If you ever thought Indians were poor, think again. Not all of them but quite a few, even when they've stayed all their life in India, working in a normal position.
To give you an example, here's an article that should open your eyes. People spend like crazy on weddings. I wish they'd make a gift of all that money to the couple so they could invest it somewhere wise, which might contribute towards our GDP and induce the Govt. to reduce taxes on laymen.

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The mythical Arabian Nights, exotica Morocco and the rustic beauty of Rajasthan have all descended on the marriage mandaps of Gujarat.

Gone are the days when you would arrive at a predictable setting for a wedding — a party plot, the groom in a sherwani, the bride in all her finery and formally dressed guests, standing around dimly-lit trees.

An increasing number of Gujaratis, including many NRIs, now prefer theme based marriages — tailor-made to your taste.

It could be a rustic rural settings or a qawwali theme. Some families are ready to spend up to Rs 35 lakh (60,500 Euros)just for that dream-theme wedding.

In fact, qawwals from Mumbai and Delhi have made Ahmedabad their second home this wedding season, flying white pigeons, wedding guests attired in Lucknowi caps, in achkan sherwani and shararas, lady quwwals on the side of bride and male quwwals on the side of groom, almost Umroa Jaan-like! Alan Ohol, operations incharge, Shaddi Info says, "Families are getting creative about their weddings to make them memorable and also ensure an enriching experience for the guests.We are getting demands for qawwali themes and even destination marriage where entire families go on a wedding trip to Goa or Agra."

Mukund Shah's son, on the other hand, got married in a royal style in Vadodara. The royal touch was provided with the Laxmi Vilas Palace in the backdrop.

The theme was Peshwai. "Even the flower arrangements that were done around the stage were patterned on the Peshwai theme,"said Shah, syndicate member in M. S. University.

Nishith Shah, promoter, Go Banana said, "Instead of having large gatherings, many families are becoming selective on who they invite for the wedding, making it more manageable and the money they save is used for preparing themes.

A NRG (Non Resident Gujarati) family from Nigeria had planned their wedding with a peacock feather as the theme. Everything, from cards to the venue was made to look like peacock feathers, using colours like vibrant blue and green.

"Fun loving Surtis too know how to make a celebration memorable. They have taken to the concept of theme marriages with ice and diya, Roman, Italian and Rajsthani themes being among the more popular.

"Families prefer that the mandap and seating area follow a certain themes. If a colour is the theme, them families on both sides will come dressed in that particular colour,"says Pranay Agarwal of Ceremonies Events. "Next week we are doing a wedding where Bandhni will be the theme and everyone will come dressed in it."