Planning a Lavish Wedding? - Hire 'Wedding Express'

Source: India Today

New Delhi, Oct 23: If you are planning a lavish wedding either for yourself or for someone in the family, there's no better way to combine style with luxury, and of course, grandeur. And it comes at a price that pales in comparison to other 'royal' wedding experiences.

The Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC), already a hit overseas for selling the state as a hot destination for weddings in forts and havelis, plans to use its two luxury trains - Palace on Wheels and Rajasthan Royals on Wheels - for weddings from next year.

And for the jet set bored of attending intercontinental weddings, the trains come with an "unforgettable on-board menu", the RTDC claimed.

For a similar experience, you'll end up spending Rs 10 crore to Rs 30 crore for a three-four day affair at a palace in Rajasthan or any other happening address. But for a fraction of the cost, you can entertain a train-full of guests in the lap of luxury over a week.

"An all-inclusive seven-day extravaganza on board will cost between Rs 2 crore and Rs 2.5 crore for a 100-odd guest list," RTDC chairman Randeep Dhankar said. "The financial plan and itinerary are being worked out to sell it for bookings from next year."

And in these times of recession, you get a discount as well - for every 108-seat (full capacity) Palace on Wheels you book, the wedding party will be paying for only 95 guests - a discount of nearly 17 per cent!"Tickets for the entire train will work out to Rs 1.85 crore. With all services availed, the expenses won't go beyond Rs 2.5 crore," RTDC general manager Pramod Sharma said.

For Rajasthan Royals on Wheels, one can hire the train for under Rs 1.5 crore as it seats only 82 people. "Other expenses will run up to around Rs 20-30 lakh and keep the budget under Rs 1.75 crore," Dhankar said.

From a grand welcome for the guests to having a priest on board to a honeymoon suite and arranging for sangeet, not to mention cocktails and lavish buffets every evening through the week, the RTDC arranges everything.

It would even pamper the newly-weds with "separate cars and privacy" while travelling during the week-long trip, Dhankar said.

"It's ironical that the two trains are identified more with the foreigners and have not yet targeted Indian travellers," he said.