This Couple Hosted an Intimate Temple Wedding in Delhi

While the world is still trying to find its way, meandering around the ideas of a "new normal" after the pandemic has left the thick air of uncertainty around us, weddings have found a new horizon. #WeddingsInTheTimeOfCorona have narrated inspirational stories for many couples. These amazing weddings have become the much needed silver lining for many couples who had their weddings planned in 2020. 

To beat the uncertainty of the hour, many couples have decided to tie the knot in a small wedding with less than 50 people. Many other couples have also chosen to wait for the times to get better after the pandemic to get hitched. Here is another beautiful couple, Vidushi and Manik, who hosted their #WeddingInTheTimeOfCorona in Delhi and we loved it.

Their lockdown wedding story is one to cherish forever and if you are  looking for inspiration amidst these difficult times, read on to know their story in details.

Vidushi Meets Manik

Vidushi and Manik met in 2019 in a formally arranged marriage meeting setup. On the very same day on November 27th, 2019 they celebrated their Roka ceremony in full swing.

Manik says, "Eventually, we met around 4 to 5 times and then the lockdown happened and I couldn't meet her anymore." This long-distance relationship between Delhi and Ludhiana of Manik and Vidushi was supposed to be celebrated with a big fat Indian wedding on the 16th of April, 2020 in Delhi. 

The Turn of Events

"Our pre-wedding shoot was supposed to be held on the 22nd of March 2020, the same date of the Janta Curfew. Soon after the Prime Minister announced a countrywide lockdown for 21 days and we ended up postponing the wedding ceremony later to October or November this year. However, by mid-May, we were sure and decided to host an intimate wedding ceremony in June", says Manik.

He further tells us, "We had initially booked a venue for our intimate wedding but our families were not comfortable with a cook and the venue to celebrate the wedding. We cancelled this venue booking and in the first week  of June, we decided that we will tie the knot in a temple."

Their wedding was then celebrated on the 16th of June in the beautiful Vallab Samarak Jain Temple in Delhi.

Also read: Consider These Places to Host an Intimate 50 People Wedding

The Planning & Guests

They had initially decided to host the ceremony in a marriage garden, Valentine Motel & Resort, in Delhi.  However, due to the unfortunate circumstances, the venue had to be changed.

Manik says, "So we narrowed it down to another venue for our lockdown wedding ceremony. But the families were not willing to go ahead with this setup and eat food from outside given the abnormal rise of the pandemic in the national capital. Then finally by 7th June, we decided to get married in the temple that allowed only 20 people. Since our plan was to host a wedding with 25 people, we requested the temple authorities to allow 5-6 more guests to make it 25 people. Once we got the green flag, we went ahead with the wedding."

"The temple had its own set of staff consisting of the pandit ji and other helpers who carried out the cooking and serving activities. However, there were many regulations to follow where we were allowed to pick 6-7 different food items only for the menu and not more than that. We had to cut our dessert list short from 5 items to 2", Manik further tells WeddingWire.

There were 25 people present at the wedding including 7 people attending from the bride’s side. Vidushi and her family arrived at Delhi on the 15th June with due passes and permissions required for them to travel through the different states and were right on time for the pre-wedding ceremonies. Apart from these 25 people, Manik's cousins shared a zoom screen with approx 40-50 people who could watch the wedding online.

The entire wedding was planned by the family members’ solely.

What Vidushi & Manik Wore

Manik further tells us, "Our wedding outfits were already in place by February keeping in mind that the original wedding date was in April. However, due to the sudden lockdown, we were unable to pick it up and only got it delivered by the end of May when we had our new wedding date in mind. My sisters helped me in picking the outfits from the store by coordinating with the stores and boutiques." 

A day before the wedding when Vidushi had arrived, the couple along with their families celebrated a get together with family and close friends, especially for the ones who would not be attending their wedding in the mandir.

Image Courtesy: Vidushi & Manik

Manik's sister also added, "We celebrated the Hathpara ceremony (Haldi) in the morning with the families and that was followed by the Mehndi ceremony in the evening. We could not call the mehndi artists home owing to the lockdown and society restrictions, so we put mehndi on each other’s hands." 

She further says, "The jewellery that bhabhi was wearing is custom-made from Jaipur. Keeping the April wedding in mind, we had visited Jaipur earlier and bought all her jewellery from there itself."

Vidushi's lehenga was from Sahil Fashion Bazar, Karol Bagh and Manik's wedding outfit was from Lagan The Wedding Studio, Pitampura. For the wedding outfits, they had to coordinate over phone calls and arrange for a store pickup in the limited time available because the stores were not open on a regular basis.

Manik cracked up as he recalled the story of their gorgeous blue varmala. He says, "The blue varmala was picked by my sisters two days before the wedding. The funny story is that initially, the elders in my family did not like the colour of the Jaimala and were complaining about it too. But later when we reached the venue, the colour was just perfectly in sync with our outfits and the backdrop."

Also read: Ideas for Bridal Outfits for Temple Wedding to Ace the Bridal Look

On being asked about their thoughts on a grand reception later, the couple says that normalcy has not been on the books for quite a long time. Therefore they have not planned the reception ceremony yet, but once the situation gets better they are sure to plan a reception gala with their people.

The intimate and small temple wedding hosted by Vidushi and Manik, in Delhi, was a mesmerising one. Their day wedding was a catch! Even though there were hiccups on the way, their wedding is indeed an inspiration to many other couples who are caught in the dilemma of whether or not to host a wedding during the lockdown. 

While there are experts trying to navigate the post-COVID way of weddings, the #WeddingsInTheTimeOfCorona is a story that will be cherished forever by the couples and their loved ones. The uniqueness of each of these intimate weddings is priceless. 

Note: All images have been provided by Emotiongraphers, Delhi.

If you are planning to host a wedding, get in touch with the professional planners who can help you navigate better and seamlessly. The photographers are a must to capture the story of a lifetime for you to treasure.