LAHORE: More than dozen businesses are in full boom because of weddings going on in the city, people associated with businesses told Pakistan Today on Monday.
The businesses include marriage halls, tailoring, catering, jewelers, decorators, cooking, rent-a-car, movie making, photography, flowers, generators, chicken, mutton, rice, naan and milk selling. People associated with these businesses said their sales and demand have increased at least three times.
The wedding season is at peak in these days and all the marriage halls are booked in advance while the parks and streets are also being used for these purposes.
Normally, the number of weddings increases before arrival of Muharram, a sacred Islamic month and maximum people try to arrange their weddings before arrival of this month, said Marriage Hall Association President Mian Muhammad Ilyas adding the businesses are revived due to marriages. He said there are more than 700 marriage halls in the city and all of them are booked in these days.
Hough marriage halls are in all parts of the city but areas like Gulshan-e-Ravi, College Road Township, Johar Town and Gulberg Main Boulevard, Garden Town and Peco Road have a large number of halls. Marriage halls used to charge Rs 280-Rs 800 per head depending upon the quality and location of the halls.
The wedding halls used to get supplies of food items from different people including chicken, mutton and rice sellers. Normally, one dish includes chicken or mutton gravy, rice biryani, naan and feerni.
Reviving business: Rent-a-car is a business which has shown decline in recent years but the wedding season has revived the business. “In ordinary days, we have to wait for the customers but with start of weddings all of my vehicles are booked in advance,” said a rent-a-car dealer Tariq Mehmood. He said not only groom’s car is booked rather many people rent vehicles for the entire wedding day.
“We used to charge around Rs 2,000 to 4,000 for a vehicle depending upon the situation of function,” he added. A car decorator and flower seller Irfan Ahmed said wedding seasons provide him enough money for the whole year.
“Maximum marriages are held in the winter and I accumulate enough money during the season and relax in other days,” Ahmed said adding he used to decorate car for Rs 2,000 to 5,000. “It depends upon the demand of customer, if he wants a large number of expensive flowers then charges increases,” he added.
A chicken seller Kamran Nageena said during Eid ul Azha, the sales of chicken declines as people used to eat mutton and beef but this year there was no such thing.
“I have a large number of bookings from marriage halls and people, who are arranging weddings,” he said adding he used to sell around 200 to 300 Kg of chicken meat these days only because of weddings. A tailor Aqeel Ahmed said in normal days there is very less business but due to weddings he had more than enough orders.
“Around five marriages are being held in my areas and I am sewing clothes for these functions. I have hired extra labour for completing the orders in time,” he added.
A cook Faryad Hussain said though he has many orders in normal days but as soon number of marriages increases his work doubled. “I used to cook at least 100 daegs a day on Saturday and Sundays,” he said adding he is earning around Rs 40,000 in these days.
A cloth seller Ghulam Sarwar in Ichra said he is having very busy days, as a large number of people are coming for buying wedding dresses. “A bride dress is available between Rs 10,000 to 50,000 while a groom dress could be purchased between Rs 3,000 to Rs 20,000,” he added. A jeweler Shehzad Akram in Township said due to high gold prices the business was in decline but the wedding season has given fresh air.
“It had become difficult for majority of jewelers of the are to even pay the rent but now all of them have busy days,” he said adding a four-tola gold set could be purchased for Rs 180,000 to 200,000. People who don’t hire marriage halls and arrange functions in their homes or surrounding parks used to hire the services of caterers, caterers and also get electricity generators fro their function.
“We used to charge Rs 35,000 to 50,000 for 300 guests for chairs, tents, carpets and decoration,” said a caterer Arif Hussain of Gulshan Ravi. A moviemaker Nasir Hussain said his business completely depends upon the weddings and he is having busy days. “We used to charge Rs 8,000 to 15,000 for movie making on weddings,” he added.
