An Australia-based startup is gaining traction on social media for allowing curious foreign tourists to pay to attend colourful and grand marriage festivities in India. According to CNN, JoinMyWedding was founded by Hungarian-Australian Orsi Parkanyi in 2016 and promises "the ultimate cultural immersion". With a selection of traditional Indian weddings, the company offers special experiences by allowing travellers to attend and locals to share. The company's website mentions that there are more than 300 different types of weddings in India and the country celebrates 11 million weddings a year.
JoinMyWedding reaches out to couples and those willing submit their love stories and wedding itineraries. It is then shared with tourists willing to pay $US150 (Rs 12,488) per person to witness one day of the nuptials ($US250 or Rs 20,814 for two days).
"You get to experience all the different cultural elements in one go: meet with local people, taste the local cuisine, dress in Indian attire, music, ambiance, entertainment, learn about the local customs, even architecture, depending on wedding venue," Ms Parkanyi told CNN.
But the idea has generated a lot of reactions on social media, with users calling it a "brilliant business idea".
"At 150 USD definitely not bad for whoever's inviting," said one user on X (formerly Twitter). "Quite a popular offline business for a while now via travel agents and wedding planners," said another.
"They pay good money and it helps the family get off burden too. Win-win situation," a third user said.
The JoinMyWedding website describes the experience as being able to "dress in traditional Indian garb, taste the exotic flavours, dance to the enchanting music, and take part in beautiful wedding customs."
