No expectations for spike in receptions

Wedding planners are not expecting to see a boom in receptions next month as couples will need time to calibrate their events in line with the standard operating procedure (SOP).

Wedding Professionals Association of Malaysia president Patrick Low said couples would only start taking action in July after discussions with their families.

“Most wouldn’t take action now because weddings are a matter between two families.”

Low added that wedding planners were awaiting the complete SOP from the government.

Malaysian Indian Association of Event president Datuk K. Sivakumar said there would not be many weddings soon because following the movement control order (MCO) implementation in March, many clients decided against booking any new wedding dates.

“Furthermore as per the Hindu calendar, there will be no weddings from July 16 to Aug 16 as these are not auspicious dates for weddings.

“So hopefully with the recovery MCO being fully lifted after Aug 31, the situation will be more helpful for Indian weddings,” he said.

Indian Wedding Planner Malaysia, an online marketplace for Indian weddings which has some 1,000 vendors under it, has been receiving more inquiries from couples.

Its founder Kay Zee said while couples had been making inquiries throughout the MCO, they held back from making any bookings due to uncertainties.

“So after the government’s announcement, we believe that couples would be confident enough to make bookings for a fixed date,” he said.

He, however, questioned whether the guest capacity of 250 pax at one time meant that couples could arrange their guests according to slot timing, allowing them to invite more guests in total.

“Another concern is that for the Indian tradition, some couples have their wedding ceremony and reception all in one go.

“So if the event is done at a temple hall, do couples follow the new SOP of having a maximum of 250 guests or do they adhere to the previous announcement of having only 20 pax at houses of worship?” he asked.

When contacted yesterday, a National Security Council strategic communications division representative said the complete SOP would be released soon.

On June 17, The Star reported that more than two million table reservations had either been cancelled or postponed in the Klang Valley since the MCO was implemented on March 18, resulting in a loss of up to RM3bil.