Recently, I did my rounds of the top few Indian beauty parlours to find out the going rate for their basic bridal packages. And boy was I shocked. Complete rip-offs. Here are some of the prices for a package with makeup, hairdo, use of basic accessories and saree-tying:
Entrepreneur Value-add Bigshot Hooha R – $500
Direct Rival with Freaky Namecard S – $450
80’s Old is Still Gold M – $450
If you want the latest accessories, there is an additional charge. You need to pay seperately for a trial too, anywhere from $50 to $80.
So all in all, if you want a proper package inclusive of trial, it’s going to cost between $490 to $580. Unbelievable. That’s 5% of my entire wedding budget. It’s going to cost me more than my wedding saree to do my makeup and hair.
These people KNOW you need someone who can tie a saree quickly in a cramped area, and they KNOW your usual candidates for the job will be busy running around carrying platters and cajoling relatives. With this knowledge, they happily charge a rate that works out to about $100 an hour (if they are with you from 5am to 10am or 4pm to 9pm). That makes them better paid than most upper management!
This is one of those things that make me wish it was physically possible to take my head off my shoulders and put it down on a table and do my own hair. I can do everyone’s, but I can’t do my own perfectly without being able to see the back of my head can I??? Though not for a lack of trying. I’m still attempting to devise a way to perfect it. I’ll let you know when I’m done.
Knots and Rings 