Rush for early weddings due to Covid-19 fear

Heavy queries at this time of year is unusual as compared to previous years, according to wedding industry experts

Garmi ho ya sardi, shaadi karni toh banti hai — Seems like Delhiites are sticking to this mantra as plenty of couples in the Capital rush to tie the knot, wary of the threat of another wave of Covid-19. And heavy queries at this time of year is unusual as compared to previous years, according to industry experts.

Many couples in the Capital are rushing to tie the knot in fear of another wave of Covid-19 (Photo: Facebook (For representational purpose only))

As per industry statistics, around 40 lakh weddings are to be solemnised during April-July. Anam Zubair, associate director of marketing, WeddingWire India, tells us, “Summer weddings are high in demand this year. Between April and July, there are 29 auspicious dates — almost 58% of this entire year’s mahurats. May and June offer couples 20 such opportunities for their big day.”

Fashion designer Rahul Mishra shares, “Orders at stores at an all-time high. I have had brides requesting for outfits to be designed in as less as three weeks! Earlier, wedding planning used to take six months, but now it’s all planned in a month due to uncertainty (about the pandemic situation).”

The fear of another Covid-19 wave and return of restrictions seem to be the main reasons that many are opting for off-season weddings. “Usually, people plan weddings for the end of the year, when the weather is pleasant. But now it’s like, abhi hi kar lo shaadi... There’s also a lot of backlog of bookings as a result of postponements,” shares makeup artist Tejasvini Chander Kapoor.

Rescheduling is another cause for the drastic uptick in summer weddings as several were postponed from January due to the restrictions in place then. Wedding photographer Nitin Yadav from The Wedding Conteurs says, “Most queries and bookings are coming in for May-June. Postponed weddings are also being held now. This has never happened earlier, so there’s more than regular queries.”

Planning their wedding in off-season has also given scope to couples to pick their desired location at discounted rates. Wedding planner Kaveri Vij from Designer Events Inc. informs, “Now couples want to get married at their preferred location even if it means during the off-season. I am in talks with a couple for June wedding in Jaipur, which is very rare due to the scorching heat in the city! But the hotel which tends to be full in winter months is available now, and at a cheaper price, too.”