The ₹24 Lakh Crore Question: Is India's Wedding Economy a Celebration or a Conspiracy?
Stats of expenditures Every wedding season, India transforms into the world's largest celebration economy. Between November and December 2025 alone, 4.6 million weddings are pumping ₹6.5 lakh crore into the market. That's more than Singapore's entire household consumption. But here's the uncomfortable truth nobody wants to discuss at the mandap: nearly 50-60% of this spending happens in cash . And where there's cash, there's a story the income tax department is very interested in hearing. India's wedding industry—valued at a staggering ₹10.79 lakh crore ($130 billion) in 2024 —is the country's fourth-largest economic sector. It's bigger than our mobile phone market. Larger than several state budgets. Second only to food and grocery in consumption. By 2030, this number is projected to explode to ₹24 lakh crore . We're not just celebrating marriages; we're funding an economic empire, one baraat at a time. But scratch beneath the surface of ...