Last Updated:November 20, 2025, 18:57 IST

Couples on a tight budget can save more by cutting food costs, opt for popular dishes and a smaller menu to significantly reduce wedding expenses

When booking separately, a GST of 18% is applied to the hall, and 5% to catering. (AI Generated/News18 Hindi)

As wedding season approaches, many couples are faced with the daunting task of managing wedding expenses, which begin to pile up once the invitations are printed. Major costs include attire, jewellery, decorations, entertainment, photography, catering, gifts, and the venue, with the latter often being the most significant expense.

Booking a banquet hall or resort for a single evening can range between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh. During peak seasons, venue owners often hike their prices, making it seem like renting a palace.

However, there are ways to save on these costs. Instagram finance influencer Binge Wealth reveals that one can save up to 13% on hall bookings by opting for a combined service from the same vendor. When booking the hall and catering separately, a GST of 18% is applied to the hall, and 5% to catering. Yet, booking both services together counts as a ‘composite supply’, incurring only a 5% GST on the entire package.

To illustrate, consider a banquet hall with a base rent of Rs 5 lakh. Separate bookings would entail a GST of Rs 90,000 for the hall (18% of Rs 5,00,000) and Rs 10,000 for catering (5% of Rs 2,00,000), totalling Rs 1,00,000.

By booking both from one vendor, the composite supply GST on the combined amount of Rs 7 lakh (Rs 5 lakh for the hall and Rs 2 lakh for catering) would be Rs 35,000, resulting in direct savings of Rs 65,000. This translates to savings of around 13% (Rs 55,000) on a Rs 5 lakh hall and over Rs 1 lakh on a Rs 10 lakh hall.

Siddharth Maurya, founder and managing director of Vibhavangal Anukoolkara Private Limited, emphasises that the biggest savings in a wedding budget often come from tax structure optimisation.

Couples frequently overlook this aspect, but booking the hall and catering together can slash costs by 10-13%. For a typical wedding, this simple strategy can save thousands, if not lakhs, without additional effort.

For those desiring a grand celebration on a tight budget, further savings can be made by reducing the cost of food plates and selecting only the most popular dishes. Limiting the menu to fewer items can significantly cut costs, as a broader selection usually means higher expenses. Additionally, modest adjustments to hall decorations can prevent overspending on decor.

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The number of new homes in England has fallen to its lowest level for nearly a decade, in a blow to Labour’s hopes of meeting one of its key manifesto pledges.

Keir Starmer has promised to build 1.5million new homes in five years, an average of 300,000 homes per year, but official figures show just 208,600 were created in England in 2024/25, down 6 per cent from 221,409 the previous year.

The number of additional new homes is the lowest for a financial year since 2015/16, when the figure was 195,534.

Housing secretary Steve Reed said the statistics showed “the extent of the housing crisis” Labour inherited, but the Tories said the figures showed Labour “have no plan for delivering new homes”, adding that numbers had fallen to a level “below what the Conservatives achieved during a global pandemic”.

Mr Reed said Labour had taken over “a planning system that blocked rather than built, and high inflation and soaring construction costs that created a perfect storm holding back housebuilding”.

He insisted the 1.5 million homes target was “not just a number – it’s a way to give children a secure home, for young people finally to move out and enjoy independence, and for working families to have place to call their own”.

But Sir James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, said: “The Labour government’s record on housing is abysmal. Their own statistics are a damning indictment of their failed housing policy. New builds are down to a level below what the Conservatives achieved during a global pandemic.

“Labour’s much-trumpeted target of 1.5 million homes is dead in the water. Clearly, they have no plan for delivering new homes. So much for ‘build, baby, build.’”

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There were 190,602 new builds, 17,708 properties that saw a change of use from non-domestic to residential, plus 3,846 conversions between houses and flats, according to data published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

A further 1,076 other types of homes were added, such as caravans and house boats, while there were 4,632 demolitions.

The number of new homes supplied in England – defined as “net additional dwellings” – is based on local authority estimates of gains and losses.

The government has pledged to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England over the course of this parliament, which is due to last until summer 2029.

Separate figures published by the MHCLG alongside the annual data suggest 124,800 new homes have been delivered in England so far this financial year (from April 1 to November 9), while 275,600 have been delivered since the start of the current parliament on July 9 2024.

Net additional dwellings are “the primary and comprehensive measure of total housing supply”, the MHCLG said.

The annual total hit 248,591 in 2019/20: the highest number of new homes in any financial year so far this century.

New Delhi: The government on Thursday announced new measures to ease rules for import of steel grades not covered under Quality Control Orders (QCOs), apart from approving extension of certain exemptions after reviewing the concerns submitted by industry participants. 

In order to streamline the regulatory framework governing steel imports and to facilitate ease of doing business, the Ministry of Steel undertook a review of the existing import-related requirements. It also reviewed the requirement for obtaining clarification or No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Steel for import of steel grades not covered under any QCO.

“Based on the recommendations of the High-Level Committee on Non-Financial Regulatory Reforms (HLC-NFRR), it has been decided that steel grades not covered by any Quality Control Order will no longer require clarification or NOC from the Ministry of Steel,” according to an official statement.

All steel grades not covered under any QCO — across all HSN Codes relating to the Ministry of Steel — have been mapped on the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) Portal. Importers may directly generate SIMS numbers for such non-QCO grades through the Portal without seeking any reference or approval from the Ministry of Steel, the statement added.

As per the Quality Control Orders issued by the Ministry of Steel, all grades of steel covered under the Orders are required to be imported only from manufacturers holding valid and operative BIS licences for the relevant grades.

In cases where import of QCO-covered steel grades is proposed from manufacturers who do not possess BIS licences, an exemption mechanism is already in place and such applications are examined by the Committee constituted on May 14, 2020.

The Committee, comprising representatives from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and domain experts, will continue to examine applications and decide on granting exemptions for import of QCO-covered steel products manufactured by non-BIS licensee units, said the ministry.

Also, based on representations received from industry, the Ministry had earlier granted exemption from mandatory QCO compliance for specified Chapter 73 steel products for imports with Bill of Lading having shipped on board date on or before 31.10.2025.

“This exemption has now been extended to imports with Bill of Lading having shipped on board date on or before 31.03.2026,” according to the ministry. The ministry had earlier exempted three Indian Standards applicable to stainless steel flat products — IS 6911, IS 5522 and IS 15997 — for imports with Bill of Lading having shipped on board date on or before 31.12.2025.

“This exemption has now been extended to imports with Bill of Lading having shipped on board date on or before 31.03.2026,” it added.