In the 2010 film Band Baaja Baaraat, characters Shruti and Bittoo, portrayed by Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh, respectively, embarked on a journey through Delhi on a used scooter. Equipped with notepads and an innovative spirit, they aimed to establish their wedding-planning enterprise, Shaadi Mubarak. Their primary challenges included finding vendors, negotiating deals, auditioning chefs, and conceptualizing decor themes that reflected their clients’ visions.
If Shruti and Bittoo were to start Shaadi Mubarak in the present day, while the scooter may still be a nostalgic reminder, the effort involved would be significantly reduced and enhanced by artificial intelligence.
AI has revolutionized the planning of lavish Indian weddings, which previously relied heavily on manual labor. The impact of AI in this area extends beyond simply utilizing programs like ChatGPT for lehenga ideas, mood board creation, or menu finalization.
Today, couples are leveraging AI technology to craft profoundly immersive experiences, such as digitally reenacting the presence of deceased loved ones. In a culture where the blessings of elders hold great significance, couples are employing deepfake and voice-cloning technology to incorporate late family members into their celebrations. For instance, a bride might walk down the aisle accompanied by a personalized message from her late grandfather, recreated using AI, or a family portrait could seamlessly include a lost loved one.
For forward-thinking entrepreneurs, integrating AI into wedding planning is not merely a trend but a vital operational strategy. Gayatri Agrawal, the founder of ALTRD, approaches wedding planning from a systems perspective. Having previously led an AI firm, she adopted an “AI-first” mindset for her own wedding.
“Weddings involve numerous moving parts, and I viewed them as a system ripe for optimization,” Agrawal shared with indianexpress.com. She emphasized that AI’s greatest advantage lies in its ability to visualize concepts without overwhelming the planner. Tools like Nano Banana have proven invaluable, enabling her to coordinate jewelry with outfits that were not physically present.
However, Agrawal is clear that the emotional essence of the event should remain human-driven. She believes AI should facilitate operational tasks and coordination, allowing for more efficient use of time, but that emotional decisions should be made by people. “I didn’t rely on AI for decision-making… I didn’t want to over-optimize something meant to be experienced,” she explained.
Agrawal recommends utilizing AI for logistical operations, coordination, and visualization but stresses the importance of human engagement in significant moments and emotional choices.
While early AI applications focused on inspiration and visualization, a new generation of platforms is addressing the most challenging aspect of Indian weddings: execution. Prakhar Jain, co-founder and CEO of Envito AI, contends that his product offers a fundamentally different approach compared to traditional planning tools. His AI assistant, Nayna AI, is designed to oversee the “guest experience” component of weddings, functioning as a central intelligence system via WhatsApp.
Nayna AI serves as a conversational assistant for guests, providing instant responses to inquiries, managing requests, and directing them to the appropriate organizers through a ticketing system. Guests can ask questions about travel arrangements, outfit suggestions, or event specifics and receive timely replies. The system also tracks RSVPs, manages guest arrivals and departures, coordinates accommodations, and delivers targeted updates based on guest demographics.
One of the more daunting tasks faced by Indian couples is creating the seating chart, which is fraught with family dynamics and social hierarchies. Jaime, the founder of SeatCanvas, explains that while AI is a powerful tool, it’s still unable to navigate the complexities of family relationships, such as the “Cold War” between two aunts.
However, he acknowledges the challenge of “context impoverishment.” A simple spreadsheet cannot convey nuanced family relationships, such as whether a bride’s divorced parents are amicable or if two cousins have unresolved tensions. “The decision regarding who sits next to grandma will remain a human judgment for a long time,” he emphasized, noting that weddings inherently rely on “human attention and judgment.”
Shweta Ratanpura and Mithilesh Katkar from Studio Mish have discovered ways to leverage AI to enhance bespoke experiences rather than replace them. They utilize AI to analyze extensive “how we met” narratives from clients, extracting keywords and emotional highlights.
In their work, AI serves as a tool to replicate elements, such as creating 20 variations of a specific traditional motif, while ensuring the design retains its unique essence for each couple.
