Deepika Padukone

Wedding ceremonies in India have been put on ice, due to the coronavirus Lockdown . But some couples, their big swap decided to fat weddings to small, intimate Affairs. So, it could be that the new normal? The Bbc 's Geeta Pandey in Delhi reports.

Nitin Arora and Chaitali Puri in the school met Six Years ago and began dating a year later.

If you mean a date for their Wedding in early may, it was to be a lavish affair.

The festivities began with An Engagement party in March. Took 170 people, it was held on the lawn of a posh club in The City of Chandigarh. The place was decorated with white and green flowers, and golden fairy lights twinkled everywhere.

"It was a typical Punjabi function," says Chaitali, "it was a lot of alcohol, lots of food, crazy loud music. And we danced all night. We stopped only when There was time for the DJ to. "

For their Wedding is planned for 2. In may, a sprawling resort booked was on The Outskirts of The City for the three-day-celebrate - it was meant to be a pre-Wedding cocktail party, a music and dance event, and several other rituals.

The actual Wedding was with The Bride and groom walk around a Sacred Fire seven times is due to take place on a hill within the village with the setting sun provided the perfect backdrop for Photos .

The Guest List had 450 names, the 10-page food menu had been posted in four different types of dishes, and a DJ for The After party.

The Bride -to-be baby-pink silk skirt, blouse and scarf and the groom's outfit were Custom Made , while the orders for jewelry was appropriate.

And Then came the Lockdown on 24 March, India announced a complete shutdown of the Country , the spread of the coronavirus.

The couple waited, in the hope that the restrictions will be relaxed and you would be able to get your perfect Wedding .

lifted, But no sign of the Lockdown , on 15 April, she decided for the postponement of The Wedding until November.

the fate of But , as they say, his own Plans .

"At noon of the 1. In may, my father got a call from a friend Who Said he could help organize a curfew pass for us to travel from Chandigarh to Delhi, if I wanted to marry, Chaitali on 2. In may," Nitin told me on The Phone from Chandigarh.

It was biting a nail, a few Hours After the first request was denied, the passport finally came through at 5:30 PM.

"said you, The Wedding ," says Chaitali. "Then we had to find that a priest performing The Ceremony . Our local priest at first said Yes, then He Said no, because his children were anxious to catch The Virus . Finally, we found another priest, 7:30 PM. "

by 9:30 a.m. The Next day, Nitin Delhi reached with his parents and his brother. The Priest arrived around 10:30 and The Wedding started at 11.

"My Living Room was to celebrate The Wedding , I wore my mum magenta sari and My Grandmother 's jewellery, the photographs were of Nitin 's brother, and we had lunch, a potluck," says Chaitali.

The Ceremony was attended by 16 people, including The Priest . A Zoom-link has been created, let Friends and relatives see the whole of India.

Though Nitin is not happy that his extended family of cousins, aunts, and uncle missed his Wedding and Plans a "Grand reception" later in the year, when the Covid-19 says threat still, Chaitali "we thank our stars that it happened".

Three weeks later, similar feelings were expressed by the newly-weds Sukanya Venkataraman and Shanthu Jacob Paul, as they exchanged The Wedding rings in a dusty Parking lot in the southern city of Bangalore.

a few minutes before they had married, The Marriage registry office with the mother of The Bride and the groom's uncle and aunt as witnesses.

The paperwork was always part of The Plan - Sukanya is a Hindu, and Shanthu a Christian and inter-religious marriages must be registered, But it was not meant to be the only event.

"Shanthu wanted A Wedding on The Beach in Chennai, where his parents live. There were Plans for lavish receptions in Chennai (formerly Madras) and Bangalore (Bengaluru). In our minds, we have 200 guests expected," Sukanya said to me over The Phone from Bangalore.

"I've always wanted to dress up as a bride, I wanted to wear a red silk sari, my hair, and elaborate henna designs on my hands. "

In The End , you have your own henna patterns, and wore a white and gold sari Shanthu had gifted her two years.

The groom's uncle took the Photos , his aunt Set Up a Zoom link and voted a running commentary, such as Friends and relatives, from Scotland, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

"I'm pretty content. I like the idea, much More personal, intimate Wedding , But my husband has many regrets, he has a Laundry list," says Sukanya , laughing.

Adds Shanthu, "It was an important day in our lives. I had an idea of what I wanted it to. I wanted to samples a month, the music and dance, a gala celebration, I wanted to be with My Family and Friends There to witness our big day. "

He has not yet given up, a big celebration though.

"as soon As it is safe and The Threat has subsided by Corona Virus, we do, receptions in Chennai and Bangalore. We go to Paris for our honeymoon. Since we missed The Wedding on The Beach , we go for a holiday in Mauritius or the Maldives," he says.

The may weddings were exceptions, says Vandana Mohan, one of India's most famous Wedding planner, who organized the Bollywood superstars Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh 's Wedding on Lake Como in Italy.

"I've got to move all my clients, their weddings are planned for April and may next year, and they have all agreed to wait it out.

Ms Mohan says that she is getting a lot of requests for later in the year, But it is not for couples to Plan anything before the middle of October, because most of the people want to invite, with 250 to 300 people, But the current rules allow only 50 people at A Wedding .

"A Wedding is a time of great celebration, a time of Great Joy , it is the interplay not only of Two People But also of families and communities," she says, not, "adding that they imagine a Time In India, if you have A Wedding , and you will not be with the community".

Nupur Mehta , former editor in chief of bride's magazine, says: "everyone is waiting for the Covid-19-vaccine".

The Wedding industry, she says, is one of the largest in the Country - More Than 10 million marriages take place every year. Accounting and research firm KPMG, The Wedding market is estimated to More Than $50 billion.

The blocking of the apparel industry has taken, and jewelers, But Ms Mehta says it will recover quickly, because weddings are an integral part of the Indian culture, where, unlike in The West - Living Together and civil partnerships are rare.

"It is one of the largest events in the lives of Most People . We wait all our lives for The Wedding ," Ms Mehta says. "For some time, people have smaller weddings with fewer guests, But in the Long Run , the big fat Wedding is Back in Trend. "

Source of news: bbc.com