While all other events have come to a grinding halt these past few weeks, weddings seem to be chugging along, fairly uninterrupted. I have to hand it to everyone in the wedding industry for rolling with the punches and adapting to these crazy times. But it made me wonder, and led me to have a chat with the people involved, about ‘Big Fat Indian weddings’ being replaced by more intimate gatherings.
Bride-to-be Amritha Jagganathan, who is an entrepreneur and runs a wedding venue herself, starts with listing out the positives. “My sibling had a wedding with over 2,000 people and I always wanted an intimate wedding, so it was almost the easiest way to convince my parents to let me have a small wedding.” Her advice for those planning their nuptials in the next few months — make three guests lists, like her and her fiancée did. “One without a max number in mind, one with 300 guests, and finally one with 100 guests. Since we had these conversations early on, as the rules change, we could adapt pretty easily.”
Makeup artist Prakruthi Ananth of Prakatwork gave me a Behind the Scenes, D Day perspective being the person that is in perhaps closest proximity to the bride. “With a smaller, more intimate wedding, I feel like the brides are more relaxed as opposed to the anxiety of facing 800-900 people. It’s their closest circle.” As far as her part is concerned, not much has changed. “Brides want to look as fabulous as ever, because let’s face it, photos live forever,” she says with a wink.
Divya Pandurangam of Save the Date, a wedding planning service, says smaller numbers allow for more customisation and space to focus on the experience angle of things for their guests. “Logistics do play a huge part and a reduced guest list allows for those extra special creative touches.” Designer Daisy Martin Arjuna, who specialises in Western bridal gowns, says the size of her target audience hasn’t really mattered. She says in a time where people are looking for a moment of joy, or a chance to escape into a fantasy, she is happy to give them exactly that. As a result, we continue to see her sweeping trains, dramatic veils and intricate embroidery, because according to her, a ‘pandemic wedding’ is no different from any other.