Bhubaneswar: The coronavirus pandemic and the consequent lockdown have changed everything as we know it. And so have the big fat weddings.
The celebrations are muted with couples preferring to tie the knot with a handful of guests in attendance following government guidelines. While a number of weddings are now being held at homes, for couples with limited space, the choice is for venues that provide assurance of hygiene and safety.
Then there are those whose plans are majorly changed given the pandemic situation.
Sai Kiran, an IT professional working in Hyderabad, wanted a destination wedding but had to settle for a location in his native state of Odisha. Held at the Toshali Sands Ethnic Village Resort in Puri, the ceremony offered some consolation of a destination wedding.
“Everything became very uncertain. While I had planned a lot, but nothing could be worked out due to the uncertain times. In the end, we had a memorable marriage in the lap of nature. It will remain special forever,” said Sai.
In June and July, three other weddings for families based out of Gurugram, Bengaluru and Mumbai were also been hosted there.
Speaking to Odisha Bytes, Upendra Shanbhag, the General Manager of Toshali Sands Ethnic Village Resort, said, “In this time of emergency, marriages in an ethnic village ambience at Toshali Sands in Puri, the holy town of Lord Jagannath, will give couples a homely feel, spiritual strength and joy of togetherness with close family members. Safety and comfort of our guests are our prime concerns while arranging lockdown weddings.”
On the other hand, the lockdown came as a blessing in disguise for Swati Kejriwal, a renowned CA and entrepreneur, because she always wanted an intimate wedding. Swati tied the knot on July 1 at a prominent hotel in Bhubaneswar.
“We have made the most of it in these months. Time flew and then there was a date thrown upon us. With just a couple of weeks to prepare, the easiest bit was that there was nothing much to do. People had to be informed that we were getting married and everything fell in place,” she said.
Those who choose to get married in their homes feel creating a charming atmosphere is the key.
“Though the scale was smaller, there was a lot of warmth and togetherness. Our dates got postponed twice and the third time we were not ready to delay it any further. All the guests were given sanitizers and masks and we strictly followed social distancing norms. We had a lot of fun,” said Debashree Dhal, a social worker who got married on June 10.
