From beer pong to tea leaf readers, Gen Z weddings are all about the vibe

Ira Singh, the New Delhi-based event planner, specialises in weddings, but you might not know this from her descriptions of some of the functions she has designed. There was one event inspired by Monet’s famous Water Lillies series of paintings, which she interpreted via animated wall and floor projections and details such as custom chessboards painted with flowers. For another, she created an entire game area complete with beer pong, mini bowling, and carrom boards, all in vibrant shades of pink and orange. The most exciting was perhaps a glamping-themed cocktail party, for which she had to source over 100 leather trunks, vintage maps and globes. “Most of our clients come to us because they want something super different. They wouldn’t approach us if they’re looking for just a pretty garden or pastel flowers. Some would, of course, but I always work with an overarching concept, a story that ties the whole thing together,” says Singh, the creative director and founder of FSix, an events and experiential design company she founded during the COVID-19 pandemic and now runs with her mother, Dimple Singh, and her fiancé, Imaan Pariat Mehta. (The pair are scheduled to get married later this year.)

An architect by training, Singh, 29, stands out in a crowded wedding industry filled with big talents for the distinctive, immersive experiences she curates. Most recently, she was the brains behind designer Shweta Kapur’s flawlessly Instagrammable wedding cocktail, whose decor was inspired by the works of artists such as Yayoi Kusama and British sculptor Annie Morris. “FSix was actually going to be an events space where I would host programmes like yoga or art classes,” says Singh about the start of her journey. “But then COVID happened and everything changed. I switched to doing Zoom events for things like birthdays or anniversaries and then, as spaces opened up, people would ask us to curate small events at their home, like a The Great Gatsby-themed bar for 10 people.” Soon enough, Singh had her first wedding client, and she hasn’t looked back. Here, we asked her to share some of the biggest wedding trends on her radar for 2025.

Make a big entrance

“A dramatic entrance is where you can really capitalise on creating a photographic moment. That’s when people have their phones out, and they’re just taking in what’s around them. It’s your first big impression of the event and sets the tone for what’s to come. We did a wedding cocktail night last November at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, where we created an overgrown library as the walkway. There were wooden shelves filled with books and plants, the floor was lined with Persian carpets, there were leather sofas and lamps. It was almost like falling into someone’s living room.”

Keeping it personal

“The trick with personalisation is for it not to be gimmicky, but subtle and pretty. It’s about small details that you might not notice right away but only once you stand still do you see all the layers. So, for a recent Wimbledon-themed event we had tennis balls with the couple’s initials. For another we did personalised napkin rings and matchboxes. Another time we skipped the idea of the logo and instead spent two weeks creating an illustration of everything the couple liked doing together—the places they had travelled, the food they liked—and then we used elements of that illustration through the event design.”

The dramatic dining table

“The tablescape has become more important but now it’s sculptural, very organic, not over the top, but restrained. So, you might focus on one colour or a theme. Say, it’s all red—then it might be a tablescape of tomatoes, strawberries, and apples. For another cocktail night we didn’t use any flowers and, instead, the tables had thin candles, and we made a centrepiece that had piles of coal, black sand, and large red urns. It was very grungy and contemporary.”

Activity hour for adults

“People want to go beyond just a DJ and a bar. So, if I have a spring-themed celebration, I might bring in a floral perfume counter or have a mixologist make floral cocktails. Things that are linked to the theme but also give the guests a chance to do something. At a recent event in Mumbai, we had customised teacups for everyone and then a tea leaf reader. At another evening that was themed around the idea of ‘Love in Bloom’, there was a shadow puppet artist depicting a love story.”