BENGALURU: Like any other to-be bride, Yamini Parwal would have liked to have all the preparations for her big day planned to a T. But due to the Covid-19 scenario, Parwal is just playing things by ear for her wedding, slated to take place on July 1. “My fiancé, Kunal Biyani, is from Mumbai, as are many of my relatives. So, we wanted the wedding to take place there as well. Two hundred guests have now come down to 50, and we’re unsure about even those as we wait to see what the situation is like closer to the date,” says Parwal, a city-based chartered accountant.
They decided on the date in December last year, when things were looking hopeful. “We had vaccines and restrictions were easing. But in April we started to realise we might not be able to go ahead with the wedding we both wanted.” Parwal is not the only one. The unprecedented nature of the second wave has left many couples uncertain about when they will tie the knot. The owner of a wedding venue CE spoke to called May and June “dead months”, since all the events planned for those months have had to be suspended.
“We can’t push our clients to confirm other dates because many of them either got Covid or knew someone in their family who has it, and they just had no idea themselves about the wedding. They need time to cope with this first,” says the owner, who wished to remain anonymous. Two weeks before D-Day, Harshita Jain and Yash Sankhlecha had to move their wedding from April 30 to possibly November as Jain and her family tested positive for Covid.
“We got first-hand experience of how terrible the virus can be. With the quarantine ending on the day of the wedding, we decided to push the wedding until further notice. Even though we have recovered now, it just doesn’t feel like the time for us to have a celebration,” says 24-year-old Jain. The excitement of a wedding turns into stress if it has to be postponed.
“The first time you confirm the venue, caterer, photographer etc according to your choice but the second time, you’re checking with everyone to see if they’re available for the new dates. It’s a lot more stressful,” say s Vithika Agarwal, managing partner at Divya Vithika Wedding Planners, who has also seen all her events for May cancelled. “Most are cancelling weddings in early June too, while other couples are on edge especially if their wedding is in later part of June,” she adds.
While the wedding is more intimate than what Parwal imagined, she still does hope it goes through for the original date of July 1. “We don’t know what’s in store for us later on either. And I’d like to start my new life with my fiancé, even if it’s on a smaller scale for now,” says Parwal, who will take a final call on the number of guests closer to the wedding.