KOCHI: In the past decade, weddings evolved as much as smartphones. What used to be a family or village celebration, grew into a ‘project’, managed and delivered to perfection by event professionals. All of that grandeur -- the four-tier functions, pre, post-wedding photo shoots and designer shopping came to an abrupt end after the pandemic hit. Nevertheless, Malayalis are adapting to changing times and trends.
Impresario, a Kochi-based event management company, recently released a campaign called the ‘Covid protocol wedding’. What it is, is a ceremony that strictly adheres to government and WHO protocols. The event managers will take care of all the necessary passes and paperwork from authorities, ensure that social distancing is maintained by guests; saree-clad women will wait with thermal scanners, masks and sanitisers at the entrance, and a tech team will stream the wedding for your faraway friends across the world.
“We are training our staff and working on including technology like augmented reality to get group pictures while enabling social distancing. Around 50 people are permitted at weddings now, but we are aiming to reduce the anxiety of participants by following proper measures,” says Ram Menon, co-founder of Impresario. He says that revamping and disinfecting venues might take some time, so they are pushing for home weddings. “Weddings used to be a function that was held at homes, and we have had three enquiries to conduct the ceremony at home,” he says.
Maybe that isn’t a bad idea. Navya Raju, who got married mid-April, is now thankful for how things turned out. “I literally spent the last year planning my wedding with strangers, and suddenly it was all in vain. I only had 20 people at my wedding, but it turned out great. Our aunts and mothers did the cooking, my sister did my mehndi and a fashion blogger cousin did my make up. We all bonded so much, and it was hundred times more memorable and less stressful,” she adds.
Sivadas Narayanan had his brother’s wedding during the lockdown too. “It was simple and nice, with just the family. My dad said we should do weddings like this even after lockdown,” quips Sivadas. Their family donated their wedding expenses as food kits to ASHA workers and financial aid to other healthcare assistants.
But many others in the city are definitely waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. “Conducting an event for 50 people is not feasible if you ask me, unless you are looking to do some branding. From four or five cameras, it comes down to two. Likewise, every segment, food, makeup and decor will be controlled. We are guessing the current scenario would continue for about one and a half years, so we are preparing for what comes after,” says Boney Sudhakar, chief marketing officer of Magnolia Events. “Some of our big clients are willing to wait. They have extended the dates till December as of now. So we are waiting and preparing,” he concludes.
THE NEW NORMAL
Impresario, a Kochi-based event company, recently launched a campaign called the ‘Covid protocol wedding’. What it is, is a ceremony that strictly adheres to government and WHO protocols.