BURLINGTON, MA—The Indian community in Greater Boston kicked off the 2015 wedding season with a big bang on Sunday at the INDIA New England News Spring Wedding Expo at Burlington Marriott Hotel in Burlington, MA. About 2,000 people from across New England—from Maine to Connecticut—attended the event. (Photos: Rasik Mehta and Paresh Motiwala)
“It was very enchanting. It was a lot of fun. People and vendors had a great time,” said Shobha Shatry, founder and president of Alankar Event Planners & Decorators, which was one of the sponsors of the event. “The wedding market here has grown five-fold in recent years because younger children have reached the marriage age and everything is now available here. Also, in many cases, holding a wedding in India has become more expensive.”
Upendra Mishra, the producer of the expo and publisher of INDIA New England News, the region’s largest and oldest online, print and video magazine, said that it was the biggest wedding expo ever in New England.
“Our 55+ exhibitors were very happy and audience had a great time,” Mishra said. “The cultural and fashion shows were spectacular this time as well.”
The new additions this year were a kids’ dance wedding program, produced by Academy of Creative Arts. “Kids bring unconditional love and joy and are a bundle of energy. The atmosphere was vibrant and energetic at the expo. All the kids and parents loved being a part of this,” said Java Joshi, producer of the kids show and one of the founders of Academy of Creative Arts.
Also, Wedding Expo this year introduced “Indian Brides” from India’s 14 states. This was produced by Jasmine Shah and her Aangikam Dance Academy. The brides represented traditional dresses, music and dance at the expo.
Shibani Mathur, founder of Jewels N More, debuted her clothing fashion show, which was enhanced with jewelry and accessories. Her models showed how exquisite jewelry and accessories can enhance one’s look and outfit and make them look priceless.
After New England’s first Indian Jewelry Fashion Show produced by Twinkle Morbia Gautam of Syna’s Collections last year, it returned again with more world-class models, new collections, new styles and a variety of Indian and Indo-fusion jewelry. It was co-produced by Jharna Madan.
Dr. Manju Sheth, host of the Wedding Expo and Chai With Manju celebrity series, said the Spring Wedding Expo is one of the most creative and fun events produced by INDIA New England News.
“I believe that INE Wedding Expo is the best way to welcome spring in New England,” said Dr. Sheth. “I totally agree with our community when they say that INDIA New England News raises the bar of excellence each year.”
Yogi Rana, founder of Boston Sound and Light Company, which was one of the main sponsors of the expo, said: “As with most of the INE expos, this spring’s expo exuded a ton of excitement, but what made this expo even more special was that there was an enormous amount of excitement in the preparation for it. The fashion shows and performances were well-rehearsed, the brides had a series of specific questions to ask each vendors rather than just wanting information, the food kept everybody informed of the latest trends, the decor pushed the limits of basic tradition and introduced cushion. In a nutshell, the expo not only encouraged vendors to be prepared in exposing their full capacity and displaying trends, but potential engaged couples walked away learning these trends and excited about what to bring back to their own event.”
More than 50 vendors covering jewelry, fashion, clothing, photography, videography, finest food, DJs, mehandi, décor, hotels and make up, among other things exhibited their products and services. The expo was organized by INDIA New England News and was sponsored by Burlington Marriott Hotel, Alankar Event Planners & Decorators and Boston Sound and Light Co.
