A new party trend is taking over India's metro cities, especially among Gen Z: the "fake wedding". These aren't clandestine elopements or shotgun ceremonies; they're full-scale wedding-themed parties without an actual couple getting married. They offer all the trappings of a traditional Indian wedding—baraat-style entrances, choreographed sangeet performances, flower throws, mock varmala ceremonies, and even a faux pandit. Guests don ethnic attire, pose for Instagram reels, and dance the night away.
These fake weddings aim to strip away the financial and emotional baggage associated with real weddings while retaining the cultural energy and celebratory atmosphere. They resonate with Gen Z's preference for community, inclusivity, and creativity. The focus is on celebration without the pressures of commitment or family drama.
The architecture of the Indian wedding, once centered around family, religion, and permanence, is being repurposed into a temporary spectacle of community and aesthetics. Instead of marking a legal or spiritual union, these events offer the skeleton of a wedding without its formal consequences. Guests arrive in curated outfits and participate in rituals like haldi and sangeet, performing roles ranging from bridesmaids to "drunk uncles". The event might even conclude with staged vidais, speeches, and fake drama.
These events are becoming sites of cultural reimagination, especially for Gen Z. Shaped by internet-native subcultures and post-liberalization urban realities, this generation is less tied to traditional life scripts of marriage and conventional career paths. Fake weddings offer a reinterpretation of tradition, keeping the rituals but altering their purpose, where aesthetic replaces obligation and performance replaces permanence.
Anthropologists note that ceremonies reinforce collective belonging and continuity. In fake weddings, the ritual is retained, but the meaning is revised to be experiential rather than matrimonial. These events provide opportunities for co-presence, role-play, and embodied participation, which are valuable for a generation navigating solitude, digital fatigue, and shifting cultural expectations.
Fake weddings manifest in various forms. Some are ticketed events held at event spaces, college campuses, or rooftop bars. Others are organized by groups of friends. Event organizers are getting creative, with DJs, caterers, photo booths, and even wedding planners on board. Some "brides" and "grooms" even have their own Instagram hashtags.
The trend has spread across Indian metro cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, and Pune. Similar events have also gained traction internationally, with colleges like Cornell University in the US hosting "Mock Shaadi" events.
Reactions to this trend are mixed. Some find it to be a fun and harmless way to enjoy Indian culture and community. Others view it as making fun of rituals or question the point of such events. Some worry about the implications of detaching from tradition, while others see it as a natural evolution of cultural expression.
Whether it's a fleeting fad or a lasting business model remains to be seen. However, fake weddings represent a shift in how younger generations engage with tradition, prioritize experience, and seek community in a rapidly changing world.
