Lake Como Indian Wedding Cost
Updated: Jul 22, 2020
Lake Como, Italy has become a very popular destination for extremely high end Indian weddings. After hosting multiple celebrity weddings of two Indian actors, many clients asked me about the budget for a South Asian wedding in Lake Como. Through some research it wasn't too hard to approximate.
How much does an Indian wedding in Lake Como cost? A modest 100 person wedding in Lake Como is going to run you a whopping $300,000 or more, as the average cost appears to be about $3,000 per guest. This is assuming you're paying for their rooms, otherwise it's about $220,000.
This includes:
accommodations for guests (most people who are opting for Lake como weddings are picking up guest's accommodation tab).
the venue for the wedding (contract below for where Deepika got married)
the venue for other Indian functions (sangeet, mehndi, pooja)
the food and beverage for all events (using UK pricing for catering)
outfits, (Sabya type assumptions)
flights to Italy for a ton of people
vendors like photographer, decor, florist, entertainment.
Understanding these cost details are below.
Lake Como Indian Wedding Cost Breakdown
Wedding Venue for Six Hours: $18,000 USD at the Villa del Balbianello, where Deepika and Ranveer Got Married. Times three for a reception venue, and also a Sangeet and/or Mehndi venue.
Indian Food Catered: $10,000 for 100 guests, times at least 3 events.
Hotel Rooms at 500 USD per night, for 3 nights, for 50 rooms: $75,000 (many high end weddings are paying for guest's accomodation)
Decoration: Mehndi, Reception, Wedding: Let's approximate $50,000 which is a very modest luxury Indian wedding budget.
Flight tickets for 10 close friends/family average: $20,000
Designer outfits for Bride and Groom and Parents: $15,000 to 20,000
Transportation, Sightseeing, Airport Shuttles: $10,000
Entertainment, Singers, DJ, etc..: $25,000
Wedding Planner: $10,000 to $20,000
Make up Artist: $5,000 to $10,000
Benefits of Lake Como Indian Wedding
Unique and super trendy
Great for Indian-Pakistani weddings, as everybody can attend without visa issues like in either country. Like this couple (VOGUE)
Beautiful.
Unique, chances are guests would have never been there before.
Drawbacks of a Lake Como Indian Wedding
1. Expensive
2. Not everybody can travel all the way there
3. Limited authentic Indian vendors from major Italian cities
4. Almost every Indian vendor will have travel costs
Factors that Affect a Lake Como Wedding Cost
1. Time of year
2. Will you be paying for guest's hotel rooms?
3. Will you be paying for guest's flights?
Related Questions
1. How much was Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh's total wedding cost in Lake Como?
Just their hotel bill was $244,265, plus they also paid for guest's flight tickets (business class) and did a lot of flare at the wedding itself. I'd easily guess this was upwards of 1 million USD (but don't have a source beyond the hotel bill). Keep in mind Deepika and Ranveer only had about 55 people in total at their wedding, including vendors it was about 75 rooms.
2. Should I have an Indian wedding in Italy? It does appear that a few Italian-Indian wedding agencies have popped up who offer Hindu wedding packages in Italy, but as with any destination wedding, most couples bite off more than they can chew.
You need to think about ease of Indian vendors like food and priests and fashion, and also about the ease of access for your guests and grandmas. If you can easily mitigate those or have a small guest list, it makes sense.
3. What are some alternatives to having a wedding in Lake Como?
Tuscany
Lake Garda
Lake Orta
Lake Varese
Switzerland anyone?
4. Does Italy have high visa requirements for Indian citizens?
Yes, Indian citizens need to get a Schengen visa before they leave. This may cause issues for some.
Questions? Comments? Need a DJ for your Big Fat Indian wedding in America in case you didn't go with Lake Como? Ping us now!
Ciao Bella!
