43rd anniversary special: Shaadi 2.0: Indian wedding industry's new avatar

The pandemic couldnrsquot stop people from getting married aside from postponing Dday When large gatherings were restricted celebrations were scaled down When COVID19 waves hit and even families couldnrsquot come together receptions were cancelled or they went digital and were livestreamed for guests But have virtual or intimate functions become the new normal even as we go back to regular programming Turns out couples have navigated celebrating their big day during the pandemic with cool innovations and ideasRochelle Tixeira Manali Bhoir and Siddharth SoodWarm and cosy Mumbai wedding planner Manali Bhoir caters to emotional family events and believes that the lockdown planted the idea that smaller weddings were still great options Echoing the sentiment are Aditi Thakore and Tanmay Asher who got married in February 2021 For them a small intimate party meant partaking in special moments with guests instead of a larger tiring reception with checklists and endless greetings Photographer Sagar Thackar of 35mmCandids share ldquoPhotographers witness and capture many emotional moments During the pandemic with intimate ceremonies this bond grew stronger and is reflected in the photographs and videosrdquo So how do these smaller celebrations look Bhoir recalls setting up a wedding mandap in the living room with 20 guests having curated food boxes and a minimalist approach to decorations with natural floral themesDecoration for a home wedding celebration Pic courtesyManali BhoirMoney donrsquot jigglejiggle Bhoir also cites practical celebrations and saving money as important factors along with the challenges of getting married amidst COVID19 restrictions Riddhi Shah and Gaurav Bansal exchanged vows in November 2021 and tell us that theyrsquod choose an intimate wedding even if the restrictions werenrsquot in place ldquoWhy waste money on people I donrsquot even knowrdquo Shah reasons The couple DIYed the decorations and pulled off a wedding with five days of planning with internal teamwork and support making the memories even more special Shanta and Vineet Kamath offer their advice after saying ldquoI dordquo amidst rising COVID19 cases ldquoThe real spending comes after the wedding so save And always have backup plans for pandemicrelated stressesrdquoDelnaz Billimoria preps for a weddingBreaking stereotypes Namrata Rupanwar tied the knot in March 2022 She tells us that independently handling the responsibilities of the wedding felt liberating And the new example of intimate functions helped with planning The traditional saath pheras were skipped and instead Rupanwar recalls ldquoWe had a small puja at home followed by a DJ nightrdquoA guest at Aditi Thakorersquos wedding on a video call with an invitee who couldnrsquot attend the celebration due to the pandemicBig is back too With a lax in COVID19 rules especially in the city two wedding planners note the comeback of lavish weddings Delnaz Billimoria of Centaur Events Designers and Planners says intimate celebrations are fading away this year Without a limit on the number of people gathered even smaller weddings consist of at least 100 guests because the pandemic is no longer an excuse to not invite people The only change thatrsquos carried forward is digital wedding invitationsSiddharth Sood wedding rapper MC Sid and founder of wedwikicom tells us that couples are out for revenge after having to postpone dates and change plans due to COVID19 Destination weddings are on the rise considering the availability of venues and services at great costs within a fivehour drive from Mumbai or further ldquoPeople want to go all out and celebrate after being restricted for so long And hospitality matters to Indiansrdquo he says Adding truth to the matter bride Rochelle Tixeira reveals a guest list of over 1000 people for her December 2022 wedding The ceremonies and reception will encapsulate her culturersquos traditions and will be a celebration after the hardships of the pandemic