While some time ago only the not-so-rich were getting wedding finery on rent, the practice has now encompassed all strata of society.

Says Bunty alias Rahul Abhi of Lakshmi store, “We started renting out wedding ensemble around 10 years ago. The idea occurred to me when I showed my wife’s lehnga to a customer and she said she wanted to borrow it”. Bunty has also opened outlets in USA, UK and Canada.

“You name it and we have it. Right from matching jewellery, bindis, purses, traditional wear in all ranges,” says Ashok Singla of Seo Di Hati in Jagraon. For example, if the function is the traditional jago, his shop supplies the required items for the evening. Singla says they market their products in girls colleges and ladies clubs.

“After the dress has been finalised, we send it to the customer and also pick it up after the D-Day,” he says.

“The rent is according to the cost of the dress. If the wedding dress costs more than Rs 1 lakh, the rent for an evening is between Rs 15,000 to 20,000. The range available for bridegrooms is also vast. There are sets available for relatives as well.”

Aman of Mani Ram Balwant Rai, a ration shop, says he branched out into cosmetics recently. “I started this business a few months ago and it is doing terrifically well,” he says.

And the items available here are in sync with the latest fashion. “First it was satin, then brocade and then net. These days, stone studded dresses are in,” says Bunty.

You can also demand for a particular type of dress such as the lehnga worn by Deepika Padukone in Om Shanti Om or Kareena Kapoor’s salwar-kameez from Jab We Met. Expert tailors are employed by outlet owners to prepare these outfits