Planning a wedding for 2021? Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Michelle Obama’s go-to event organisers share their tips

Forget Zoom weddings—2021 is set to see a revival of the lunchtime micro-wedding, in front of your closest friends. As experts continue to advise their high-profile clientele to postpone any large-scale parties until 2022, here’s everything you need to know about crafting a chic, sustainable and love-filled wedding post-COVID. 

The expert: Bryan Rafanelli

Based: New York and Boston

Favourite of: The Obamas, the Bidens, the Clintons, and Matt and Luciana Damon

What was your immediate response to your clients when the pandemic first struck?

“We moved really quickly. In mid-March, just as we were about to lock down, we immediately had conversations with every single client. Within three weeks we had moved everybody; anyone who was scheduled to get married in April or May were moved to September 2020. We had some clients who favoured a conservative approach back in March and chose to push back a year. In total, I’ve rescheduled 78 projects from this year to 2021.” 

What’s your advice to anyone considering a Zoom wedding?

“My question would be, ‘Can you wait, or have a micro-wedding this year followed by a larger party next year?’ This fall I’m doing several micro-weddings that we are bringing in full film packages for, so that everybody from around the world can see their family getting married.”

What’s the biggest challenge couples are facing when planning a wedding for 2021?

“Just as we contingency plan for bad weather, we’re going to cover every possibility that we won’t be out of the pandemic. I’m saying to clients, ‘We still don’t know what next year is going to look like, but we’re going to hope for the best. I’m going to try to provide you with as much trust as possible, meaning that we’re going to think of everything.’ The other conversation I often have is, ‘Do you have the strength to move your wedding twice?’ I have brides who immediately say, ‘No problem. I’m excited. I want to get married and if we have to move into 2022, we will.’ Others will consider 2022 because of not wanting to potentially move their wedding twice.”

Other than the size of the guest list and social distancing, what impact has COVID had on today’s wedding experience?

“On a practical level because of the pandemic, the immediate element that’s gone away is dancing. That can be a very big part of people’s weddings. So you have to wrap your head around that and maybe you then say, ‘I’m not going to get married at night. I’m going to get married at lunch, or I’m going to have a daytime wedding.’”

What trends are you seeing emerge for 2021 weddings?

“I think Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will become the new Saturday—not only because you won’t be able to get the location, but also because many of us are going to continue working virtually, which means you’re going to be more able to go to a wedding during the week and work flexibly on a Saturday or Sunday to make up for it.

“There’s also a return to sending guests a beautiful physical invitation, which had been in decline before the pandemic as couples turned to digital invites. Now, to get something special in the mail is really amazing.”

The expert: Tina Tharwani

Based: Mumbai

Favourite of: Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli

What was your immediate response to your clients when the pandemic first struck?

“With the exception of some intimate 20-person home weddings planned for November this year, the game plan for us has been to push everything to 2021.”

What’s your advice to anyone considering a Zoom wedding?

“There was talk about jumping on the bandwagon of virtual Zoom weddings, but in India, a wedding is so much about touch and feel, being there in that atmosphere and dancing into the wee hours. There’s a lot that happens through rituals, which you just can’t do virtually. We’ve advised our clients that if they do really need to get married, to have a small courthouse wedding to get their paperwork signed and have a celebration at home with their core family, before planning a larger celebration in 2021. That way you can be practical in the best way possible right now: you’re still able to marry on the date that you want and start a life together, including living through this pandemic together as a married couple. That in itself is such an experience.”

What’s the biggest challenge couples are facing when planning a wedding for 2021?

“A lot of our planning is scenario driven right now—we have a plan A, plan B and a plan C. It’s not enough to have one plan and a backup plan, you need a contingency because there’s so much uncertainty when it comes to government rules and changing social norms.”

Other than the size of the guest list and social distancing, what impact has COVID had on today’s wedding experience?

“In India, while there is a market to have 1,500 people at a function, our focus has always been about smaller, curated experiences with under 300 guests. In terms of what we foresee happening in 2021, the biggest changes will result from couples having more time to really put thought into what they want out of a celebration, whether it’s sustainability, being more eco-friendly or less wastage.

“It’s also not just about thinking from a positive environmental point of view, but also about a positive societal point of view. In December 2019, there was a wedding we did in Bombay where the couple wanted to engage with nonprofit organisations as part of their gifting experiences for their guests. But it went beyond the gifts; we had a shortlist of nonprofits at the wedding reception and invited someone from each to talk about what their organisation stands for. People are increasingly thinking of weddings differently and of the guest experience in a more meaningful way that resonates with what the couple stands for.”

What’s the hardest part of a wedding to make sustainable?

“The decorations for sure, which include the flowers—this is the hardest area for the reusability factor.”

The expert: Emily FitzRoy

Based: London and Italy

Favourite of: fashion CEOs; art-world power brokers

What’s your advice to anyone considering a Zoom wedding?

“Have a tiny service in London and a really good lunch with a small group of your closest friends [instead]. My advice would be don't hang around and wait another year for that moment, but leave the party for a year. When it comes to a bigger celebration, sit back, don’t rush or panic. Remember your friends will always be there.

What’s the modern appeal of a traditional small-scale wedding, similar to what our grandparents might have had?

“In 1950s London, the grandest families would hold a wedding at 11am in Mayfair on a Thursday, followed by lunch in a private members’ club (this is what I ended up doing myself, with just 10 guests and it was so wonderful). It’s a really good way to do it, because then you can have the most fantastic party a few months later, in Italy, that you can plan properly, but it takes the pressure of the actual wedding day off your shoulders. A lot of people underestimate what a massive moment that is. Committing to a lifetime is a big thing.”

Other than the size of the guest list and social distancing, what impact has COVID-19 had on today’s wedding experience?

“I’d like to think that in general people won't feel the need for their wedding to be a great big showpiece and will move to doing something more natural and considered. Our weddings have always been quite unique and original, rather than showy or over the top. I've always been impressed with my clients because of the love that they show for their friends is hugely important to them. It shouldn’t be about the Instagram moment, but about thinking about your friends and your guests.

“Zoom aside, I do think it could be a nice idea to make a really beautiful, really stylish short film, perhaps taking the classic videographer to a new level.”

Also read: 

What your wedding will look like post pandemic: 2 celebrity planners share things to keep in mind

3 Indian brides reveal how they planned their lockdown weddings

5 tips to help you nail a minimal makeup look for an at-home wedding