of marriages and Kolkata

A brief summary of marriage halls and stuff in Kolkata

I am trying to schedule a marriage in Kolkata/ Calcutta in early January next year (2005), and am going through a lot of research and feedback from folks back home - about the various marriage halls available, their pro's and con's, what's available and what not. So I thought, why not put it up here, on my own blog, for easier access for myself (I tend to lose the post-its on which the data is right now) - and for a good starting point for others.

Reading keys:

• This is a comparison statistic, such as size, or cost.
• Positive feature
• Negative feature

Fort William (our choice!)

• Location: dead at city center (I think). Can't miss it.
• Rs 1 lakh with decorations.
• Much, much less for immediate relations of defense personnel.
• Defense personnel only - for reservations.
• Small marriage room - 25' square approx
• Large balcony/ pavilion
• Apparently, has the best decorator in Calcutta
• Abundant car parking area
• Huge, impressive, military maintained quality
• Food is considered not worth the high price (Rs 250 per head) by some
• Access driveway from the main road is about 1km, dark and scary at night.

Olpadwalla Hall

• Rs. 1 lakh with decorations; Rs. 65,000 non-refundable
• Close to Birla Planetarium
• 1 sufficiently large hall, rectangular
• Stage on one short side of the hall
• Religious rituals allowed
• Large balcony on the other short side
• Nice glass partition between balcony (rituals) and main hall (reception)
• Parking space for 2 cars only
• Visitor parking on Chowringhee road, private paid parking
• Enclosed space; no greenery. Confined to one central hall.

CSIR Guest House

• Available to Directors of CSIR organizations
• near Rabindra Sarovar / Anderson Club
• 1 lawn, approx. 200' x 100'
• 1 triangular lawn, small, separated from the large lawn by buildings
• Adjacent to CSIR Guest House
• Adjacent to the lake. Nice greenery. Open space.
• Abundant car parking space
• "Open Source" - comes with nothing but a huge open area
• You have to handle all the paraphernalia - caterers, decorators, etc.

Singhi Park

• Located at Gariahat crossing
• approx. Rs 1 lakh
• 2 halls in series - approx 1500 and 2000 sq Ft areas
• Approx. dimensions: 60' x 30', 40' x 30'
• Fast, easy access location
• Huge balcony all along the long edge of the rectangle - 100' x 30'
• Balcony has partial awning - approx 15'
• About 4 cars allowed inside
• Very difficult to find visitor parking

Tolly Club

• Members only - for reservation purposes
• Awesome location. Greenery and open space.
• No religious rituals allowed

Apeejay House

• Park Street, behind Park Hotel
• 1 large hall, approx 75' x 75'
• Approx. 1 lakh
• Good car parking facilities - at Park Hotel basement car park
• Fabulous location - at Park Street
• Absolutely no greenery or open space - but that's the Downtown of Calcutta.

*Update: December 26, 2007*

Soma and I got married at Fort William, on November 30, 2004 - and loved the experience. We were a little too tired to enjoy it all, but all our invitees who attended keep mentioning how great the evening was, and how wonderful the venue was. Extras we opted for included a 'phoochkawalla' - pani puri vendor - and the marching band from Fort William. Unfortunately, everyone else heard the band and ate all the phoochkas before the two of us could make it to the lawn.

For photos from our wedding - including a few that show the venue - click here:
http://photos.kundansen.org/wedding/

*Request*

I am no longer in the market for wedding halls in Calcutta - but a number of people seem to have used this information here as a starting point. If you are doing some more research, and can send your data my way, I can keep this entry updated with recent costs, more halls, new modifications that change pros/cons, etc. If possible, please also include some contact information for the venue(s) that you are sending in - reservations, inquiry, etc.

Thanks in advance!