The wedding industry had virtually grinded to a halt with a boom in “Zoom” weddings. Whilst the country remained tied in knots over minimising the spread of infection, wedding planners donned their creative hats in ensuring that the D-day is the most perfect memory for all the couples and their families despite an on-going pandemic.
As the government keeps reviewing and updating its social distancing guidelines, Roma Popat and Vinal Patel decided to get married under the canopy of blessings from all their loved ones. Slated to initially get married on 20th April this year, the couple had to postpone their wedding in light of a nationwide coronavirus lockdown. In the meantime, the duo was excited about the numerous drive-in cinemas and open theatres that were popping up around the UK. Unable to wait any longer, they approached their wedding co-ordinator Saheli Mirpuri of Saheli Events to understand if they could have a drive-in wedding instead.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Mirpuri said, “The couple had seen a lot of drive-in cinemas popping up after the lockdown. So, when they approached me next, they asked if they could do a drive-in wedding. As we discussed, we realised that it was a feasible idea. We just needed the right location to make it happen. We started searching some venues and chanced upon Braxted Park.”
Elderly relatives celebrate a Covid-19 compliant Hindu wedding in their car
Thus, on Friday 2nd October, Roma and Vinal married in the presence of their immediate family and about 250 relatives were able to celebrate their marriage at Chelmsford. Over 100 cars were parked up, watching the ceremony unfold on a big screen as they celebrated the Covid-compliant Hindu wedding.
On arrival at the drive-in wedding, guests in cars were given welcome hampers containing anti-bacterial hand gel and requested to stay in their vehicles throughout the ceremony. Guests were able to order food through the wedding website app and meals were delivered by servers dressed in appropriate Personal and Protective Equipment (PPE). If they needed any help, they just flashed their lights or hazard flashers.
Discussing the safety element that had to be considered during the planning process of the wedding, Mirpuri, said, “We were really conscious about the safety of some of the high-risk elderly guests who were attending the wedding. So, everyone was advised to stay in the car unless they were using the loo. We relied on contactless delivery mostly to ensure that there was no cross-contamination and frequently sanitised all the washrooms.”
The Groom made a traditional entrance, travelling around the field before the ceremony, waving at guests in their cars. Horns were honked as he travelled past on a highly decorated golf buggy, driven by a member of venue staff wearing a protective mask. After the intimate ceremony inside had been completed, the Bride and Groom then travelled around the field on the same golf buggy, waving to their friends and families inside their cars. The couple were also able to watch a specially filmed tribute for them on the drive-in screen made by guests unable to travel to be with them on the day.
Bride Roma Popat said, “When we had to postpone our wedding in April, we had no idea whether we would be able to get married this year or not. We have so many friends and family and we wanted them to be part of our celebration. It literally meant everything to us to have everyone there, albeit in a slightly different way to the one we envisaged. It’s a day we’ll never forget.”
About 400,000 people work in the UK's wedding industry, contributing 14,7 billion to the economy each year. As a seasonal sector, it acquires 79 per cent of its business between 1 April and 31 October. But this year, most couples have either deferred their ceremonies to next year or have given up their dreams of a big fat Indian wedding by organising it either in their homes or other venues with limited witnesses.
Saddened by the nature of the lockdown and how it has upended the Asian wedding market Saheli said, “Coronavirus has been awful for the Asian wedding industry. It has made things hard because we are very used to large numbers. We have always had huge celebrations and that is not possible with the current guidelines which allow gatherings of 15 people. All of the weddings that we were supposed to organise in 2020 are now postponed to 2021. Many of these couples are expected to get married during the first quarter of next year but are re-considering their plans.
“Following our drive-in wedding, we have received numerous inquiries from couples and I do think that this will become a new trend.”
