Gen Z is obsessed with weddings. Brands are cashing in.

On the evening of 31 October, one such baraat wound its way into a Chhatarpur farmhouse in New Delhi. But this one came with a twist—the bride, groom, even the guests, weren’t real. There was no priest or legal ceremony, and the wedding outfits were rented. Most of the guests were there for the brand installations, themed food counters and photo booths set up by major consumer companies.

This was quick-commerce platform Zepto’s ‘The Great Indian Fake Shaadi,’ a staged wedding turned into a marketing stage for 14 brands, including Britannia Industries, Hershey’s, Shaadi.com, Sugar Cosmetics and Manforce. Fake weddings began last year as themed parties for Gen Z but have grown rapidly into an urban phenomenon, drawing young crowds seeking the aesthetics of a wedding without the social obligations or expectations of attending an actual family function.

“For many people, getting dressed up and enjoying the food is the main draw," said Garv Malik, a standup comic-turned-marketeer who played the groom at the Zepto event just months after he quit his job as he needed a break and was looking forward to doing something fun. A friend of his shared an Instagram story of Zepto looking for a fake groom, and he decided to take part in it.

“At a fake wedding, you avoid the usual questions from relatives, no kids are running around, and people feel free to dress how they want. It’s simply a safe space to party," Malik said.

For Zepto, competing with Blinkit, Swiggy’s Instamart and others in India’s crowded quick-commerce market, the fake wedding was a way to build cultural relevance among young urban consumers. “Shaadi is arguably India’s biggest festival," said Chandan Mendiratta, chief brand officer at Zepto. “It lasts months, drives significant household spending and is one of the most culturally universal experiences in the country. We want to ride cultural waves, and this Gen Z wave of fake weddings was something we wanted to build an IP (intellectual property) around."

Guests at this wedding were all creators with hefty follower lists; brands counted on them to create organic-looking social media content that featured their stalls, branding, and gift boxes of goodies meant to generate “pre-buzz." As people increasingly skip ads, seemingly authentic videos of a wedding bash are more likely to generate virality for brands.

Brands themselves see fake weddings as an opportunity to insert themselves into a defining cultural moment. “Gen Z is a critical demographic with a $2 trillion potential, and over 54% of them value immersive, in-person experiences," Siddharth Gupta, general manager, marketing, Britannia Industries, told Mint. A realistic wedding was the best way for Britannia to showcase its new Pure Magic chocolate offerings “in a context that felt natural and celebratory," he added.

The Hershey Company, a “Shagun Partner," at the Zepto event, echoed this sentiment. “Consumers today are redefining how they connect and celebrate," said Kamy Devaguptapu, marketing director for the firm’s India and Asia-Pacific operations. “Our association with Zepto allowed us to be part of a modern gifting ritual in a way that feels personal and joyful, especially for Gen Z."

Hits and misses

Zepto’s fake dulhan Riya Yadav said the wedding turned out to be “much grander" than she had expected. “I couldn’t visit all the stalls because I was getting ready and then shooting content, but I could see Sugar Cosmetics had a lot of hustle; people wanted to see their new launches," Yadav, a content creator, said. “People created so much content, reposted stories and tagged the brands."

The only drawback—duration. “Real weddings go on for days; this ended in one night. And my lehenga was too heavy—but it was beautiful, so I can’t complain." In fact, fake dulha Malik said that much like real brides and grooms, they too missed much of the fun as they waited backstage for their grand entry. “I might sign up to be a guest next time, not the groom," he said.

Not all brands find fake weddings to be useful though. Divya Bihani, founder of the gifting brand Shadi Pitara, who attended a separate fake wedding event in Mumbai earlier this year, said such gatherings work well for big brands but offer limited gains for smaller vendors. “It genuinely looked like a real wedding—chandeliers, décor, dhol players—and the crowd was fully in the vibe," she said. “But people were not there to shop. I had very minimal sales, and honestly, I don’t think I’d want to go for something like that again."

While Zepto’s guest list was restricted to an invite-only roster of creators, many fake weddings are selling tickets to those wanting to party it up, baraati-style. Such occasions can double up as sales events for small brands, but Bihani said guests who pay to attend are more focused on dressing up, dancing and capturing Instagram stories rather than browsing products.

But fake weddings may be here to stay. Already, they have entered college campuses. Earlier this year, the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, staged a fake wedding as the curtainraiser for its annual cultural festival Unmaad. The trend even has its own counterculture spin-off; a club in Lucknow hosted “fake divorce parties" earlier this year, with heartbreak-themed Bollywood songs to boot.

“Weddings are one of India’s biggest cultural and spending moments. If Gen Z is redefining how they celebrate them, we want Zepto to be the brand they think of first," said Mendiratta.