The new, trim Indian wedding
The pandemic has necessitated a total rethink of the spectacular ways in which weddings were conducted. ‘Less-is-more’ is now the preferred approach
With the wedding season round the corner, the bustling Indian wedding industry has been forced to adapt to the new norms dictated by COVID-19. The way weddings are being planned and executed has undergone a paradigm shift. The extravaganza that ‘marriage’ had come to imply has been replaced by small intimate gatherings of just a handful of people. In-person invitations have given way to e-invites. From sanitisation protocols to socially distanced seating arrangements, a whole bunch of new requirements are engaging the attention of event planners. All in all, the $50billion wedding industry is having a hard time managing the impacts of COVID-19.
HALT AND GO
“This Pandemic has transformed the wedding industry already. Most weddings have been postponed. October to February used to be the best months for weddings, but now 70% of the marriages have been postponed. People are out of work and many artistes, vendors, lighting and sound persons and decorators are in huge trouble. Everybody is affected,” says wedding and entertainment specialist Nitin Arora, MD, Katalyst Entertainment.
SCALED DOWN
Weddings were once infamous for their price tag, but Bunty Bajaj and Miheeka of Krasala Jewellery and event décor company, Dew Drop Design Studio, feel the size and scale of weddings will be very different in the future.
“I think during this pandemic, more than the cost, the safety measures are very important in deciding the number of people you invite. Weddings are going to be much smaller. People need to be tested and quarantined, especially those applying mehendi and make-up and others you have to closely interact with. This will have a huge impact on vendors,” says Bunty.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Does the drastic restrictions on the number of permitted invitees take away from the grandeur of weddings? “I have always believed that it’s not just about the numbers. An event can be beautifully designed and the venue made to look just as grand, irrespective of the number of people attending. In fact, one can pay a lot more attention to detail and make each guest feel truly special when the numbers are limited,” says Meher
Aria, event and entrepreneur, Star Ventures. She points out that months of meticulous and detailed planning are no longer needed. “We have to come up with ideas and then coordinate and execute them at short notice,” she says. stylist
BEING CREATIVE
While some wedding venues may be forced out of business, Bunty Bajaj says creativity will keep others alive. The settings for weddings are now backyards, or tents and pavilions. “Couples should go for outdoor weddings — it could be a farmhouse or a garden. If you have a pool you can cover it with an acrylic sheet and do something beautiful with water flowing under the mandap. If you have a big tree, you can make it an interesting background.” she suggests, adding that a home can also be converted into a wedding venue to avoid the risk of contact with external staff.
BUDGETS WOES
The price point at the moment is quite an issue, believes Meher. “When a client approaches us with a curtailed budget but still wants the design and decor to be grand, it does become challenging. In a scenario like this, creativity, aesthetics and the less-is-more approach works well,” she says.
October to February used to be the best months for weddings, but now 70% of the marriages have been postponed. People are out of work and many artistes and vendors are in huge trouble
— Nitin Arora,
We have to make the weddings interesting on a smaller scale. One option is to invite different people for different wedding-related occasions. So, if you have three events, you can cover 150-200 people
— Bunty Bajaj, ofKrasalaJewelleryandeventdécorcompany,DewDropDesignStudio