Indian Weddings Rerouting Away From Middle East

The Iran War has already impacted all travel going through the Middle East, and it’s now shaping how Indians are planning destination weddings this season.

Indian weddings that were scheduled to take place this spring, in destinations such as Bahrain, Doha, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ras Al Khaimah, are now moving to India, Parthip Thyagarajan, co-founder and CEO of wedding portal WeddingSutra.com, told Skift.

He added that for the weddings scheduled in the next quarter, “the families are just waiting and watching if they have paid an advance [fee] or if there is one side of the family who [is] in the Middle East.” 

Indian weddings are big business, with the average number of attendees being 330 guests in the 2024-25 financial year, according to a survey by wedding planning portal WeddingWire. 

And plenty of engaged couples who are canceling imminent Middle East weddings due to logistical and safety issues aren’t actually getti