Hundreds of relatives and friends, blasting the latest music, siblings & friends partying around, ladies gossiping about the fashion, men discussing their married life, bachelors boozing in the corner, girls clicking pics to spam their social media feeds, bride and groom rushing to change attires between the functions and rituals! This is what a big fat Indian wedding looks like. But thanks to covid, for changing the whole picture. Now the bride & groom busily pick a matching mask, families ensure vaccination, and relatives attend the wedding over Zoom calls. From luxurious destination weddings to intimate weddings in the comfort of home, the transition was real quick.
No matter how many transitions the deadly virus outburst has brought, we are now accustomed to them and heading to the new normalcy. Being one of the leading wedding planners in Vadodara, we have seen millennial couples being unstoppable in tying the knot. While they are ready to go out of the way, here are the things we as wedding management service providers advise. From safety measures to theme selection, we have tried to cover all your concerns in this post.
Safety Measures
Wedding planners are now extending their support in ensuring the sanitization of the venue during every celebration. Many venues still have a temperature reading mandatory. The event space is advisable to be maintained at 24°C (+/-1°C), with accessible alcohol-based sanitizer dispensers at spots near the entrance, nearby restroom, and ahead of buffet & bar counters. The event planners keep a hygiene kit consisting of sanitizers, masks, tissue papers, etc. handy in the venue to cater to any emergency.
Guest Experience
Even though the wedding is an affair of two hearts, the presence of family members & friends is uncompromisable. With the outbreak of the pandemic and travel restrictions, there was an evident rise in wedding streaming for the ones afar. The couples & families should bring a change in the communication method and start informing the attendees well beforehand. In the new normal, there is supposedly more paperwork related to health & safety precautions. To avoid end-minute chaos, attendees are opting for virtual gifting methods too. The couples are now planning high customized alternatives for the entertainment they can enjoy while abiding by the safety protocol. Vendors are now coming up with technologies like silent disco, which allows the guests to enjoy themselves at a safe distance.
Changing the usual
Foods in Indian weddings are always the top of the mind concern. Post covid, many event managers and venues are opting for plated meals rather than buffets. With fewer people to cater to, fewer tables and digital menus are getting greater emphasis. Healthier menu variants with a greater level of immunity are warmly welcomed.
Open Events
Families are now shifting more towards having an intimate wedding in the open rather than confiding the guests in a closed space. Wedding ceremonies are now planned in gardens, lawns, and farmhouses, keeping it a simple family affair. With social distancing protocols in place, free-spaced seating has increased. This has given scope to more creative seating arrangements like circular seating, diwan seating, etc. There can be an ease to bond due to the closeness and give a homelike vibe to the ceremony.
Here are a few Don’ts of a Post-Covid Wedding:
Don’t ignore the pandemic:
Never forget to talk about the elephant in the room. Even though the intensity of this deadly disease is fading slowly, it is still out in the air. A rightly chosen reference to the pandemic will act as a relief to the guests.
Don’t pressure the guest:
Some guests might not be comfortable attending a huge gathering. It’s best to chat with them rather than forcing them. It should be fair to accept their decisions and come up with a way to keep them included through live streaming.
Don’t try to include all:
It’s okay if you have to leave behind a few traditions. Certain Indian rituals are crowd demanding and compromise on social distancing. It’s completely fine to ditch them. In an intimate wedding, guests don’t tend to notice missing elements. If you don’t want to miss out on any ritual, try to find an alternative for them.
Don’t keep it to yourselves:
Usually, the couple and the families are advised to keep the wedding details to themselves to avoid unwanted opinions & confusion. But in the case of a post-Covid wedding, it would be better to share the wedding information well in advance. The guest should be well informed about the wedding timeline and related portions so that they can plan accordingly.
Don’t stick to indoors:
Guests will be more comfortable with outdoor socializing and thus catering to great outdoor plans will keep them safely engaged. Make the seating comfortable and think about innovative ways to keep the guests busy. Organizing lawn games, hosting speeches, live music, magic shows, etc are becoming a part of Indian weddings now.
Don’t forget photography:
In such a time, guests might not be comfortable ganging up too close for photographs. Consider having a word with the photographer who will manage to get photos without huddling up the people.
After no business during two years of the pandemic, vendors and event planners are energetically celebrating the boom as much as the brides and groom are. On the other hand, supply chain restrictions, inflation, accommodation limitation, quarantine weight gain, lack of leaves, etc are creating extra stress for couples & wedding planners. The stress is constant and the prices are subjected to hike up even after the final contact. The supply chain restrictions made it hard to get the required wedding staple delivered on time. Apart from all these, the pandemic has shaken out many names off the guest list and thus putting the brides and groom in awkward conversations.
Planning your post-covid wedding? Get your questions answered by the best wedding planner in Vadodara. Contact us today.
