If marriages are Made in Heaven, there has to be a price to pay. And the swish set in the Capital is quite content doling out the moolah as long as the 'shaadi ka' set is straight out of the brocade-and gold wedding scene of Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

"My clients are willing to pay anything between Rs 2 to Rs 3 crore for a wedding," says Triptee Chaudhary, wedding planner, Shaadionline. The budget takes care of creature comforts like venue, food, decorations, dance and music — flitting across the 'roka', 'sagaai', 'mehndi', cocktails and the what-have-you that constitute the run-up to the Great Indian Wedding.

Choreography too has come of age. "When I started choreographing at weddings six years ago, the accent was on sentimental stuff like 'mehndi' and 'vidaai' songs with maybe an 'item number' thrown in by the bride-to-be," says Anamika Singh of Adaayein Dance School. "But today, it's become very in-your-face, and everyone wants to be part of the Shah Rukh Khan-Preity Zinta 'That's the way, Mahi Ve' bandwagon."

Anamika recently organised an act where the bride's father slithered down a rope, complete with a hat and a cigar, to wild whoops of Main hoon don. "He was trained by mountaineering experts," she says. The bride's mother then proceeded to do a Helen, swirling seductively to Piya tu ab to aa jaa. Such a 15-minute class act could cost you at least a lakh of rupees. But nobody's complaining.

Destination weddings that, for instance, take place in the middle of the exotic Udaipur Lake will cost a minimum of Rs 10,000 per guest. "So if you're looking at a 200-odd guest list, which is a modest one actually, you are set back by a cool Rs 20 lakh," says Triptee, one of whose clients piloted a 17-strong line-up of buggies on his big day.