Intimate weddings: Are they the new trend amid the new normal?

With state and nationwide lockdowns in effect, the regular operation of several industries came to a grinding halt as large gatherings of people were no longer permitted. This played a part in greatly affecting the hospitality industry, a large percentage of which depends on catering to social gatherings.

The wedding business, which was widely referred to as one of the only few recession-proof industries, also took a massive hit due to the unprecedented effects of the pandemic that swept across the globe.

Born out of necessity

The great Indian wedding is known to be an affair of great pomp and pageantry, with hundreds to even thousands of guests in attendance. So how, then, have the challenges of social distancing and government lockdowns been met by wedding parties over the past year?

While some couples (and their extended families who do play a large part) are unable to throw the elaborate ceremonies of their dreams, others are overcoming challenges by hosting small, intimate weddings. While this was seen as a form of “compromise” that was needed in order to carry out a wedding at the beginning of the pandemic, the popularity of intimate weddings has caught on so well that it looks like it could change the norms of wedding culture even after the pandemic.

The silver lining that has emerged from having to “manage'' with a small wedding party shines a light on what’s truly important—the union of two souls, surrounded by those closest to them.

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The silver lining

Couples are opting for intimate gatherings with their closest friends and family, while providing the remaining guests with a link to virtually attend the wedding online.

As wedding celebrations are now limited to gatherings under 50 people, the entire format is undergoing a change to inculcate “wedding streaming” to enable guests to attend virtually.

A limited number of guests bring with it fewer things to worry about. The catering is more manageable; with a focus on quality rather than quantity, venues can be smaller with a better focus on décor; and wedding photographers can focus on capturing priceless intimate moments. The growing trend of intimate weddings has given rise to more candid, poignant, and stirring imagery from wedding photographers.

At-home weddings provide for an even more intimate setup, with families and guests partaking in a less formal experience and letting their guard down to be present and experience the joy of the moment.

The gathering of only close friends and family brings out the true nature of the relationships of those in attendance, which, when captured by the photographers, make for a truly stirring and emotional collection of photos for a wedding album—capturing more nuanced facets of a wedding story.

An evolving trend

While intimate weddings might have their own set of unique challenges, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, giving way to a new era of a wedding culture that focuses more on the joy and love that comes with a new union, rather than on the size of the space, the number of guests, and the amount of money spent on opulent showings.

For those who have doubts about the staying-power of smaller celebrations, all one needs to do is flip through the pages of any photo album of recent “lockdown” weddings is to know about why intimate weddings are touted to gain momentum as the preferred go-to trend of betrothed couples.