Weddings affected as CM puts the brakes on big fat events

My family and I are based abroad and were planning to travel to India for my wedding. However, with the coronavirus outbreak, keeping everyone’s health in mind, we have postponed the wedding indefinitely. We will resume planning once the outbreak has been resolved,” says Sanaya* (name changed) who was to get married in Bengaluru in early April. Sanaya, as it turns out, is not the only one whose big plans were scuttled due to the pandemic.On Friday, the state government ordered the shutting down of malls, cinema halls, pubs, schools and colleges, summer camps, exhibitions and all other mass gathering events across the state for one week starting from March 14. The government advised people against organising events that will see large footfalls, like weddings, with the guest line up not to exceed 100, for nuptials that were scheduled for the week. Beside the couples and their immediate families, what does a move like this mean for the others involved, like caterers, event organisers and wedding planners?
‘Weddings being scaled down’
Wedding planner Chitra Aiyappa, who runs SHUBOOS Floral’s, Weddings & More, shares that while engagements have been postponed, few weddings that were scheduled for the weekend and the days ahead, are going ahead as planned but on a more subdued note. “Clients are choosing to scale down events, in order to adjust to the directive. They understand that the move is in the interest of the public, so they are trying to salvage whatever possible in the current situation. They are foregoing elaborate settings and choosing to have very few people in attendance,” Chitra explains.
‘Perishable items lead the revenue loss’
Yasir Siraj, who runs Avenues Weddings & Events, shares that some of his clients have panicked and either rescheduled their big days or postponed it indefinitely. “That is perfectly okay, but the bigger problem is that a lot of perishable material had already been procured or booked for these events,” says Yasir, adding, “For instance, we block floral vendors at least a month or 20 days in advance, not just to get the exact variety that the client is looking for, but also to ensure availability at a reasonable price. Perishable items and decor material that cannot be resused, as well as the labour charges that have already been paid for are where it is going to hurt us most, monetarily. For weddings scheduled in May or thereafter, we still have the leeway to work things around and figure out a plan of action. But the ones taking place in March or April is where business will be most hit. We are speaking to clients to minimise losses and figure out economical ways to reschedule.”
‘If the situation persists for a month or more, the industry will collapse’
Pankaj Kothari, who runs Sagar Caterers at Gayatri Vihar, says the situation looks bleak for the catering industry, with regard to recovering losses. “This business runs primarily on daily wage-workers under our employment. Even if employers manage to pull through, workers will struggle to meet their everyday needs. We do understand that business interests cannot be put above a threat to human life. But the sad reality is that in case the outbreak is not resolved in a month or two, the industry will collapse. We hope that the issue is resolved soon,” he shares.