BHUBANESWAR: Gone are the days when weddings were synonymous with several rounds of visits to the sari shops, jewellery and make-up stores, beauty parlours, local tailors, decorators, caterers, marriage bands and the list would be endless.
Preparing the guest list used to be a task in itself, with each family member running through the names, lest someone’s friend or a distant relative was left out. The celebrations would run into weeks and guests would keep trooping in even days after the marriage was solemnised to bless the couple.
But then came the Covid-19 pandemic and marriages were not the same again. Shopping went online and the guest lists had to be pruned. While last year mostly saw would-be brides and grooms bicker and complain about the Covid-induced restrictions, by the time the second wave hit home they had learnt to navigate through the curbs.
Even the tent house and banquet hall owners, and all others for whom marriage means business, had by this time learnt to trim and customise their packages after a year of losses and last-minute cancellations.
“The worst part about getting married during a pandemic was that we had to have a size-zero guest list. I missed many of my friends and close relatives on my big day as only 25 people could participate in the function, according to the government guidelines. I hope the Covid situation will improve soon and we can have the full-scale celebrations later,” said Anand Mishra, who decided to forgo a grand event on his wedding and settle for a family affair.
Many families, which had postponed wedding plans last year, did not take any chance this time around and decided to go ahead with strict adherence to Covid guidelines.
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