Models wear designs by Ekaya Banaras and Dareaab by Sonia K Mahajan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Come wedding season in the latter half of the year, and you suddenly find your weekends packed. There are multiple events to attend, outfits to put together, gifts to think about, travel to plan… and if you are a bride or a groom, chances are that your Pinterest board is bursting with options, and you have a hundred reels saved for. wedding outfit and decor inspo.
Working towards redefining the wedding shopping experience, and bringing together everything you need for a wedding, Reliance Retail will host The Wedding Collective, a curated and comprehensive exhibition from August 23 to 25 at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai.
“The idea for The Wedding Collective came about in a conversation with Isha Ambani, who fully recognizes that the wedding industry in India is booming at an unimaginable level. A recent Jefferies report indicates that the industry is worth around ₹10 lakh crore, which is very significant. An average of 8 to 10 million weddings are held annually in India,” says Priya Tanna, president, The Right Side.
Bridal Couture from Roseroom by Isha Jajodia | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Over three days, the exhibition will have nearly a hundred brands — ranging from wedding couture, food and beverages, make up, gifting, music, wedding planning and design, and a host of other premium services all under the same roof.
With bridal wear forming a large part of couture in India, several designers including Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Anita Dongre, Arpita Mehta, Ekaya, Faabiiana, Gaurav Gupta, Kshitij Jalori, Kunal Rawal, Manish Malhotra, Payal Singhal, Rahul Mishra, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Sangeeta Kilachand, and Krésha Bajaj will showcase their latest collections.
Traditional weaves will also have a strong presence with a dedicated Artisans Pavilion curated by Jaina Lalbhai where artisans from across the country will showcase designs celebrating Indian craftsmanship and textiles.
The jewelery brands in attendance include Badalia Diamond Jewellers, Birdhichand Ghanshyamdas, Farah Khan Jewels, Hazoorilal Legacy, Sunita Shekhawat, Sanjay Gupta Tibarumals, Rare Heritage, Raj Mahtani and Misho by Suhani Parekh.
“We want to be an end-to-end wedding show, engineered towards retail and most importantly, cover the entirety of the wedding experience. Our first mandate is to bring everything you wish for in a dream wedding under one roof, with the biggest designers and fresh, young talent. Even if you are not planning a wedding, the festive season is just around the corner and this will be a great shopping experience,” Priya says.
This will also facilitate a direct interface between the brands and the designers, Priya says, which is especially important given the need for individualisation and customisation, veering away from the one-size-fits-all approach for any wedding-related service.
Wedding couture by Shantanu and Nikhil | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The venue hosting The Wedding Collective, is an important part of the experience. “I envision the Jio World Convention Center as the venue for many standout weddings; it has been designed to cater to events — both intimate and immense,” said Isha Mukesh Ambani, Director, Reliance Industries Limited, about the exhibition.
Register for free and attend The Wedding Collective at https://forms.thenodmag.com/theweddingcollective-registration/ on August 23, 24 and 25 at Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai.