Outdoor weddings, fewer guests, leaving the date off the invites (for last-minute changes in Covid restrictions) and splurging on weddings at resorts that are closer to home are just some of the ways couples tied the knot through most of 2020 and the first half of 2021. (Photo courtesy WeddingDuo)
India’s wedding market is roughly $50 billion a year, a figure that is attributed to a KPMG report from 2016.
But the pandemic has changed the way couples say ‘I do’. The Big Fat Indian wedding has been - out of necessity - edged out by intimate, smaller ceremonies.
With government wedding guidelines still in force, the new wedding ‘normal’ is small gatherings, sustainable decor, sit-down dinners, subtle make-up, pastel trousseau and live-streaming the event.
As the country continues to grapple with Covid-19, industry experts talk of wedding trends and the new ‘normal’.
Guest lists and invitations
Once upon a time (read: pre-pandemic), the guest list included hundreds - family, friends, acquaintances, neighbours. Now, not only have the hundreds dwindled to dozens, there are multiple guest lists - long, short, mini, tiniest; the names included or struck off depending on how many guests are officially permitted.
Dates are no longer mentioned on the invitations - no one can predict when/how the wedding will be postponed. Monogramming is in.
Boxed invitation cards have been replaced with gift hampers, typically gourmet foods or specialty Indian sweets.
- Vishal Chand Mehra, Co-founder, Wedding Duo (Insta :@weddingduoindia)
Venues
In mid-2020, families with big wedding budgets and frequent international travellers were confident that weddings at international locations would be back by early 2021, especially in locations like Dubai. Since that is not happening, people are choosing five-star hotels in their hometown, or farmhouses and luxury resorts on the outskirts of the city.
Families with a medium wedding budget are planning weddings on a practical or simple a scale - intimate gatherings.
Outdoor spaces remain a priority. Backyard weddings are catching up.
Goa, Rajasthan, Mahabalipuram, Mussoorie will continue to be popular domestic destinations. All the top luxury hotels and resorts in these locations are already booked for the 2021 winter weddings.
Staycation weddings
The pandemic has brought about a slump when it comes to travel which, in turn, has reduced the number of destination weddings. However, domestic destinations have swiftly stepped up to the challenge as wedding hosts have turned to five-star hotels in the metros to give their guests a mix of hometown and destination wedding with a fun-filled ‘Staycation Wedding’.
Couples are opting for smaller, more localised trips right after the wedding and saving their actual honeymoon for a later date when travelling far or abroad is more comfortable.
- Parthip Thyagarajan, Co-founder & CEO,WeddingSutra (Insta :@weddingsutra)
Staycation weddings, with all the guests booked into a resort in the host's hometown, replaced foreign destination weddings for some couples. (Photo courtesy Knotting Bells).
Make-up
The virus changed the bride’s look. Because of night curfew, evening/night weddings have moved to a morning slot and with change in timing, make-up has become more subtle. Nudes are in, hairdos are less elaborate and there are no early bookings.
“Now, bookings are made a day or two in advance and the usual Rs 30,000 make-up has not dwindled to a Rs 5,000-6,000 make-up,” says Ruhani Puri (Ruhani Puri Artistry). Amritsar-based Ruhani says pre-pandemic, the city often milled with non-resident Indian (NRI) brides in the wedding season and her bridal make-up packages were typically booked nine to ten months in advance.
Eyes are more highlighted now - kohl-lined with a pop of shimmer. With masks becoming mandatory, transfer-proof lipsticks are the new favourites. For intimate day weddings, flower accents are becoming popular.
There is no OTT make-up, but enough to make pretty Instagram pictures.
Food
Since the guest list is small, buffets are no longer the norm. People are opting for sit-down dinners. With the imposition of night curfew, many couples are considering brunch or lunch weddings.
Food is now being served as tray service that features individually-packaged dishes. The quantity of food required has reduced but the variety of food served has increased. The cost per-plate has increased due to fewer guests. Easy to serve food is in demand as compared to food which needs the server to be around (e.g. paani puri). Canned or sealed cocktails are in vogue. Instead of servings of wedding cake, bride/groom are opting for mini cakes crafted just for the guests.
Other preferences include serving menu items that are designed to be kept at room temperature, and appetizer options served on skewers with minimal touch.
- Sri Venkateshwara Caterers, Hyderabad
Decor
Mandap decorations and planning a spaced-out seating arrangement has become vital to a COVID-19 wedding — floor seatings, creating ‘seating bubbles’ and small tent seating setups across the venue are essential part of the decor.
Sustainable decor items like cane baskets, cane lanterns, plants and flowers, and earthen pots are preferred.
From seating bubbles to booking chartered flights, hosts who could afford it spent more on ensuring their guests' safety.
Smaller guest lists also mean more personalised touches. People are now spending more on wedding invite hampers as they have a smaller guest list and can create hampers their loved ones will remember.
Those who can afford it are hiring chartered flights to fly their guests and family members in/out, ensuring complete safety. Since the costs of the venue, décor and accommodation has reduced considerably, couples are not shying away from ensuring maximum safety for their loved ones.
- Neha Seth Arora, C0-founder and CEO of VV Weddings (Insta: VV Weddings)
Entertainment
The usual stage performances with DJs and elaborate set-up has made way for more interactive participation of the guests. Beyond evening sangeet, the focus is on outdoor/indoor games.
Photography
Digital screening of weddings is the need of the hour - from background screen to music and visual effects, everything is important while streaming the wedding live. A few couples are opting for personal YouTube channel to showcase some fun moments before, during and after the wedding.
Instead of photo albums, some couples are now opting for wedding short-films.- Amar Singh, Founder, Jay Photo Vision (Insta: @amarclicksphotography)
Plan B
Taking into account an unpredictable Covid situation, couples are ready with a Plan B. Local rules and regulations might interfere with the fixed plans, hence a Plan B is on everyone’s to-do list.
Paused for better times
For a few, intimate gatherings or less-glam weddings are a big no-no. Couples that love big fat weddings have paused their D-day dreams for a time when the world returns to pre-pandemic normalcy. Some are even embracing minimony: marry now, celebrate later.
Some couples embraced minimony: marry now, celebrate later.
Good to know
Currently, there is no one pan-India wedding guideline issued by the Central government. Each state has its own rules regarding number of guests as well as mandatory health and safety essentials.