The next time a relative asks about your wedding plans because they are itchy to dance and prepare for the celebrations, just ask them to attend a fake wedding party. (Not really joking.)

There is a new entry into Delhi’s Hep Party scene: fake wedding ceremony. Guests wear clothes in their ethnic best, are ornate like a real wedding for a site, and dancing for dhol beats and wedding playlists at night. A pair? Not necessary. These parties are about the vibe, not a vow.

When Delhi -based social media professional Avantika Jain came into an online advertisement on Instagram for a fake music bash, she could not oppose sharing with her friends. “Back to college, we always dreamed of throwing a wedding party. The incident was finally the right opportunity to do so-we were all on the board immediately,” Jain tells India today.

“We quickly signed up online and gave an entry fee of about Rs 550 per person to attend the event,” he said.

On 25 April, she was one of the about a hundred other youths who arrived in Mehraoli lane – a revered hub of premium restaurants and clubs, which along with the view of Qutub Minar – not just for one and Friday night’s party, but for a fake sannet bash in Zilo (a roof restaurant).

The dress code was strictly desi.

Jain hesitated a black blouse with a plum-head pleated lehenga, worried that it could be “too much” for the South Delhi Club on Friday night. But she was for a surprise – almost everyone in the bash was taken out to brighten ethnic surgery, as it was a real music night.

The site was bedded like a superior wedding site. Think about vibrant yellow-magenta drapes, marigold decorations and bizarre photo booths. Mehndi artists were also present to load their hands with henna for ‘wedding feels’.

The best part? A playlist directly from a wedding celebration. Says Jain, “We danced our hearts to Punjabi and Hindi Bangars. Between the sets, Dhol Walaah took over, and the crowd was actually an explosion.”

“Not only the genes, but we also saw some elderly people and people in the 40s. We enjoyed not only with our friends, but also as a whole; believe in me, no one wanted to leave until the time the incident is over,” Jain misses.

In a society like India, where there is a huge craze for weddings and festivals that come with them, the wedding-themed parties are likely to become the next major tendency on the party scene.

Now you don’t have to wait for the wedding season or like a real invitation to dance, it is your best friend’s big day or dress up like Barat is at your door. You all need one of these events to enjoy a fully developed wedding-style celebration for one of these events.

Rat of Juma, an event company launched in December 2024, has so far hosted two such fake wedding bash.

Although there is not a new concept, mock weddings are held for several reasons, from promotional programs to social media concepts from sociality and shooting.

In October 2024, when the Shangri-La group launched their special wedding service, Bandhan, the announcement was marked by a mock wedding. A model couple arrived at the wedding-redi outfits designed by Tarun Tahiliani, while the guests enjoyed a live Sufi performance, Gajra stalls and a wide, lip-smoking buffet.

It is also common for wedding dance choreography companies to staging mock weddings for material manufacture. Videos that look like real wedding moments are more likely to go viral than those shots.

There are also many examples of students studying abroad, who are hosting mock marriages as a social and a means of celebrating their culture while staying miles away from home. These festivals have a lot of dance, wide food spread, traditional organization, feel at home and perhaps some event management lessons.

But will you be willing to pay to participate in a fake wedding?