2 Couples Talk About the Challenges of Planning Lockdown Weddings

Image Courtesy: Ibtida

As the world carves its way around the COVID-19 situation that has unfurled substantial uncertainty in every sphere of life, the wedding industry has hopped on the bandwagon of the "new normal." The digital revolution in the sphere of weddings was also an impeccable one with more and more couples resorting to Zoom calls and other platforms. Not only were these video spaces meant for guests, but some couples have also themselves exchanged their vows and taken their pheras over a video call or live streaming. 

While the big fat Indian wedding plans took a backseat, more and more couples decided to tie the knot in an intimate ceremony. Bringing a halt to the destination weddings, this year saw newer venues become the trend - lawns, living rooms, temples and so on. There was not only a shift in the overall trend of weddings in 2020 because of the lockdown, but the demand graph of the consumers have also shifted drastically. 

Keeping up with these radical changes that the pandemic and the lockdown have brought into the wedding industry and the to-be-wed couples along with their families, these two real couples have some valuable insights and a general perspective on the emotional experience of planning and executing a lockdown wedding. Read to know more.

How has COVID 19 affected the wedding plans?

Image Courtesy: Bhumika & Kussh

Kanchi Khurana and Lavish Arora from Delhi share their lockdown wedding planning journey with WeddingWire India. The couple shares, "Our wedding was originally planned on the 2nd of May, this year. But with the sudden wave of COVID-19 in our country and the lockdown declared by the government, we couldn't do all that was originally planned for the wedding. All the bookings were done and we even had 2-3 functions lined up with 500-600 guests but everything was put on a hold."

Kanchi adds, "The lockdown had eased a little and since there were a few saya dates in the month of May, we planned a wedding on 24th of May. We just had 1 week to plan this wedding."

She also says, "We picked the date of the wedding. We all took just 1 week to plan the entire wedding. Starting from the venue where we wanted to host the wedding to the events and decor - we planned it all in a week's time. All the decoration was done by us. We had not hired any professional. For the mehndi ceremony, we showed a few pictures to a vendor on board, and he helped us with the decor. It wasn't all dreamy, but it was on similar lines!"

Their Choice of Outfits

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Wedding attire is one of the most important on the list for the brides as well as the grooms. To figure out the dream wedding outfit and pick the right ones is never easy. While some of these couples had the chance to pick an outfit from their vendor, some of them did not receive their dream wedding dresses on time due to the lockdown and some others wore it out of their family's wardrobes. Weddings in the Time of Corona have seen an impeccable trend of couples wearing heirloom attires and jewellery. Be it the sister-in-law's blouse or the mother in law's jewellery or even their mom's dupatta - they made their wedding outfit look nothing short of gorgeous. 

The grooms were not too far behind. Keeping up with the innovative ideas of their brides, some of the grooms have looked handsome as ever by upcycling their festive wardrobes for the wedding look. 

Kanchi says, "The jewellery was bought right before the lockdown. In fact, I had ordered my wedding outfit right before the lockdown too, but I could not get it on time because of the restrictions. So the same designer sent in the sample lehenga instead that was readymade and I had to get it altered somehow. It wasn't the ideal plan, but I was really happy with the outcome!"

Bhumika Ahluwalia Mukhi and Kussh Mukhi from Mumbai planned their wedding ceremony in the Gurudwara. Bhumika Ahluwalia Mukhi says, "I am a designer myself and I was designing my dream wedding lehenga. It was still getting stitched and embroidered. So I called up my designer friend, Sonam Luthria, and she was kind enough to show me 2 options and helped me out. I chose one of them for my wedding look. My Chura and Kalira were all done in a week. In fact, I ended up doing my own makeup and my mother and sister helped me with my makeup." 

The Guest List & Celebrations

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Kussh Mukhi says, "It was just the 14 of us at our wedding that was held in the Gurudwara. I am a doctor myself (Orthopaedic surgeon) and I knew the precautions well. I am a Punjabi and I always wanted to get married in a Gurudwara. We somehow managed that! I took permission from the Gurudwara to take my cell phone and laptop to share the Zoom ID with 100-150 people (our friends and family). My brother-in-law is a photographer and he captured our wedding beautifully!"

Kussh further adds, "Friends and extended family members from both sides are mostly interested in the party, the get-together, the bhangra and the dhinchak. But for my wedding that was happening in a Gurudwara, the 10 - 15 of our closest people were present and felt just perfect to celebrate the day. In a big wedding scenario, people have to worry about things like if the food is being served right or if people are comfortable or not and so on. But here, I had very less to worry about and I had such a blissful and holistic time with the people around me. To put in simple words, it was a quality time spent right for us! But we are surely looking forward to the party and dhinchak once all of this is over"

The enthusiasm with which the millennial couples have decided to get hitched in the times of the lockdown and the positive attitude that they have brought about during these hours of uncertainty is a story of hope for many. The experts are indeed working really hard towards navigating the future of weddings and navigating the post-COVID19 wedding space with diligence. 

There are many couples out there waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel to decide upon their fate of the wedding. As you flip through the dates on the wedding calendar of 2020 and the calendar of 2021 to decide whether or not to host a wedding later in 2020 or maybe next year, there are newlywed couples out there who can show you how to embrace the new normal in full fervour. 

These two real couples, Kanchi & Lavish and Bhumika & Kussh, are happy with the way their lockdown wedding turned out. It might have ruined their plans of the big fat Indian wedding and a regal bridal entry or a funky Vidaai ceremony, but it was perfect in its own way. They seemed to be more than delighted to have celebrated their love in a unique way and they cherish the stories dearly!

While most of the businesses in the wedding industry were not functional during the initial months of the lockdown, they have however started to open up now and provide their expert services. The wedding photographers and wedding videographers have moulded their packages and tailor-made them to your convenience keeping in mind that most weddings will be intimate now with less than 50 people or so. Many other vendors are available for you to seek professional advice and assistance and plan a flawless wedding even as the world starts to slowly recover from the pandemic.

If you have any queries regarding hosting an intimate wedding, you can get in touch with the experts at WeddingWire, India through an email or call us! You could also choose to drop your queries in the comments below!