Micro weddings of the pandemic
Couples choose to script their own version of wedded bliss
Apeksha and Amit Dasani met for the first time just a day before the lockdown was announced in India. But the couple didn’t let a lockdown get in the way of getting to know each other and used video-calling to be in touch. They would eventually meet frequently at Necklace road standing next to each other’s cars and chat away till dusk beckoned. As their feelings grew stronger, both decided to get married soon.
But, with the pandemic not showing any signs of waning, the couple decided to get engaged among a handful of relatives. “It was just four days after the Unlock. Postponing the date wasn’t an option and our parents were also keen on the idea. We didn’t plan anything for two months before the wedding which happened in December because we didn’t know what the Covid situation would be,” says Apeksha.
“Emotionally it was a crazy time. The lockdown did give us time to get to know each other better. We had more time on our hands. We spoke every day… But, going for dinner, or movies, we didn’t get to do that until after restaurants opened. I would have liked having more people at the wedding, and go out of the station to shop for our trousseau, all that was missed,” admits Apeksha.
But, the couple agrees that they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. “We liked the vibe, it was all very chill, no chaos, every person enjoyed it thoroughly. We have thought about a bigger do, but that will have to wait.”
With the lockdown in place, photographers were another lot who were badly hit by the economic fallout. But in the case of city-based wedding photographer Arpita Patel, it became the busiest time for her.
Wedding and Fashion photographer, Arpita Patel.
“I started getting client queries right after the Unlock. We took all the precautions. In fact, I got a chance to cover a Muslim wedding in the afternoon, which is uncommon. Usually, such weddings go well into the night. But everything wrapped up by 7 or 8 pm. Pandemic really changed a lot of things. What I have seen is people initially were wary, but now it’s business as usual. But we are going to see smaller affairs become the norm,” says Arpita who has travelled up and down the country, from Kashmir, Delhi to Coimbatore for weddings.
Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/passionographer_7/
“I think for couples around the world, the wedding date holds a lot of significance. I had an arranged marriage and always wanted a cozy, intimate gathering. The pandemic gave us a sort of an opportunity to do that,” says Sneha R, an interior designer who got married in January this year. “What I missed during the wedding was a close cousin with whom I had grown up and who couldn’t make it to the wedding. There were a couple of friends from out of town who couldn’t come as they got Covid in the days leading up to the wedding day. Some of my favorite parts were only possible because of the intimacy of the do, every guest was involved in the ceremony in some way or the other,” adds Sneha.
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