Post Covid Weddings Decoded with leading Indian Wedding Planners!

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So your dreams of getting married this year were crushed? Well, join the club ‘cos you’re definitely not alone! But… we’re here to answer the topmost questions on your mind – what about post COVID Weddings?

Planning post covid weddings or the new normal in weddings isn’t an easy job! We got speaking to some of India’s top wedding planners, and here’s everything you need to know…

Covid Weddings
The Covid Couple

Picture Courtesy – Cinelove Productions

If you’re planning a wedding anytime soon (assuming it’s allowed by the government on your chosen dates/location), here’s what you need to read, save and follow!

post Covid Weddings
Wedding Scenes

Picture Courtesy – Hitched & Clicked

1. Do’s and Don’t’s of Post Covid Weddings – Wedding Guests, Venues and Functions

Shorter Guest Lists –

Intimate and home weddings are the only way forward as of now. Cut your guest lists to bare minimum and include only close family and best friends (read 30-50 guests). The best part is that our generation was already rooting for intimate weddings, weren’t we! 

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The Mask Tribe

Picture Courtesy – Snapped Studio

So now you can enjoy your wedding with the ones you actually care for. No more annoying ‘chachi ki maami ki beti’ gorging down your desert counter!  

But this also means you cannot invite international guests or plan a heavenly destination wedding anytime soon 🙁

Tips to Cut lists smartly – 

Tough time cutting short? Shyamalee Thevar suggests removing the elderly and children from your guest list first as per government guidelines.

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Little Riding Hoods

Picture Courtesy – AS Photography Studio

If you wish to invite both friends and family, split your guests by functions suggests Vivaha Wedding Solutions. So call friends for cocktail party and family for the wedding. Simple and sensible! 

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The Bride Squad

Picture Courtesy – Ghazala Shaikh Photography

Lesser Number of Wedding Events 

You must cut down on the number of events and ask guests to join only for the main events at your wedding. For everything else, there’s video streaming!

covid weddings
The Special Ones

Picture Courtesy – Fotowalle The Story Folks

No more week long celebrations for post covid weddings please! Think of a day-long (or two max) marathon instead! No more “extra” functions either – stick to the basics like simpler times of our great grandparents. And stop complaining sweetie, if you really want to be together – that’s all that matters at the end of the day, doesn’t it?

Go Local 

It’s not a great time to travel and ask your guests to travel either. So plan a home wedding or explore wedding venues which are within driving distance. Avoid the risk of cumbersome travel completely. 

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Out In The Garden

Picture Courtesy – Shaadi Squad

Avoid importing or sourcing niche products for your wedding. Stick to local raw materials and products to stay safe this wedding season – suggests Designer Events.

Property Bookings 

Choose venues with larger open spaces to accommodate the norms of Social Distancing. Panodrama Events suggests going with simple solutions like open-air outdoor weddings that allow your guests to maintain the desired physical distance. It also reduces the risk of breathing recirculated ac air. 

covid weddings
The Blue Resort

Picture Courtesy – F5 Weddings

If you’re going with an intimate destination wedding at a nearby resort, then make sure to choose a boutique resort and book the complete property says Tina Tharwani of Shaadi Squad. This can help minimize contact with non-wedding guests and meet your sanitization requirements.

2. What you MUST DO differently – FOLLOW THESE Guidelines!

Enable Social Distancing

Can you really stop people from eating together, dancing together or hugging each other at a wedding?!! But, it is important that social distancing rules are followed at post covid weddings. Bigger venues, larger and open spaces are recommended by all wedding planners. 

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Keep The Distance

Picture Courtesy – Paran Singh Photography

For home weddings, manage each event’s guest list according to the space available says Tina Tharwani of Shaadi Squad.

covid weddings
A Wide Open Space

Picture Courtesy – Photographick

Better planned seating arrangements, bigger tables to maintain space between guests, limited seating and extended spaces to stand and dance can be helpful aids.

Thermal Screening at Entry Point

Thermal screening of all vendors and guests at the entry points is mandatory. If anyone’s running a temperature, they must not be allowed entry at any cost.

covid weddings
Keeping It Checked

Picture Courtesy – Snapped Studio

Set up Sanitization Desks

It’s a must to set up multiple ‘Sanitization Desks’ at the venue offering face masks, sanitizers, disposable gloves and garbage bags to ensure safety and hygiene during the celebrations. 

covid weddings
For All The Safety

Picture Courtesy – La Escondida

Minimize Contact Points

Panodrama Events suggests opting for smarter ideas like digital or e-invites, adding live cooking stations in your menu to keep hygiene and safety levels intact. Disposable, biodegradable cutlery and pre plated meals are other good options to reduce repeat contact.

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Digital Perks

picture courtesy – Kaagaz & Co.

Travel Safe 

Wherever travel is required, make sure your travel partners and guests abide by the government permitted rules. Allow only the permissible number of guests in a vehicle, sanitizate the commute and maintain proper hygiene throughout.

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The Little Red Bus

Picture Courtesy – The Little Red Bus

DIY Décor

DIY is definitely the way to go for your wedding food and décor. It reduces risk drastically, is also cost effective, more personal and there is lesser risk with lesser labor involvement says Mallika Agarwal of Panodrama Events.

covid weddings
DIY Galore

Picture Courtesy – Purple Tree Events

Personalization

With lesser guests, you can have a more meaningful and intimate wedding. This means your guests can enjoy a much more personal experience with customized gifts and favours that are memorable and tailor-made for them.

covid weddings
It Is All In The Details

Picture Courtesy – Oak Knoll Creations

3. Food Safety and Precautions 

‘No Buffets’

Panodrama Events suggests replacing buffets with pre-plated meals and sit-down dinners. Spread out your live food counters and ensure that food servers have got complete safety gear on. 

covid weddings
The Golden Seating

Picture Courtesy – Panodrama Events

Themed Food Stalls

Having an intimate wedding means you can have fun with the décor and make it more about you and your persona! Since it’s a close gathering, you can opt for chic themed food stalls like a flea bazaar vibe or a “how we met” story theme instead of regular tables.

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Lets be F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Picture Courtesy – The Picture Patch

Vendor Precautions

“Hotels must sanitize the entire property and all other touch points,” points out Tina Tharwani, including smaller seemingly insignificant articles such as keys, desks, door handles, hotel umbrellas etc. 

covid weddings
Safety First

Picture Courtesy – Ayesha Makeup Studio

Ensure that all vendors including house-keeping staff, caterers, decorators, planners, photographers, makeup artists etc, maintain utmost sanitization and hygiene. Full body protective gears are a must. 

covid weddings
Precaution Measures

Picture Courtesy – Weddings by Lilac

TIP – A supervision team to strictly and constantly check every nook and corner – Shyamalee Thevar

For more IDEAS, TIPS and INSIGHTS to plan your POST COVID WEDDING in a SAFE way – DOWNLOAD the Latest “Covid Weddings” Issue of our Wedding Magazine! post Covid Weddings

4. DEETS for making a Post Covid Wedding Fun!

Technology Enables

Technology brings you closer! Why not use it to celebrate with all the other guests who cant make it physically to your wedding. Live stream your ceremonies, have them all dressed up and dance virtually on your sangeet or share a same day edit video with them. 

covid weddings
The Face Times

Picture Courtesy – Gautam Khullar Photography

Another idea by Panodrama Events takes it up a notch – get the exact same food safely delivered to your far-away guests simultaneously!

Game on

If the lockdown has brought back anything, its the return of gaming in our lives! So put on your thinking caps for unique entertainment ideas. Tina Tharwani suggests social distancing games such as “Guess who’s behind the mask” to lighten the mood, break the ice and reduce the botheration we feel due to our masks. 

covid weddings
Build Your Bae

Picture Courtesy – Vivaha Wedding Solutions

Vivaha Wedding Solutions has come up with an innovative game called – “Build your Bae” – a puzzle of your partner. Whoever makes it first wins, everyone maintains social distance and it is also super fun for the guests to watch!

Virtual PhotoShoots

Online photoshoots and videoshoots via face-time and other apps are trending hot says Purple Tree Events. Make your wedding more unique with more such ideas to capture your memories forever!

covid weddings
Click Click Click

Picture Courtesy – Weddings By Lilac

Raise the Entertainment Bar

With smaller number of guests at post covid weddings, Emcees can engage better and perform a more tailored content. 

covid weddings
Its The Time To Disco

Picture Courtesy – The House On The Clouds

Dancing on the spot (instead of a dance floor!) is another suggestion by Vivaha Wedding Solutions. Cuz covid or not, everybody knows, our weddings and dancing are inseparable! 

Details and Customizations

Tina Tharwani suggests taking care of minutest decor and food details to delight guests. With a reduced gust list, more personalized gifts and favors can be easier to execute. 

covid weddings
Customized and Cute

Picture Courtesy – Bridal Luxury Hub

Customized cutlery, personal notes for guests, etching your wedding logo or hashtag on the masks or sanitizers can make them less mundane. Fine-tune their experience, agrees Panodrama Events. Going with a home wedding? Customized slippers are just another idea to keep it fun yet clean!

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The Covid Bride

Picture Courtesy – Tanya Kaur Makeup Artist

5. Go Green with Post Covid Weddings!

Think Sustainable

In this era of more eco-friendly affairs, it is advisable that you think about hosting a sustainable wedding with everything from décor to gifts being green and bio degradable. 

covid weddings
Let Love Grow

Picture Courtesy – Flourish Bomboniere & Flavours

Choosing greener, cleaner options over traditional ones (think potted plants as wedding favours!) can gradually reduce the adverse effect that each big fat Indian wedding leaves on the environment.

6. All about NRI Post Covid Weddings 

Venue

With an increase in travel risks and restrictions, it is advisable to stay put and put off your India wedding dreams. Quite rightly, Kaveri Vij of Designer Events points out that given the risks involved in foreign and air travel, we’re likely to see a decline in NRIs choosing India as a wedding destination.

covid weddings
I Do!

Picture Courtesy – Charming Affairs Decor

Wedding Shopping

If you’ve always wanted to shop for your wedding from India, it is best you do it online. Your wedding trousseau needs time to be selected, tailor-made/customized and shipped, so get started now. Plan ahead with the assumption that your chances of coming down to India for a whirlwind shopping trip are null.

covid weddings
Love Conquers All

Picture Courtesy – The Pinckards

Vendor Selections

If you want an Indian style wedding abroad, start researching for local vendors known for their work at Indian weddings. You can always plan another reception in India a few months later when things get normal.

covid weddings
Desi Wedding

Picture Courtesy – Dipak Studios

Overall, a lot of people are also considering options like “Marry Now, Wedding Later ” (kind of a MINI-mony) or a “Shift Wedding” – that lets you go with the core intimate wedding now, and celebrate at a grander scale later. 

covid weddings
All About The Rituals

Picture Courtesy – Emotiongraphers

While these ideas and suggestions are all that you need to get started with planning your intimate post-covid wedding, our suggestion is to keep thinking out of the box and work out smart solutions towards what you really want your wedding to be.

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One thought on “Post Covid Weddings Decoded with leading Indian Wedding Planners!

  1. Daniel says:

    These are splendid ideas. I am often consulted by my clients for ideas to implement a covid safe wedding with small gatherings. One challenge is to maintain the gaiety and fun of a wedding and conduct all the weddings. I loved all the ideas presented here and am sure it will impress clients.

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