Sri Lanka has emerged as the fastest-growing overseas destination for Indian weddings in 2025, recording a 25% rise in popularity. Despite challenges posed by the ongoing West Asia crisis, couples are unlikely to scale back their destination wedding plans this year, according to a report.
WedMeGood, a leading wedding planning platform, said in its Destination Wedding Report 2026 that accessibility, proximity to India, luxury hospitality infrastructure and experience-led celebrations have positioned Sri Lanka as a fast-emerging destination wedding hub.
The report projected Indian wedding bookings to Sri Lanka to grow by 20-25% annually over the next few years.
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According to the report, Shangri-La (Hambantota), Shangri-La (Colombo), Amaya Hills (Kandy), The Grand Hotel (Nuwara Eliya) and Jetwing Lagoon (Negombo) were the most-booked properties in Sri Lanka in 2025.
Thailand, however, remained the most popular international wedding destination, recording nearly 25 lakh Indian arrivals in 2025, a 16% increase from the previous year.
The report found that one in every four weddings in 2025 was a destination wedding, with that share expected to rise to 30-32% by 2028.
The findings are based on a survey conducted across WedMeGood's consumer and industry networks, covering around 2.5 lakh consumers and nearly 24,000 wedding industry professionals and vendors.
Wedding budgets also increased during 2025. According to the report, domestic destination wedding budgets rose to an average of Rs 58 lakh, while international destination wedding budgets averaged around Rs 1.5 crore.
Destination weddings now last an average of 3.2 days, compared with 1.8 days before 2020. The report also noted a growing preference for Indian cuisine, even at international wedding destinations.
"At Shangri-La's luxury hotels in Sri Lanka, we're seeing the country move from being an emerging alternative to becoming a serious short-haul luxury wedding destination for Indian couples," Cheranka Mendis, Area Director of Communications for Shangri-La Colombo and Shangri-La Hambantota, told PTI.
"As reported by Sri Lanka's Tourism Development Authority, India remains Sri Lanka's largest source market, with Indian arrivals growing from 302,844 in 2023 to 416,974 in 2024, and further to more than 530,000 in 2025," Mendis added.
Apart from Sri Lanka and Thailand, Bali in Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia were among the most popular international wedding destinations for Indian couples, according to WedMeGood.
In Europe, Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Portugal emerged as the preferred destinations for Indian weddings.
Within India, Dehradun, Mussoorie, Rishikesh, Shimla and Jim Corbett were the top five destination wedding locations, followed by Udaipur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Goa.
International travel faced headwinds following the US and Israel's attack on Iran on February 28 and the retaliatory strikes that followed. Longer flight routes and higher aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices pushed up airfares, affecting travel demand.
However, experts said Indian couples are expected to continue opting for overseas weddings despite these challenges, although some may revise their destination choices.
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"The ongoing uncertainties in West Asia have prompted many Indian families and wedding planners to reassess destination choices," Shashank Gupta, Chief Dreamer & Nurturer at TailorMade Experiences, a luxury wedding consulting and experience design company, told PTI.
"While West Asia has traditionally been an attractive market for Indian destination weddings, concerns around regional stability have shifted conversations towards destinations that offer greater certainty, easier logistics and a seamless guest experience."
Gupta added that while there is no consolidated industry data yet on the number of weddings that have shifted from the Middle East, the company has witnessed a clear rise in enquiries and site visits from Indian families evaluating Sri Lanka as an alternative.
(With PTI inputs.)
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