Namha Malhotra, founder of Castles and Coasters, a wedding planning agency, during her wedding get-together at a Lower Parel restaurant

Ajmera and husband Jenet got married at a city five-star in the last week of December and will be flying to Maldives for their honeymoon. The function, she says, was a close and private affair with only family members. "It was such an intimate event that we could chat with people while taking pheras. While we had planned a grander wedding, we did not want to wait for a vaccine jab." Her friends, whom she had to leave out given the no-more-than-100-guests mandate, joined the baraat and danced till the venue. "They had to return from the entrance as we had a lot of elderly members from the family at the function, whom we could not leave out. Even at the function, the guests had masks on. And the hotel staff served polite reminders to those who didn't." A YouTube live was organised for friends and family who couldn't attend the ceremony.

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Ajmera's fears aren't unfounded. Weddings the world over have been a significant source of Coronavirus infection outbreaks. Goa Medical College and Hospital Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar was recently quoted saying that almost 100 persons, all from one family, tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a wedding. In another instance, authorities in Rajasthan had to stop a bride and her family from reaching the wedding venue after an RT-PCR test confirmed that she was COVID-19 positive. Yet, they went ahead with the ceremony, moving it to a quarantine facility. Photos shared by health authorities show the couple, the priest and three close relatives wearing personal protection equipment (PPE) gear as the pair took the pheras. In the US, the situation has been far more serious. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 177 cases were linked to a wedding in Millinocket, Maine, and led to seven deaths.

That weddings could turn into superspreader events has been proven, given that the setting involves closely interacting with other people. But, that's not stopping Indian couples from tying the knot. According to the Weddingz Wows Report 2020 launched by OYO's Weddingz.in, 15,500 weddings took place across India via their platform this year, in spite of the unique circumstances we were in, when compared to 2019, where the company executed over 27,000 events. Among these in 2020, Delhi led the pack, followed by Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow and Kolkata. Figures from this year highlight that most of the weddings conducted in Mumbai and Pune have seen an uptick for indoor venues or hotel banquets whereas Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata preferred their ceremonies and celebrations to be held across open-air venues, backyards and farmhouses.

Sandeep Lodha, CEO, OYO's Weddingz.in, says that although tumultuous, 2020 has been a year of reimagining the conventional. "While it did dampen the spirits of the industry initially, we are now seeing green shoots of recovery across the country. This [lockdown period] really pushed us to re-think and accelerate our pace of innovations for sustainability and the long-term health of the business. The transition from macro to micro weddings was a Herculean task, though." They introduced Wz Safe, an over 20-point checklist, to ensure high standards of hygiene, cleanliness, minimum touch SOPs, and safety precautions. For couples who were wary of rescheduling mahurat dates, they launched virtual wedding recces to enable them to keep a close eye on preparations or book venues.

Publicist Fatema Huned Dahodwala with husband Abbas Mithasheth during their nikah in Surat

Shrey Bhagat and Rajesh Satankar, founders of Knotting Bells, a wedding photography and videography agency, along with their team, have had almost 10 COVID-19 tests done since October. They even flew to Maldives for a pre-wedding shoot. "One of our clients in Mumbai conducted tests for every single person attending the wedding, including the guests, photographers, caterers and planners. The make-up artist was confirmed positive four hours before the wedding, and they had to find a replacement," says Bhagat. As a photographer, getting the perfect shot at weddings has got tougher. "You have to engage with subjects to make them comfortable.

Usually, when they see us smiling, they quickly relax into the shoot. Now that we have to wear masks, forging a connection is tough." After every shoot, the team has the tedious task of sanitising every single equipment, from the camera body and light stands to even personal belongings. He says the limit on guests makes it possible to responsibly practice social distancing, ideally. "But sometimes, guests don't wear masks because they believe they are in their comfort zone; the ones present at the function are mostly near and dear ones."

Publicist Neelima Panicker with husband Major Rakesh Nair. The couple held three receptions, each with different group of guests, across three locations: Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Gujarat. Pic/Shutterbug Film Company

A founder of a banquet hall in South Mumbai, who did not wish to be identified for the story, says getting guests to adhere to mask-wearing rules is the greatest challenge they face. "You might be in an intimate circle involving 80 or 100 close relations, but that doesn't mean the virus will be kinder to you." He has started stocking masks at the hall to distribute among guests, who, he says, sometimes don't bother carrying one. "When you bring together a lot of friends and family, the natural instinct is to embrace and act like you did in the old days. Without a mask, it gets all the more dangerous. They don't realise that they are putting other guests and our staff at risk," he adds.

Couples, however, are trying to find ways to work around the restrictions. Neelima Panicker, a public relations executive who got married at Westin Mumbai recently, decided to hold three receptions, each with different groups of guests, in three locations: Trivandrum, Kochi and Gujarat. "In Mumbai, we could only invite 50 people, and we have a huge circle. So, we decided that the smarter thing to do would be to hold smaller functions." Panicker was supposed to get married at the start of the year, but the pandemic played party pooper. Tired of the indefinite delay, they decided to go ahead with the plan in November. "Although my husband and I were fine with even a court marriage, our families weren't. They had been waiting for this day."

These "hurry-up" weddings have prompted wedding planners to rethink their strategy and devise contractual clauses in the case of a possible outbreak. Namha Malhotra, founder of Castles and Coasters, says before the pandemic, couples would plan their weddings months or even years in advance. "We used to get booked a minimum eight months prior. Things are now happening at crazy speed. In fact, we had only two-and-a-half days to plan the first wedding we organised in the pandemic." Malhotra has identified three situations in which a wedding is likely to get cancelled: If the couple or immediate family member tests positive; if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 at the hotel or venue and where the state or city or country is in lockdown. "If the first situation arises, some hotels are demanding a 50 per cent payout. Let's say, the cost of the wedding is Rs 20 lakh, they will retain R10 lakh and will offer a postponement on the remaining Rs 10 lakh, so you can hold your wedding later. But you will need to forfeit one half of the sum. If the hotel is responsible for the outbreak, they are willing to give a 100 per cent postponement, but no refund. If the city goes into lockdown, a part will be forfeited and the remaining can be used during a later wedding." Malhotra organised two weddings in December and has three lined up for January.

The first question that Malhotra is asked by clients is about her firm's COVID-19 protection plan; whether they get their team and vendors tested. Which means they are now not just responsible for the wedding experience, but also the safety of the guests. "When people come to us with a request of organising a 200- or 400-people wedding for February-March, we discourage them because even if it is a 100-people wedding, there are 500 people involved in organising it. Our team is interacting with several other teams, who are working with many others. Educating people on the safety perspective is now in the scope of our work."

The popularity of destination weddings is being challenged by residential weddings. It basically means staying at a resort and organising all the functions at the venue. Malhotra, who is organising one such wedding for a client at a Colaba five-star, says there are loopholes in this arrangement as well. "The idea is that the guests don't move out of the venue. But what about the make-up artists, caterers and florists who will be at the function? They will be moving out."

The pandemic has not only affected the workings of the wedding industry, but also the traditional customs and rituals performed. Publicist Fatema Huned Dahodwala, who belongs to the Dawoodi Bohra community, says it's mandatory for members of their community to kiss the hands of the elders as a form of greeting. At her recent wedding in Surat, Dahodwala had to forego the otherwise mandatory salam for guests, unless it was an immediate family member. The traditional Bohra way of eating together around a steel thaal, the standard size of which is designed to accommodate a group of eight people during a communal dinner, has also been disrupted. "Many guests requested for a la carte. While we did have a thaal, it was only for four people," she says.

Sakshi Jain Ajmera and husband Jenet got married in Mumbai. The couple created a bio-bubble and ensured they did not meet any new people or those outside their inner circle prior to the big day

Although weddings have been downsized and celebrations scaled-down, Dahodwala says it hasn't necessarily translated into a reduction in cost. "There might be a negligible drop in the price of venues, but other services have only become more expensive, because they have additional safety protocols to take into account. From the stylist to the caterer, all agencies have hiked their prices. If anything, the small, intimate wedding has only become more costly."

Guests who would usually eat out of a thaal at a Bohri wedding, opt for a la carte at Fatema Dahodwala's wedding in Surat. The public relations executive says guests requested the arrangement 

Malhotra concurs. When she was in Delhi to organise a wedding a couple of months ago, the government announced that everybody flying back to Mumbai from Delhi has to get a COVID-19 test. "So, we had to organise tests for all 50 guests present at the function. The cost was billed to the client, because you can't expect the guests to pay. Anyone who is inviting people to celebrate with them in a gathering during this pandemic carries the burden of making sure they are safe."She says weddings have acquired an exam-like tension. "There's only so much you can prepare a week before the final paper. Now, because of COVID-19, everything is so last minute. We can only hope all goes well."

Shrey Bhagat and Rajesh Satankar, founders of Knotting Bells, a wedding photography and videography agency, along with their team, have had almost 10 COVID-19 tests done since October 2020

2.5
Number of days Namha Malhotra, founder of Castles and Coasters, had to plan her firm's first pandemic-proof wedding

Lockdown Economics

50 per cent payout What hotels are demanding if a wedding gets cancelled at the last minute because someone from the family has tested positive. Hotels will keep the remaining 50 per cent against a postponement of the wedding. No refund.

100 per cent postponement If the hotel has shut down because of a positive case on its premises. No refund.