Missing holidaying? Feel the staycation wedding mode!

Covid-19 has made it tough for families to travel for destination weddings, and Dehliites are opting for staycation weddings instead! Herein families based in the same city, check into a hotel and have all the fun over various ceremonies, as the near and dear ones spend some time together like on a holiday.

Planning a destination wedding might be too tempting, but at this point of time in the pandemic, it can sure prove to be a bummer as anything that involves a group of people travelling together is in one word: risky. Wedding shenanigans at dilli wali shaadis, however, just don’t allow denizens to let go of the fun and frolic that’s possible only at a destination wedding. So what’s the solution then? Staycation wedding it is!

Staycation weddings are great for a ‘shaadi ka ghar’ feel with everything already catered by a hotel management.

Take for instance Akshay Jain, a resident of Delhi’s Model Town, who is getting hitched this November. “I was really keen to have my entire family stay together, and that’s why bringing them all to a local hotel seemed like an amazing option in these times,” says Jain, who has opted for a staycation wedding. He adds, “I feel it’s a great concept nowadays whereby you can actually enjoy the events without having to worry too much about the guests’ needs and the logistics who is arriving when and how, which is huge a challenge. Both me and my fiance was very excited with the idea of having all our guests stay at the same venue where we plan to get married, as the events then tend to be a lot more personal with your close friends and family always by your side. And of course for the guests as well, it’s a good opportunity to take a break from their daily lives and enjoy! And since we aren’t really planning a holiday post the wedding, due to the Covid situation, that budget is also coming handy to make these arrangements.”

Staycation weddings often make people feel like they are on a holiday with extended family.

“A lot of clients staying in Delhi are opting for staycation weddings rather than destination weddings,” says Chinmayi Jain from The Wedding Ties, which organises weddings in Delhi and Mumbai, adding, “People in the past have opted for destination weddings, to treat their family and friends to a holiday as well as a wedding experience. With Covid taking over the world, holidaying became tough, and large scale weddings have been tougher to put together due to safety protocols that demand attention. That’s where staycation weddings have come to be the next best option as they give the bride and groom, along with their close relatives, a feel of holiday at a nice destination like spot, but within the vicinity of the city.”

Some of the hotels have come up with special staycation wedding packages for couples wanting to hop on to this trendy bandwagon. Jai Chugh, general manager, DoubleTree Hilton in Gurugram, informs, “We’ve been flooded with requests for books, for such wedding staycations over the last few weeks. We are mostly receiving these queries from people residing in Delhi, Noida, Chandigarh and nearby places. Most of the guests making such booking want to ease out the whole wedding thing for themselves, and we too focus on ensuring to cater to all their requirements in the shortest time possible. So we’ve designed some packages for the same, which start from ₹1.50 lakh onwards. Because of the Covid-19 situation, we’ve also been doing virtual tours of the property for those guests who want to finalise the location and rooms for staycation weddings without having to make a trip here. Even the food tasting for guests is being organised at their homes, though our food delivery app. E-contracting option has also been introduced. All we want is to make it an unforgettable and pleasant memory for those getting married in such tough times.”

Author tweets @anjuri

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