Wedding halls spring back to life

With the start of the wedding and walima season in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, marquees and wedding halls that had been shut after Punjab's devastating floods have become active again. The hustle and bustle that had faded during the peak wedding months due to the floods has also been restored.

Bookings have resumed in all wedding halls and marquees in the twin cities, reviving the livelihoods of decorators, caterers, lighting workers and labourers who had been unemployed for three months.

There are a total of 18,000 big and small marquees and wedding halls in the twin districts, and thousands of workers involved in decoration, lighting, food service and cooking have regained employment.

Every year, the three months from RabiulAwwal to Jumadiul Awwal mark the peak wedding season.

This year, the season had collapsed immediately due to the floods across Punjab, leaving bridal processions cancelled and thousands associated with the industry unemployed.

Now, with the season restarted, marquees are once again illuminated with colourful lights and buntings, and flower sellers have also seen business improve. However, caterers have increased food prices as soon as the weddings began.

A pot of chickpea rice now costs Rs12,000; chicken pulao Rs16,000; chicken qorma between Rs17,000 and Rs18,000; beef between Rs20,000 and Rs22,000; chicken roast Rs20,000 per pot; and chicken biryani Rs18,509 per pot. Lighting shops and decorators have raised the rate for three-day wedding lighting to Rs60,000-80,000.

Flower petals are now Rs400 per kilo, food-serving labourers charge Rs1,500 per worker, and marquee rents range between Rs50,000 and Rs200,000.

Tent service providers in neighbourhoods have also increased catering and tent rentals by 20 per cent.

Catering Food Association Secretary Imran Chaudhry said the community is grateful the season has begun, as they had become unemployed.

Although the number of weddings is lower than usual, work has resumed and labourers who had left have been called back.

He added that food quantities and variety have decreased this year.

Decorators and flower traders Ashiq Ali, Bedar Khan and Naveed Satti said that "better late than never - with the wedding season back, our homes' hearths are burning again." They said they are very happy that expenses are now being met.