Home ›› 05 Sep 2021 ›› News
Md Shohag Mobarrak, a banker by profession, had high hopes of holding a grand wedding ceremony to accommodate all of his kith and kin with full festivity.
However, despite several attempts since 2019, Mobarrak could not hold his dream wedding ceremony, for which he planned to spend more than Tk 5 lakh, due to lockdowns and restrictions on movement imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mobarrak was forced to postpone his wedding ceremony plans when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country. But after waiting for a year, he was compelled to complete his engagement ceremony at home but still wanted to hold his dream ceremony once everything returned to normal.
But all of his endeavours ended in vain as the pandemic continued to linger.
Finding no other way, Mobarrak had to conclude his wedding at home attended by only five people, and he could not even wear a Sherwani, the traditional attire for a groom at his wedding.
“Being the eldest son of the family, I wanted to hold a grand wedding to invite all of my relatives and friends. But, this pandemic has ruined all of my dreams,” he told The Business Post.
Like Mobarrak, hundreds of thousands of men and women suffered greatly as the pandemic poured cold water on wedding events while thousands of businesses related to the wedding industry suffered huge losses.
Bangladesh’s wedding industry, which has been thriving over the past decade, almost came to a standstill after the pandemic gripped the country.
“There is no official data on people involved in the wedding industry but our estimates suggest that directly at least 50,000 people and indirectly over 50 lakh people are dependent on the sector,” Elephant Road Wedding Merchant Association Secretary Md Rony told The Business Post.
The wedding industry not only includes the clothing and jewellery business, but also community centres, event management agencies, floral businesses, decorators, caterers, entertainers, musicians and sound equipment providers, and photographers, among others.
“I used to sell goods worth Tk 35,000 to Tk 40,000 per day before the pandemic. But my sales have dropped below Tk 1,000 a day. I have managed to sell goods worth Tk 600 today, after failing to sell anything for the last two days,” said Md Kamrul Islam, owner of Saiki Sherwani House at New Elephant Road in Dhaka.
Our sales started declining as soon as the pandemic hit the country. But even after such a long time, our market is yet to rebound, he said.
Talking to The Business Post, Md Mahadi Hasan, who sells wedding sarees at Mirpur Banarasi Polli, said, “Normally, I sold sarees worth Tk 1.5 lakh to Tk 2 lakh per month before Covid-19. Now, the sales have come down to only Tk 50,000 per month through online platforms during the pandemic.”
Meanwhile, Almas Jewellers Director Md Abul Khayer Khan said their sales sank by 75 per cent during the pandemic compared to previous times.
Businesses related to the wedding industry make most of their trade during the wedding season, which usually stretches from December till March each year. Apart from that, Eid vacations have also been popular for wedding events in the country.
Md Rahamat Ullah Popel, owner of the Creative Wedding Planner and Event Management, said, “Before the pandemic, I used to organise at least 20 wedding ceremonies during the wedding season. But, my business came to a complete halt during the pandemic. During this period, my business incurred huge losses and I still do not know how I will recover.”
Md Milon, manager of Nur Community Center and Thai Park Chinese Restaurant, said, “Usually, we used to organise at least seven to eight wedding events per month before the pandemic. Our business has remained shut since March last year. After August 20, 2021, we managed to organise only two events, that too in a very limited manner.”
Md Kazal, supervisor of the Shapla Decorator at Dhaka’s Purana Paltan, said that “We used to arrange 3-4 events per month before the pandemic, but in the last one and half years it was nil.”
Md Hasibur Rahaman, who works as a freelance photographer for Bridal Heritage, said he used to work in at least 15 wedding events per month and earn more than Tk 30,000.
“But, I did not get any wedding photography work for the past one-and-a-half years,” he said.
Md Jafor, who drives a decorated wedding car for hire, said he used to earn at least Tk 35,000 after working for 20-25 days in a month before the pandemic began. “Now, I get work for only 6-7 days in a month,” he added.
Talking to The Business Post, Bangladesh Muslim Marriage Registrar Association Secretary General Kazi Iqbal Hossain said the country’s marriage rate witnessed a substantial fall during the first wave of the pandemic. The marriage rate improved a little during the second wave.
“I used to solemnise some 150–200 marriages per month before the pandemic. Now, the figure has come down to 20-25 per month,” Kazi Md Radwan of Mohakhali Kazi Office said.
“At present, weddings are going on but no large-scale ceremonies are being held due to the pandemic, affecting businesses related to wedding events,” Dhaka University Economics Professor Dr Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddiquee told The Business Post.
