TIRUCHY: March to June is a busy time for wedding planners. This year, however, they are idle because of the lockdown. Planners said they had to return the advance amount where gala weddings were cancelled or deferred.
“More than 50% of our clients have cancelled and others postponed weddings. Some might do it on a small scale,” said Ratish Ravi of Tiruchy wedding planner.
“The government is not addressing our problems. This is the time that we make money, no other period is as lucrative as this one,” said James of Jas Wedding Planners.
A few planners have come up with solutions to make the occasion a memorable one. “We introduced a micro budget concept. Everyone deserves a photo of their wedding, We arrange decor and photography even if the wedding has 20-30 people,” said Dinesh Kumar of Subhiksha events.
Other planners introduced concepts like ‘Your House, Your Wedding’ . “We have come up with a plan for weddings inclusive of catering, photography, make-up for the couple,” said James.
Not just planners, everyone involved in a wedding like decorator, caterer, photographer, housekeeping staff, is bearing the brunt. For 44 year old Rajesh, a nadaswaram player, this is the first year where he has been out of work during the wedding season. “We usually are flooded with work at this time. This year, we are surviving with the advance amounts we received. We are going to be out of work at least till June-July, that’s 4 months without income,” said Rajesh.
“This is the peak season for us. There are at least 2000 marriages in Tiruchy during March-May generally. We have lost all our business this year. There will be no weddings during Aadi month. The next window for us is post September-December,” said RK Naidu of TN Tent Dealers and Decorators Welfare Association.