Whether you’re in a long term relationship or currently single, we’re sure that you must have thought about having your own version of a dream wedding. 

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Well, love birds Ankur and Sonali were no different. They had been planning their big fat Indian wedding for months until an unexpected guest ( read: the lockdown) decided to crash their plans. But, staying strong during these times, this couple decided to trade their pompous wedding for an intimate one. 

And, we at ScoopWhoop got in touch with this headstrong couple who didn’t let Coronavirus ruin their big day and tied the knot during the lockdown. Trust us, their experience and adventures during the wedding should be enough to help you with all your lockdown related wedding queries.

Ankur and Sonali had been planning their big fat Indian wedding for over a year when the first wave of lockdown was imposed. Unfortunately, the series of extensions got them worried about their big day and they had two choices.

Either to postpone their wedding till things went back to normal or to go ahead with the pre-planned date. 

So after a lot of thought, the couple decided that they were going to get hitched, as per the original plan. For everyone who’s wondering how they chose to give up on their big fat Indian wedding, Sonali who’s a Pharmacologist explains: 

Humein realise hua ki aage aane wale samay mein bhi hum aisi grand shaadi nahi kar payenge. Cheezon ko normal hone mein time lagega.Toh humne socha, ghar wale hai toh bas kar hi lete hai shaadi. 

With all the advance payments made to the vendors and a luxurious pre-booked venue, the couple had set aside a budget of over Rs.40 lakh for their big day. Fortunately, because of the government rulings, they got most of their money refunded. 

And their special intimate wedding barely crossed the one lakh mark. Can you imagine the savings they made to start their new life together! 

If it wasn’t for the pandemic, Ankur’s baraat would have over 300 people dancing and singing as he would be riding a horse to marry his bride. But, even with a baraat of three, Ankur was excited driving down to Uttrakhand from Lucknow to get married. 

Now, I’m sure you’re wondering, how were three people sitting in the same car allowed to cross the state borders when the upper limit is two. Ankur reveals that he had taken the DM’s permission to get married which gave him a lot of flexibility. 

Jagran ( Representation Image)

Opening up about the new normal, the groom further took the chance to explain how his lockdown wedding was different from the actual one that they planned: 

Aap pehle mentally taiyarr hote ho ki aapko shaadi karni hai, phir aap decide karte ho aapko kya-kya arrange karna hai. But ab yeh hai ki agar shaadi karni hai toh pehle government se permission leni padegi. If you want to get married during these times, you will need the permission of a tehsil or the DM.

In fact, after a lot of tests on various checkpoints during their journey, the DM’s permission was the reason why his baraat of three wasn’t put under a 14-day quarantine period. Though upon entering Uttrakhand, they had to go through thorough multiple check-ups. 

Holiday Travel ( Representation Image)

Following the government’s guidelines of hosting under 50 guests during a wedding, Ankur and Sonali had to carefully downsize their guest list from 900 to just 25 close relatives. But guess what? That didn’t make their wedding any less special, in fact, it made it more memorable!

Armoured with gloves, masks, and sanitizers, each and every close relative helped them in making their D-day special. With no caterers or decorators (for obvious reasons), their family turned into full-fledged wedding planners to host the ceremony of their dreams.  

Yeh kaafi bada example tha ki aapki family aur woh log jo aapko pyaar karte hai, woh aapke lie kis hadh tak ja sakte hai.    

-Ankur ; The Groom.

Even though Sonali had dreamt of having a big fat Indian wedding ever since she was a child, the bride-to-be decided to get married without her custom-made lehenga which was waiting to get picked up in Chandni Chowk.

And honestly, Sonali was quite the rebel who did a lot of things she wouldn’t have been able to if she had a big fat Indian wedding. After her Mehendi dried, she went ahead to apply henna on everybody’s hands, including her own soon-to-be-husband. 

In fact, the bride and groom both helped in setting up their own wedding venue. From crafting a makeshift mandap for their pheras to helping their relatives in the kitchen after the halwai refused to cater to the outstationed groom & his family. 

The couple left no stone unturned to make their wedding special. 

You know, as a matter of fact, we asked Sonali if she enjoyed her wedding as much as she thought she would enjoy her big fat Indian wedding, and her response made us question the unspoken societal pressure behind a big fat Indian wedding. 

Intimate wedding mein kisi ko khush karne ka pressure nahi tha. Sirf family members the aur woh khush the. Koi social pressure nahi tha, kisi bhi cheez ka. Koi kuch judge karne ke lie nahi tha. 

Luckily the pandit ji was Sonali’s family friend and didn’t think twice before officially marrying the two lovebirds. 

When we asked the newly married couple if there was any advice they would like to give to couples who might be planning their wedding during the lockdown, they both said the same thing:  

If you’re confused about your decision of getting married during this time and questioning will it be worth it? Don’t be! This is probably one of the best decisions you’ll ever take in your life. Just be safe and very responsible while doing so. 

This couple and their adventurous wedding has given us an upclose glimpse of what the ‘new normal’ weddings will look like in the coming future. Also, their overall hustle for being together is giving us some major couple goals.