Weddings in the age of Instagram: What celebrities reveal about cultural shifts

New Delhi: In India, weddings are deeply intertwined with the display of wealth, social status, and community affiliation. This often manifests in multi-day events, extravagant clothing, and opulent venues. For celebrities, these weddings extend beyond family and caste networks to include a much broader audience—namely, their fanbase—amplified by social media. The digital dissemination of wedding content is highly strategic, with carefully curated images and videos being released in phases, ensuring the event remains a topic of discussion long after its conclusion. However, the aspects shared with the public are selective, focusing primarily on the romantic narrative, designer outfits, and picturesque venues.

Celebrity weddings thus serve as cultural markers, revealing significant shifts not only in the wedding industry but also in broader societal norms. By analysing the Instagram pages of various celebrities through a semiotic lens, we identified several key themes shaping contemporary Indian weddings.

Regional plurality: Expanding cultural horizons

Bollywood has long played a role in popularising North Indian wedding rituals like haldi, mehendi and sangeet, but a broader intercultural and interfaith exchange is now emerging. This fluidity reflects a shift from rigid identity markers to more personalised, lived experiences.

For instance, Keerthy Suresh and Anthony Thattil had two separate wedding ceremonies—one Christian and one Hindu—to honour each other’s religious backgrounds. This trend of dual ceremonies highlights a growing acceptance of religious diversity within Indian weddings, breaking away from the rigid traditionalism of past generations.

Similarly, Sobhita Dhulipala’s pre-wedding festivities incorporated aesthetics inspired by Rajasthan’s nomadic tribes, showcasing a deep personal resonance with a culture beyond her own lineage. This signals a shift in wedding aesthetics, where couples are increasingly influenced by artistic and cultural inspirations that may not necessarily align with their familial roots.

"I, me, and myself": The magnified self

Contemporary celebrity weddings increasingly emphasise individuality, where personal preferences take centre stage. Individuality is expressed in hyperbolic ways and reflects deep personal authenticity, where the celebrity has the social confidence to showcase his/her preferences to the world. These choices can exist on a spectrum, ranging from extravagant celebrations to minimalist, intimate ceremonies.

PV Sindhu’s wedding was a grand affair that reflected her Telugu heritage while integrating themes from pop culture, featuring decor inspired by Mughal-e-Azam and Bridgerton. This reflects a growing trend in which weddings feature opulence with a narrative, and not simply opulence for opulence’s sake. Further, the narratives that the wedding features align with the couple’s liking (in this case, liking in movies and TV shows).

In contrast, Prateik Babbar rejected the grandeur of a traditional celebrity wedding, opting instead for a deeply personal ceremony at his late mother Smita Patil’s home—an intimate tribute to his family’s history. This showcases a counter-trend within celebrity weddings, where some couples prefer understated and deeply personal celebrations over opulence.

Global-desi identity: Marrying tradition with modernity

Many affluent Indian celebrities strive to balance their global exposure with their cultural heritage, leading to a fusion of Western and Indian elements in their weddings. This is most apparent in wedding aesthetics, particularly in color palettes dominated by beige and white, traditionally more Western than Indian. The trend of minimalist, neutral-toned bridal couture, as opposed to the traditional bright reds and golds, is a significant indicator of evolving fashion sensibilities.

Ira Khan and Nupur Shikhare’s wedding adopted an American barn wedding style, with seating on either side of the aisle and a wedding officiant—a marked departure from traditional Indian wedding customs. This signals a shift towards a wedding format that prioritizes individual storytelling over strict adherence to ritual.

Similarly, Alekha Advani and Aadar Jain embraced the concept of a white beach wedding, complete with vows and Western attire, despite not belonging to a Christian background. These choices signal a shift toward a cosmopolitan identity that embraces both Indian and global influences. 

Open display of romantic love

The changing nature of weddings is also evident in the increasing public display of affection and personalised love stories. Unlike traditional Indian weddings, where familial unity was the focal point, contemporary celebrity weddings highlight the couple’s personal journey.

Reading vows, a practice borrowed from Western Christian weddings, has become a common feature, along with grand, documented proposals. Aadar Jain, for example, proposed to Alekha Advani in a lavish Maldives setup, complete with rose petals and an intimate moment captured for social media.

Additionally, couples are no longer hesitant to hold hands, kiss, and embrace in public—a stark contrast to more restrained traditions of the past. This shift signifies a broader cultural acceptance of open romantic expression in Indian society. Engagements and weddings are no longer merely about family alliances but also about celebrating the couple’s love in a way that resonates with their personal narrative.

Conclusion: 

While Indian weddings remain rooted in tradition, the influence of global trends, digital storytelling, and evolving cultural norms has reshaped how they are celebrated. Several key shifts define modern celebrity weddings:

• Straddling international and Indian identity – Couples seamlessly blend Western and Indian elements through their outfits, venues, and rituals, crafting a wedding that represents their multifaceted identities.

• Weddings as extensions of personality – Grand or intimate, these weddings reflect the couple’s personal aesthetics, values, and passions, moving beyond conventional templates.

• Romantic love at the forefront – The wedding is increasingly a celebration of the couple’s love rather than just a familial merger. This is evident in grand proposals, highly publicised displays of affection, and personalised wedding vows.

• The role of social Media in wedding narratives – Weddings are now designed not only for those in attendance but also for the digital audience, with curated content ensuring continued engagement long after the event is over.

The grandeur of Indian weddings persists, but within this framework, there is increasing room for self-expression, innovation, and reinvention. As social media and celebrity culture continue to shape public aspirations, these weddings will remain pivotal in influencing how Indian society negotiates tradition and modernity in the years to come.