Going to a lockdown wedding? Be prepared to be greeted with a request to sanitise your hands at the entrance before you can check for your name on the invite list. Then, after getting a thermal scan done and changing your face mask, you can enter the mandap area (with your complimentary bottle of hand sanitiser) where guests are all seated with a few feet distance between them.
Although the lockdown has forced the wedding market to shrink, caterers and wedding venues in the city are trying to adapt. The lockdown wedding package includes photography, food and decoration with artificial flowers, as well as masks, sanitisers, social distancing markers and thermal scanners.
As per regulations, a wedding can have only 50 guests. Mumbai city collector Rajeev Nivatkar and Thane collector Rajesh Narvekar have said police clearance is required to ensure the venue is large enough for distancing norms to be observed.
Hotel Tip-top Plaza in Thane recently released a video which shows how it follows all government regulations at its venues. Having opened up bookings, the venue will host two weddings this month.
“We have created a package of ₹1.29 lakh, inclusive of masks and sanitiser bottles,” said an employee.
Dombivili-based venue Shree Varad Siddhi Vinayak Seva Mandal has introduced wedding packages for ₹90,000 which include a sanitiser stand, thermal screening, face masks, a selfie-booth and sitting arrangements with adequate distancing. Umesh Naik of the seva mandal said, “Actually, we have a capacity for 1,000 people, so social distancing for 50 people is easily possible in the hall. We have a wedding the next month.”
{{/usCountry}}Dombivili-based venue Shree Varad Siddhi Vinayak Seva Mandal has introduced wedding packages for ₹90,000 which include a sanitiser stand, thermal screening, face masks, a selfie-booth and sitting arrangements with adequate distancing. Umesh Naik of the seva mandal said, “Actually, we have a capacity for 1,000 people, so social distancing for 50 people is easily possible in the hall. We have a wedding the next month.”
{{/usCountry}}He added that some weddings from March and April that were cancelled are being held now.
Another wedding planner in the city, SK Decorations, has created a ₹1.90-lakh package which includes e-invitations, hand-sanitisation station at the entrance and live streaming for those who can’t physically attend the wedding.
However, some are finding adapting more difficult to cover overhead costs when the number of guests is small. Raja Iyer, owner of Mumbai-based Ronak Caterers, said his business had taken a hit with many families postponing weddings to the end of the year.
“Only inviting 50 people is not possible for many families. We have not had inquiries since a few months now. But if we do, we are ready to provide sanitiser bottles and masks,” said Iyer.