A wedding is a big day for a bride. She dreams of a wedding that would take place outdoors - in a garden of flowers adorned with beautiful lights. She poses for pictures with her special one as loved ones partook in her joy. Getting married under the canopy of the sky is what beautiful weddings are made of. Surrounded by kith and kin - some in person while some witnessed the ceremony on Zoom. Beautiful flowers and lighting added to the vibe and guess what? The wedding took place on the balcony of the bride’s home. So Welcome to weddings in the era of the pandemic!
Reverse destination weddings? Indeed!
Marriages are made in heaven but weddings are orchestrated on earth. A wedding requires immense planning and the venue is the most important. Instead of expensive far-off destination weddings couples are choosing to tie the knot at unassuming places -the backyard of their own homes, home terraces, balconies and even restaurants. Young couples are aiming to experience this once in a lifetime event with their closest family and friends, versus inviting half the village!
We are right in the middle of the third wave of the pandemic but it was way back (around 6 months into the 1st wave) when we came to the realisation that the situation is not going to change soon. Lots of weddings got pushed to a future date but not everyone could wait. Many couples decided to take the plunge anyway. Also, loneliness from constant lockdowns encouraged dating couples to wed. With no other option, most decided to settle for smaller affairs. Couples started exchanging vows in intimate functions set in their own home gardens or open air restaurants. What started as a means to an end soon became a trend.
There is nothing better than planning one’s intimate wedding at one's own home. Can you imagine a better place than your own home to get styled for your big day, especially in these times when safety and hygiene are big concerns? And it is stress free logistically- no far off location or a large guest list to manage! Intimate weddings can be as beautiful and exotic as grand weddings. Artistic backdrop, antique props with infusions of colours like burnt orange, purple and gold flowers are being seen a lot in home weddings. From large venues like grounds, halls and beaches, young couples have switched to decorating balconies, front-yards and patios.
This pandemic has made us realise a lot of things. People have realised that the money saved with reverse destination weddings can be put towards future travel plans and better homes. It’s a revelation to many that when you have a beautiful setting it doesn't matter where the wedding takes place, as long as it is organised well and designed artistically! The virtue of such weddings is that it leaves scope for more attention to detail, as things are scaled down. Which means - a lot if things can be personalized. One could have personalised napkins and little cards with guests’ names on the table and the whole affair becomes more fun. Wedding planners and stylists today are displaying much more novelty in design than ever before and reverse destination weddings actually allow us to bring our work out in a more detailed and fun way.
And for the first time in the history of Indian weddings couples seem carefree, the parents -more relaxed. Big weddings are demanding. They require months of planning. Parents of the bride and groom often appear frazzled and jaded during destination weddings because there is so much to manage. In fact, a smaller wedding is an opportunity to create an extremely intimate and personalised experience. That's true if you're choosing to have a small wedding voluntarily too. Not only can small weddings save you money, carbon emissions and stress, it'll also allow you to socialise more with your guests.
Couples are more focused on how to make their special day even more special which means spending more on exotic flowers, sophisticated décor and finer gifts so that everyone is happy. There is also a change in vibrational energy of people and places. The energy of the couple and their parents does indeed influence the spirit of the entire affair. To keep the vibration high one has to be stress free. The answer in today’s day and time is - a reverse destination wedding. After all, the bride had always dreamed of a romantic wedding and a pandemic shouldn't rob her of that dream.
Popular destinations in the last one and half year have been home gardens/front lawn-area, and terraces. These spaces can look pretty even on a sunny day! One can design the space with colourful drapes for a cheery look. e.g.- red fabric with bright flowers. We can have dainty monochromatic fabric canopies for a sophisticated look.
E.g.- cream coloured drapes, a touch of gold and soft glow LED candles which stay on even if it's windy. Another popular choice has been quaint resorts or small open -air restaurants where social distancing can be easily practiced.
From what we can tell, this trend is here to stay.
So where are you getting married this summer? Your rustic porch does look like a great venue!
