Brown Weddings: Band, Baaja and Budget

Inside Australia’s multi-billion-dollar wedding industry, where do South Asian weddings stand? Known for their grandeur, these weddings balance tradition, family expectations, and modern realities. In this episode, we speak to a couple who went all in, another who eloped to escape the spectacle, a wedding planner and a fashion expert shaping the dream—exploring how cultural expectations, personal desires, and the price of love are redefining the Desi wedding scene in Australia.

To elope with just a few witnesses or throw an extravagant celebration for 300 guests? In the world of South Asian weddings, that’s an ever-emerging question. Image: Sheetal Deo and Suzannah D’Juliet at their ceremony.

The smallest wedding I've ever worked on, I think it was around $45,000-$50,000 and that was just for the one day. When you're looking at multi day celebrations, gosh, it's anywhere from $150,000 to $500,000. When you talk about destination weddings, it's anywhere up to $800,000.

Wedding planner Poonam Gururajan on the cost of celebrations

SBS Spice is your go-to for South Asian Australian culture, exploring what makes us tick—or ick. Catch us on your favourite podcast platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and the SBS Audio app. Follow SBS Spice on Instagram @SBSSpice for latest updates and new chillies in the pod. Tap the audio player to listen to the full episode.