Patna: Destination weddings are becoming a trend for Bihar families for whom budget is not a constraint, and prohibition is also one of the reasons.

"In the past couple of years, there has been a steady increase in people opting for destination weddings," said Rahul Singh, 19, who helps his father Kamlesh Singh, a florist and a wedding planner. "The main reasons include boredom about the ambience and the craving for exotic weddings, and the ban on liquor in Bihar to some extent."

A city resident, who did not want to be identified, seconded Rahul.

"We did not wish to upset our guests with the ban on liquor in the state. Destination wedding helps a lot," said the person, who got his daughter married in Bengal's Durgapur.

Patna City resident Vivek Vikash, who has planned his wedding in Udaipur, however, is only looking to make his big day extra special.

"Destination wedding is still a new concept in Bihar," Vivek said. "And what better way to make your day unique than to have the wedding at an exotic place."

According to Vivek, a destination wedding is more convenient since once you reach the venue the responsibilities shift to the hotel management.

"The accommodation, food and recreation - everything becomes easily available at one place without any fuss," says Vivek.

Sneha Jaiswal, who recently attended a family wedding at a resort in Gurgaon, said: "It is really fascinating to celebrate such an auspicious day at a completely different location amid beautiful surroundings."

The bill for such weddings ranges between Rs 70 lakh and Rs 1 crore.

"The budget for such weddings usually depends on the destination chosen, the number of guests, the hotel, services available and the number of days," said Gyan, a wedding planner at Eventoss, a Patna-based event management firm.

Places like Jaipur and Udaipur come with a relatively high budget compared to fairly cheaper destinations such as Dehradun, Puri and Ooty.

Even Rajgir and Bodhgaya have become popular among Patnaites when it comes to destination weddings. These places provide all the facilities at an approximate budget of Rs 40 to Rs 60 lakh.

The number of weddings organised in Sambodhi Retreat and Mahabodhi Resort in Bodhgaya have doubled this year.

"My pre-wedding shoot is going to be in Shimla and the wedding, a two-day affair, will be at a resort in Delhi," said Boring Road resident Anjali Gupta, who got engaged at Rajgir's Hotel Indohokke on December 10.