Here’s the new wedding essentials list

The pandemic has altered the ultimate wedding planning checklist. A comprehensive list now also includes cuddle curtains, prepacked meals, safety coordinator, thermal screening, hand sanitisers and designer masks.

Wedding planners Kaveri Vij and Akshay Chopra have already received requests for cuddle curtains from couples. “UK-based Anthony Cauvin invented it to hug his quarantined grandmother. At weddings here, it’ll be called a hugging station. It’s difficult to replace the human touch”, says Vij. Chopra adds, “How can any wedding be complete without hugs?”

Lavish buffet spreads have been replaced with prepacked meals. Anurag Sharma, a Gurugram-based IT consultant who will be tying the knot next week, says, “We can’t have 40-50 guests at home and not feed them; so, we have placed order for pre-packed thaalis.”

With focus on safety, wedding planning portals have also launched 50-guest packages, ranging around ₹2-4 lakh, to encourage intimate weddings at home. Himanshu Kapsime, founder of one such portal, shares that couples have realised the situation will take time to improve. “The packages include a safety coordinator, e-vites, thermal screening of guests and vendors, live-streaming, vegetarian meals, designer masks, mehendi, makeup, hand sanitisers, etc.,” he says.

The uncertain times have forced wedding photographer Abhishek Sharma to also introduce lockdown wedding packages, with only one or two cameramen due to the restriction on the guest list. “These packages start from ₹40,000 and may go up to ₹1 lakh, depending on the requirement of the client,” Sharma shares.