50,000 Hindu weddings to take place on auspicious May date

Some 50,000 Hindu weddings are expected to take place on May 16th in Mumbai

On May 16^th Mumbai will practically come to a standstill as some 50,000 Hindu weddings are expected to take place in the city on this day. The sudden rush in weddings for this date has been caused by a 5 month spell of inauspicious wedding dates according to the Hindu calendar.

Mumbai residents are bracing themselves for a day of gridlocked roads and bustling crowds as the wedding guests attending the 50,000 different parties descend upon the city.

This May 16^th is named Akshaya Titiya in the Hindu calendar and is regarded as one of the most favourable days for a couple to marry, plus this date also happens to fall on a Sunday making it all the more desirable.

The main reason for the huge number of weddings occurring on this May date is due to a backlog of couples who have been waiting 5 months for an auspicious date to arrive. For the 5 months between December 14^th 2009 until May 14^th 2010 there has not been a single suitable wedding date for Hindu couples, and an extra lunar month also exasperated the situation further.

With so many marriages scheduled to take place on May 16^th wedding suppliers have been inundated with requests. The rush has seen wedding venues rates rise by 15% and the cost of other wedding essentials have also been driven up by the desire of Hindu couples to marry on this date.

A leading Mumbai wedding planner warns there is no chance of any couple wishing to plan a last minute wedding on this date will be successful saying many suppliers and venues have been pushed to capacity and have been booked for a over a year.