A fresh wave of Coronavirus has left the entire country to a standstill, with lockdowns and curfews in most of the states in India. Social celebrations, like weddings, have become tougher to conduct at this difficult time. All states have imposed restrictions on weddings, mainly where the COVID condition is very serious now. Hence, all new couples and their families need to abide by these guidelines if they want to conduct their wedding ceremonies during this pandemic situation.

Number of wedding guests

Number of wedding guests

Number of wedding guests | static.onecms.io

As social distancing is a vital condition for checking Coronavirus; crowd formation must be avoided at all costs. Therefore, the number of wedding guests is limited everywhere, which may vary from state to state. In Delhi and Uttarakhand, the number of wedding guests cannot exceed 20 during this lockdown period.

In Maharashtra, the number of wedding guests cannot be more than 25. The governments of Karnataka and Telangana have allowed a maximum of 40 people to attend a wedding ceremony. In Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Odisha, and West Bengal, 50 guests are allowed in each wedding. However, Chhattisgarh and Punjab governments have allowed only 10 wedding guests for each ceremony.

Selection of wedding venue

Number of wedding guests

Number of wedding guests | lh3.googleusercontent.com

Due to the lockdown in most states in India, marriage halls and banquet halls of hotels are mostly closed and cannot be booked now. Even the pre-booked ones are directed to return their booking amount to clients. Hence, a wedding should be held either in the house of the bride or at the court, in the presence of the permitted number of guests and family members. A destination wedding is almost out of question now, due to the lockdown in all places suitable for this purpose.

However, the Karnataka government allows the use of public wedding venues that should be well-ventilated and without air-conditioners. In Uttar Pradesh, weddings can be conducted at home or at open places where social distancing can be maintained among all guests. As community feasts are banned in many places, people now opt to hold their marriages at home only. Every wedding venue should be properly sanitized so that no one can be infected by Coronavirus from this place.

Issuance of e-passes for weddings

Many state governments in India are issuing e-passes to new couples who want to marry during the lockdown period. The families of new couples need to submit details of weddings online on the given government websites, to obtain these e-passes. In some states, people need to contact sub-divisional magistrates to get permits for weddings. Guests need to show their e-passes for traveling to the wedding venue and enter inside to attend the wedding ceremony.

Selection of digital wedding invitations

Digital Wedding Invitations

Digital Wedding Invitations

As all printing presses are now closed, new couples are encouraged to send only digital wedding invitations to all their guests. Reputed card makers create brilliant designs for Hindu wedding cards that can be sent via emails, social media pages, WhatsApp, or other similar online platforms. Customers can personalize these wedding invitations by adding photos or videos of the new couple with their families. A sample of the designed wedding invitation should be submitted in some places, to obtain the e-passes for organizing a wedding ceremony.

Timings for the wedding ceremony

As night curfew is imposed in most of the places due to this pandemic now, it is difficult to organize the wedding ceremonies in the evenings as before. Therefore, people need to adjust the timings of their weddings earlier in the daytime or early evening so that guests can reach the scheduled wedding venues easily.

As the Hindu wedding ceremony is an elaborate affair, it should be started early enough, to be completed before reaching the curfew period. It is best to invite guests for the wedding lunch now, rather than the traditional wedding dinner as used to be in all Hindu weddings. Wedding planners are also adapting to this new situation, as per the COVID guidelines.

Arrangement of transport for wedding guests

Arrangement of transport for wedding guests

Arrangement of transport for wedding guests

Due to the lockdown, the lively wedding procession with the groom or ‘Baraat’ is not allowed now. Wedding guests from faraway places can be brought in buses or other private vehicles, where more than 50% of passengers should not be allowed as per the social distancing rules prevailing during this pandemic period.

If guests are supposed to be brought from other states, many state governments have issued orders to keep them in isolation for at least 10 days. Moreover, these guests should show have negative RT-PCR test reports done within 3 days, to prove that they are not carriers of Coronavirus. They will also have to produce soft copies of Hindu wedding cards that are sent by new couples or their families, as proofs of being wedding guests.

Planning for a daytime wedding now

Wedding planners are aware of all the new guidelines imposed by Indian state governments. Thus, they plan the weddings of their clients accordingly, taking care of the safety of everyone involved in the wedding functions. Since weddings are scheduled to be held during the daytime, new couples can entertain their guests with a lavish lunch, accompanied by soothing music. The décor of the wedding venue is also kept simpler, as everything needs to be sanitized frequently for the safety of all from this deadly virus.

Therefore, the wedding at the present time is supposed to be quite different from the traditional Indian weddings, though new couples can still enjoy their marital union.