Wedding business thrives in bustling city
Wedding business thrives in bustling city
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The wedding planning and organizing business is thriving as
many young couples in the city have no time to prepare and
organize their own weddings amid their tight work schedules.
Wedding consultants are ready to organize any type of wedding,
from the most opulent to something a little simpler. This week's
cover story looks more closely at the wedding business.
Niken, 23, who works for a news firm in Pondok Indah, South
Jakarta, found herself under pressure recently as she struggled
to get to grips with the preparations for her upcoming wedding.
"I feel dizzy. The more I ask people, the more apparent it
becomes to me that I've an awful lot to prepare," she said.
"Not to mention the money I have to spend to pay for the
wedding. I never imagined that it would cost tens of millions,"
she sighed.
Meanwhile, Yudi, who works for a radio station in Kebon Jeruk,
West Jakarta, was shocked when he heard that a friend had spent
Rp 60 million on his wedding.
"I don't have much money. Will it ever be possible for me to
pay for a wedding?" he asked dejectedly.
It seems that the confusion and anxiety experienced by young
couples, who mostly are still in the process of building up their
careers, has led to a boom in the wedding planning business over
the last couple of years.
"Many young couples are too busy with work and have no time to
prepare their wedding parties," said Amira of Semusim Wedding
Planners, which has enjoyed robust growth in recent years.
Amira and some friends set up the firm in 2001 while they were
still studying at university.
"At first, we did it as a part-time job as all of us were
still studying. When we discovered that it was quite a promising
business, we took it up full time," she explained.
The firm charges Rp 8.5 million for planning and organizing a
one-day wedding party and Rp 17.5 million for planning and
organizing a wedding party in line with the cultural traditions
of the couple. All costs are covered by the couple.
"We can handle all types of traditional weddings, including
the various ceremonies that take place several days prior to the
wedding day," she said.
Another wedding planner and organizer is La Casa di Bella
Donna, which has experienced similar growth to Semusim.
Diany Pranata Chandra, who owns the firm, said her company
only received one order during its first year in business in
2000.
"The number of orders rose gradually to 25 in 2001, 30 in 2002
and now we handle at least 50 customers," she said.
"However, it seems that the market is already crowded so that
growth has started to slow. It currently stands at about 10
percent per annum," she said.
Bella Donna charges its customers a flat fee of Rp 25 million.
That the wedding business is lucrative is evident from the
number of companies now lining up to get a slice of the pie.
The website weddingku.com, which features links to lots of
wedding-related businesses, lists at least 189 wedding planners
or organizers. Not to mention hundreds of other companies
supplying wedding-related products and services, ranging from
wedding gowns, cards, makeup services, entertainment providers,
florists, designers, photo and video shooting, hotels and wedding
venues, decorations, wedding cakes, and much more besides.
The wedding planning business does not only thrive among the
middle and upper income brackets, but also at the "grassroots
level." Many wedding organizers are specially geared toward
preparing and organizing wedding parties at home for couples on
small budgets.
"The demand is high throughout the year, except during the
Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan. We organize a wedding party
almost every week," said Dea, who runs a small wedding planning
business in South Jakarta.
"The charge can also be haggled over. If you have Rp 8
million, we can plan and organize your wedding party, but you
must provide the food by yourself. Or, you can give us Rp 20
million and we will provide enough food for 250 guests. You
decide," she said.