How to Plan an Intimate Indian Wedding Amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic

Dear would-be-weds, we know these are not great times. The pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns have had us all stuck behind the safe walls of our homes. But here’s the deal, you can either wallow up in a pity party, or you can do certain things to make your celebration as special as it can in these times. We strongly suggest you do the latter, after all, it’s your wedding, and nothing should keep you from having it as exuberant as possible. Here is a breakdown of all the things you can do to make your intimate Indian wedding as special as possible in these unprecedented times.

To say that the present situations and restrictions have brought the wedding expenses down would be an understatement. That being said, there’s no reason for you to shy away from the huge responsibility of allocating the budget. While things like food catering and decor may have come down to the ground, the nominal expenses incurred to ensure safety can amount to something significant that if you don’t pay attention to can rip a hole in your pocket. And then there’s always clothings, photography, other sundry areas that you’ll have to invest in to make all those cherishable memories. Therefore, setting up a budget and its proper allotment to various expenses is a must first step for you to be mindful of. Know in advance how much are you willing to shell out for the venue, decorations, jewelry, and clothes, etc. Other than that, you’d also like to keep at least 15 to 20 percent of your budget as a provision for contingencies.

The guest lists of Indian weddings have remained a phenomenon of itself for quite some time now. With more and more couples understanding the need for intimacy, it was still difficult to persuade the parents on either side to let go of their dreams of having the big party which they have probably been planning from the day you were born! Maybe even you wanted your wedding party to be a huge affair, but with the present restrictions, this is not to be so for some time now. At present, it is advisable to keep the number of guests as minimum as possible. As such, the easiest thing to do do is to segment the guests among three groups so that everyone who really matters, gets to be a part of your happiness. You can decide beforehand how many guests will you be able to accommodate, and thereafter, divide that number among the bride’s parents, groom’s parents, and the couple themselves.

In case that is not enough, for either of your parents, you may have to compromise from the couples list, then again it would be relatively easier for your guests to make use of tech to be a part of your celebration than it would be for your parents’ guests. Alternatively, you can divvy up the celebration in a way that allows elders to join you in religious rituals, and youngsters to be a part of cocktail and sangeet parties. Other than that, you can always opt to have the ceremony amidst the immediate family only, that will keep you from running the risk of offending people. Also don’t forget, in these situations, traveling to and fro is not an easy option for anyone, so for the guests who really do make it to your wedding, ensure you offer them proper accommodations and parking spaces, etc.

From online shopping of Indian Dresses to live streaming of the event, technology has really simplified many things for the smooth execution of a wedding celebration amid the lockdown. Before diving into the nitty-gritty of the things, plan how and to what degree you want technology to contribute. If you’re going all in, you can always set a theme for the entire celebration using websites like Minted, Evite, and Paperless Post. That way from online invitations to managing RSVPs you can offer a unique character to your entire celebration.

Having a dedicated website for your wedding is also a great option that is picking up popularity among the betrothed across the globe. It gives a single point of reference to everyone who is to become a part of your celebration. With online streaming apps like Zoom APIs being made available, the idea of having a wedding website has brought upon a whole new set of possibilities for the really creative couples. What’s exciting about these websites is that these can be customized completely to your liking and with some cloud space, can as easily become your personal space for years to come back and reflect on your celebrations.

Hiring event management teams was becoming a huge trend in India. However, the growing concerns of safety and the urge to keep things minimal has made many people realize to keep things in their hand only. However, it is worth noting that even though the number of guests and hence a lot of the responsibilities have come down, it is still not something that a bride, or a groom, or even the couple together could manage by themselves. Besides, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you and you don’t want to make it into a hassling experience. Having a friend or a family member as a coordinator will not only take a huge load off your shoulder, it will also allow you to experience the day as it should be experienced. The best thing to do would be to have multiple responsibilities delegated among different members, this will even make them feel a more integral part of the celebration. So one friend can scout for the best decor vendors, while one cousin can spend time ensuring photography of the celebration happens smoothly, and so on. And believe it or not, most people would just love to have a part in making the celebrations happen the most beautiful way it can for you two.

In the current situations, getting married in the comfort of their respective home is becoming more and more popular among many couples-to-be. Not only does it allow you to keep things in the budget, but it also gives you the freedom to have the entire thing designed the exact way you want. Getting married in a place where you’ve spent a substantial amount of time in your life, will also add to the entire experience of the celebration. Not to mention, how the lack of traveling to and fro would make things much more hassle-free for everyone involved. You can have a beautiful ceremony in the backyard of your house, choosing open spaces like a terrace for pre-wedding celebrations.

In case, you’re not sure whether your home would be able to accommodate all the guests in a safer manner, or if you want to retain the sanctity of your home, you can also opt for having your marriage in an Airbnb. In almost every city today, there are plenty of huge livable spaces that can easily be turned into a destination wedding location. And of course, there’s no dearth of commercial marriage halls, gardens, and community spaces, that offer you plenty of open space for a one-day celebration. In case you opt for the latter, make sure you ask all the relevant questions to the wedding venue representative, in order to avoid hassles later.

Many to-be-weds this time of the year are opting for having a small nuptial ceremony now and planning more elaborate parties for a later time when things will be safer. This approach makes sense too. Just because you have to marry in the restricted times, doesn’t mean you can’t have a proper celebration later. In case you do want to celebrate those occasions now, even if just a touch of them to make the entire setting feel more complete, ensure that you don’t go over the board. Avoid all kinds of showmanship for now, you don’t really need to handle all that pressure in the present. Instead, opt for simpler ceremonies among your closest friends and relatives, and focus on having a more quality time among the people you care about the most. All those larger than life theatrics can still be performed later with more elaborate reception parties.

Since the wedding is going to be an intimate affair, you would want to make sure that all the moments are being captured in the camera for people who couldn’t be there in the physical space. Idea is to make your wedding look as spectacular as possible in the pictures to make up for all the missing swagger of big fat Indian weddings. That being said, note that making things look spectacular in images has less to do with the raw material and more so with the photography skills of the professional. You can work hand in hand with a photographer to ensure the place is adequately decorated for him or her to capture the candid moments in the most beautiful settings. Similarly, you’d want to talk it through with your makeup professional to ensure that your look stays photogenic throughout the ceremony. Know that these are going to be your once-in-a-lifetime moments, and you’d want to make sure that as many beautiful memories get captured for you to reflect back in the future.

With the number of guests having come down, there’s no need for you to go over and beyond to include all kinds of cuisines for your wedding party. Keep it simple and sweet by being mindful of the dieting restrictions of the people attending your marriage. If there aren’t many people attending the festivities, you can have the entire meal prepared at home, or else you always have the option to get catering services. In either case, ensure there are the least wastage and proper care for utmost hygiene. You can also be a step forward to see to it that the dishes you’re serving have high nutritional qualities, to give the entire meal a more wholesome feel, instead of simply investing in the variety of appetizers. And since the scale of everything in weddings has come down, you can now easily opt to make a more eco-friendly statement by using disposable cutlery that is biodegradable.

Shopping for Bridal lehenga is no longer going to be that rush operation that it used to be, at least not in the near future. Brides all over the world are settling themselves to buy their dresses online, which by far is the safest and most effortless way of doing things. Almost every reliable brand has understood the gravity of the time and is making sure that all of its best Indian wedding dresses are available online. In fact, with the competitive nature of the online market, you can always get yourself an incredible deal by shopping the best trends online with some really interesting offers and discounts. There’s just one thing, you’d like to keep in mind while shopping your wedding trousseau online, that is to make those purchases at least for weeks in advance. After all, amid all the chaos, these Indian wedding dresses have every possibility to take longer to reach you than you expected. Another alternative to keep things simple is to wear an heirloom dress from your mom or grandmother. The number of brides choosing the last option is also on a rise, as this last gesture just makes the entire wedding more family-oriented and memorable.

Once all the to-dos are done and everything is set in place, go ahead and conduct a rehearsal. Rehearsals are among the most underestimated things in any kind of an organized celebration. You can never know the missing junctures unless you really enact all the things in the proper order. In case of live streaming, you can have a virtual get-together a night before the actual ceremony. This will not only allow you to ensure that all the devices are functioning properly, but these few light-hearted moments will also do magic in calming down your nerves. To make proper use of this time, you can create a checklist to ensure the correct angles of the cameras, their range, range and strength of WiFi routers, efficient pick up of audio devices, and the lighting too. While there’s no way to predict that a wedding ceremony would happen completely impeccably, these rehearsals would help you minimize the reasons for things going wrong.

And it’s as simple as that. A few tweakings here and there you can have as special a wedding ceremony amid the lockdown as you’ve been dreaming of for years. Wish you guys a happily ever after!