Jamnagar and Mumbai. The star-studded guest list included Kim and Khloé Kardashian, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Modi himself, and a performance by Rihanna.
A few years before that, Priyanka Chopra married Nick Jonas in a lavish wedding at the immense Umaid Bhawan Palace in the northwestern city of Jodhpur.
Glittering nuptial celebrations are growing domestically, those in the industry say.
Luxury wedding planner Vikramjeet Sharma told CNN he has many clients preferring to keep it real at home, maintaining all the pizzazz, of course.
India holds between 8-10 million weddings annually, according to the Jeffries report. Sharma, who has been in the industry for nearly 20 years, said his team planned about 28 weddings last year. Just three of them were hel