India's urban youth are partying at ‘fake weddings,’ no dulha, no drama, just dhol, reels
In a twist that only Gen Z could pull off with flair, Indian cities are witnessing the rise of a rather unorthodox trend known as the fake wedding. From Delhi to Bengaluru and even reaching university campuses in the United States, these events are becoming the next big (and bizarre) thing in urban party culture.
A fake wedding all the pomp of a traditional Indian wedding, sangeet, varmala, baraat, dhol and lehengas, minus the marriage itself. There’s no real bride or groom committing to anything except maybe some viral choreography. Instead, attendees gather to revel in a curated, commitment-free version of “shaadi season.”
Some of these events are now being ticketed, organised by professional party planners, with entry fees ranging from ₹500 to ₹3,000 depending on how lavish the setup is. One viral Instagram post even mentioned a two-day fake wedding organised at Cornell University, complete with food, rituals and costumes, just without the rishtedars, pressure or pheras.
For many young people, fake weddings are about joy, freedom and expression. There are no aunties asking personal questions, no family drama and no early morning rituals. It’s a glittering fantasy of a wedding which is tailor-made for Instagram, Snapchat and the dopamine of online validation.
Critics have called the trend frivolous and disrespectful, arguing that it reduces the sanctity of marriage to a theme party. “Have we lost the plot?” one user asked on X lamenting that a sacred union is now reduced to a content opportunity. Another remarked, “Long live capitalism,” referring to how even weddings, real or fake have become commodified.
Few others see in it a budding business model as fake weddings might just be the next frontier in event planning, which might fall somewhere between a flash mob and immersive theatre.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
