Karnataka - Bangalore

Wedding hall rents zoom heavenwards

— Photo: K. Ananthan

Lavish: Rising maintenance costs have turned wedding hall rent costlier.

Bangalore: Marriages may be made in heaven, but wedding arrangements certainly are not. In the wake of the double digit inflation rate, rents of weddings halls and other paraphernalia have skyrocketed. Couples are finding it increasingly difficult to afford big wedding halls and families are being forced to weigh their budgeting options before planning that dream wedding.

With the high rents of marriage halls beyond the budget of many families, the traditional three-day wedding is almost a thing of the past, with many being whittled down to 24 hours. Quick weddings are now an attractive option with many marriage halls being rented even on an hourly basis.

“Till just a couple of years ago, every month we used to rent out the kalyan mantap for at least two weddings that were spread over three days. Now only six or eight such weddings take place annually,” said R.S. Shivayogi, Manager, Sri Njiaguna Kshetra on Bull Temple Road.

While rents shooting up by an average 15 per cent, costs are likely to go up if the proposed increase in service taxes is implemented. At present, marriage hall owners pay 15 per cent as luxury tax, 12 per cent as service tax and 0.2 per cent as education cess, bringing the total to 27.2 per cent.

“There is a proposal to increase service tax from 12 per cent to 17 per cent, and if that happens, the cost would further go up,” informed Mr. Shivayogi.

The charges of a popular marriage hall in Basavanagudi that was hiked from Rs. 75,000 for two days during 2007 to Rs. 85,000 in 2008, is set to increase to Rs. 1 lakh in 2009. “We have already implemented the new charges for 2009, and we are collecting the same from customers,” an employee said.

Rents depend on the hall capacity, locality and facilities such as air-conditioning and parking. While non-AC marriage halls that can accommodate between 500 and to 600 guests charge around Rs. 1 lakh, those with 300-400 capacity are available for around Rs. 65,000. Smaller halls charge around Rs. 25,000 to 30,000 for a wedding.

However, the increasing costs have not made any dent in bookings. Most halls reported 160 to 180 days’ booking annually. “The prohibitive cost of the marriage halls has forced families to cut down the celebrations to two days. The third day function is normally organised at smaller halls, which do not cost much,” the employee added.

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