Are weddings amid pandemic risky affair?
With multiple news reports pointing at guests and hosts being tested Covid-19 positive after wedding ceremonies, the viability of such functions amid the pandemic becomes a matter of debate. And as the issue remains pertinent, here are some guests and wedding photographers opening up on their experiences.
Bengaluru-based Anand Kumar, who is a wedding photographer, says, “One thing that disappoints me is the casualness about the gathering. Most have at least 100-150 guests. And in some of these weddings, I saw no one was wearing a mask or following social distancing!”
Some photographers also admit getting an inaccurate count of guests during the booking, so that they can’t back out or complain against it. “I was told that around 50 people will be at this wedding in Delhi. But, it turned out that over 120 guests were there and some had travelled from Mumbai,” says a photographer, on condition of anonymity. He further adds that he felt ‘so scared’ after reaching the venue, and suggests, “A body should be constituted to keep a check on the number of guests at weddings.”
But wedding invitees, too, have their own reasons to not skip the celebrations. Mamta Goel, a Gurugram resident, who recently attended her close friend’s wedding, along with some hundred odd guests from different parts of the country, says, “Achcha nahi lagta agar card aane ke baad na jao…”
However, this act of hers wasn’t appreciated much by her society members. She shares, “Jab ready hoke gaye aur wapis aye to padosiyon ko mithai dene jana hi pada... jaise hi unhe pata chala hum shaadi pe gaye the, sab ne baat karni band kardi. And for a while, people stopped coming to my house, even my milkman.”