The Big Fat Indian Wedding now moves to be an Intimate Ceremony: Anoop Singh, Founder, Aakar Wedding & Events

EE News Desk Aug 27, 2020

‘Big Fat Indian Weddings’ is among the most important events in the lives of many people. The start of 2020 got us introduced to the newly discovered coronavirus, COVID- 19 pandemic. With the rise in the cases of COVID-19 affected people, the nation had to go under a complete lockdown. The pandemic has taken a toll on almost every sector and industry of the nation, wedding industry being one among them.

Marriages across India were put on a hold due to the spread of this deadly disease. The global pandemic and the social-distancing policies that have been put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19 have effectively ruled out large gatherings. With the new norms, weddings have been intensely downsized, postponed, and cancelled. Not even in our wildest dreams did we imagine that we would adapt to so many changes and additions that will affect the ongoing business of the industry. Because of these cancellations, all the associated sections to a wedding such as caterers, designers, make-up artists, wedding vendors and planners have been affected to the core. The crisis has been financially disturbing people all over the country.

As days passed, we have been observing that some areas have eased rules on public gatherings which has led couples opting for intimate weddings. Weddings as we know, is among the grand, not less than a festive event, with extended family and friends in attendance. However, low-key ceremonies seem to be now appealing as they can be adapted under any restrictions. Strict disease-prevention measures will likely still be in place in a number of states making it difficult for the vendors and venues to commit to bigger weddings. In the unlocking procedure the industry has slowly picked up its pace. However, even functioning under the restrictions, the minds behind wedding industry have been very creative and dynamic in their approach.

Weddings have become a more personal affair and being a wedding planner, one will have to strive to invent personalised decorative ideas to make the 'Big Day’ a memorable one. With the government regulations in place, people are opting for open-air or outdoor spaces while making the venue selection, to have plenty of space that will help to maintain physical distancing as compared to an indoor venue. Many couples are organizing their weddings at their farmhouses, in their backyards, among other areas. Since very limited venues are approachable during these challenging times, it pushes every wedding planner to be more advanced in offering a personalized feel to the ceremony.

The emphasis on top-notch hygiene values as well as ensure contactless services is the need of the hour. While preparing for the ceremony, safety measures and precautions are the utmost priorities that has to be taken into consideration. A wedding planner needs to follow all the necessary precautions and guidelines issued by the Government while making the arrangements for an on-ground ceremony. The materials and props used needs to be thoroughly sanitized. One has to make sure that the use of face masks, sanitizers and social distancing are followed religiously.

With the new wedding style in trend, it is advisable that the planner opts for a well-thought-out seating arrangement with bigger tables to maintain social distancing. To organise Mehendi function, the use of pop colours is in trend. People are opting for quirky, whimsical and candy colours like fluorescent pinks and greens along with silver and golden texture with an oversized prop. The use of mirror and gota on the walls add to the glamour and femininity of the look. To add on, one can also make use of the eco-friendly elements to beautify the spaces for weddings.

There are no questions that Indian weddings will return in full swing in the coming years. These are testing times for all of us but the only option remains with us is to keep our best foot forward in fulfilling the client’s expectations.