Covid-19 - Guidelines for “Home Weddings”
Function area
Get the function done in an open space instead of a closed hall (it can be a terrace or lawn that can be covered with a shelter on top for the heat and the sides left open)
If its a hall, restrict the number of guests depending on the size of the hall.
“A simple calculation - if you have 500 sq ft of space, apportion about 150 sq ft for the rituals and the balance area for guest seating, On an average, a person sitting in a chair takes 3 x 3 = 9 sq ft of space considering minimal social distancing. So, you can seat about 40 guests in the balance area of 350 sq. ft. “
Do not consider a floating guest scenario in a home wedding
Infrastructure rental
For all the rented items, some critical elements like the chair, table need focus.
Chairs - If it's a banquet type chair, ensure that fresh, clean & washed linen/upholstery is used; insist this with the vendor. In case that is not available, plan for a functional seating with plastic chairs without cushion and covers BUT fully disinfected onsite a couple of hours before the function.
Table - For food and buffet counters, use plain stainless steel tables fully disinfected on-site and disposable on-etime use masking on top & sides; cloth & frills to be avoided unless the vendor guarantees a fresh & cleaned one
Venue Ambience
Avoid carpeting the venue; even if it is a new one, the carpet tends to hold the virus much longer and the issue of safe disposing of the carpet and handling during dismantling is an issue and can be dangerous to the team.
AVOID AIR-CONDITIONING THE VENUE; as much as possible, schedule the event in the mornings & evenings and AVOID 11 am - 5 pm considering the excessive heat between May & Aug in India.
Alternative : Standing non-industrial type fans, with all doors kept open.
Welcome Desk - This is an integral & key cultural part of weddings
Ensure a Register is kept to record all incoming guests.
A Temperature gun is must along with sanitizers and facemasks.
Do not display any edible item like sugar candies in loose, strewn around the tray; good to have packaged candies. The flowers can be placed with enough distancing between them and packed in banana leaf so that the flowers don't get touched by multiple guests every time
Gifting
Although this is a very key element in Indian weddings, extreme care & precaution should be taken reg this.
Avoid handling & providing cash as much as possible;it might sound odd, but good to electronically transfer funds and provide a transaction copy in a cover for the meet and greet and handover; this can be garbaged after the wedding.
Online Gift registry is a safer & sensible option to consider.
Even otherwise, use a gift voucher, much safer than a physical gift.
Meet and Greet
Another instance of unavoidable crowding in weddings. High risk considering physical contact & closeness.
Have the Meet and Greet in a separate area other than the function/ritual area.
Restrict the session to not more than 6 members (including the couple).
Option 1 for very intimate gatherings (less than 25 pax) - Consider a seated Meet and Greet with a 6' round table with the couple on one side and the guests on the other side, with decent social distancing.
Option II for small gathering of about 100 pax with good availability of space - Do a board room seating |_|, the couple seated in the middle, with 3-4 members on each side.
Option III for medium sized gathering of 150-200 people - Consider a Virtual Photo-op with 3 devices connected on Zoom, one for the couple and 2 for the guests in different areas to show up on the same screen. You could even consider this to include other guests to login and wish and greet the couple after the wedding.
Option IV - Create 2 identical backdrops for the couple and guests in different areas and then take photos separately and later photoshop them; with advancements in technology, this is a workable solution and a copy of this can also be shared with guests electronically.
Option V - Avoid photo session , get your photos from the Photobooth which has a preprinted message and the couple photo in it.
Food and Beverages
All beverages in disposable plates & cups only since it is very difficult to manage the cleanliness and hygiene of reusable cutlery, unless the caterer or service provided has deep experience in this and is able to organise a steam or boiling water to clean the cutlery at the point of service.
Manage with less number of service staff onsite, the more number of people present increases the risk.
Limit the number of items in the menu; although, this is against how a lot of clients would want, this is more a practical option to consider to reduce risk.
Serve hot and avoid cold & preserved food
As much as possible, use live counters and freshly prepared food on-site and not transported food from a central kitchen
Holding area for vendors
In addition to the main function & dining area, have an additional space closer for storing and holding materials for the vendors - decor, food, infrastructure, gifts, etc. This is a must since otherwise this can get into the function area and increase the risk.
Ritual area
Restrict this to the couple and their parents and not more than 3-4 persons ONLY when the need arises during the rituals and not all the time (for instance, uncle, siblings and grandparents etc). This is the area that can get crowded during the wedding and very difficult to maintain social distancing with emotions running high, high risk area and utmost care to be taken.
This place can be raised so everybody can be seated around and gets a great view of the rituals so nobody comes closer to the stage.
Inviting Guests
This is again a very important aspect of the weddings and every guest will demand the personal attention and involvement of the hosts in the process of inviting them.
Although there is a lot of mention about e-invites, it works perfectly for inviting friends and maybe distant relatives but for very close relatives and key members of the host's professional network, this might not work.
A workable option would be to schedule a WhatsApp video or Zoom call with the key invitees and follow it up with a physical invitation with or without gifts through a personalised approach / process like Dunzo.
So, you have the flexibility to still give what you feel like giving, are assured that it reaches immediately and can be tracked too, although you are physically not meeting the guests, with this approach of a video call followed up with the physical invite, the impact & impression will continue to be there.
Also, with lesser guests that you are inviting, make an impact with a grander invite, a box invitation with gifts & goodies to compensate for the physical absence.
Photo & Video
Have a limited team - 1 photographer & 1 videographer for upto 75-100 members, with one assistant (Optional).
Ensure live streaming so that all the guests who are missing out in the physical presence can actually view the wedding
An exclusive photo/video shoot might be difficult due to space & people constraints, so this can be scheduled at a later date.
Decor
Use fresh flowers as much as possible.
Garlands to be mildly disinfected before it is worn.
Avoid too much of fabric/drapes and in case it is used, ONLY new material and NO reusing of old fabric
All decor materials brought on-site has to be disinfected in the holding area before it is setup
Most of the setup needs to be done in the holding area with very minimal work and labour in the actual function area
Washarea/Toilets
Wherever possible, it might be good to have a temporary setup/infrastructure for this to avoid risk. Stand-alone & independent toilets can be set up along with wash basins for guests to use.
Guest Accommodation
Do not put strangers together to share rooms; only family members will share rooms; twin sharing at the max.
Better to avoid too many outstation guests if the facility or space is not available.
Drinking water, disposable 200 ml bottles.
Water for the guests may be consumed directly from the 200 ml bottles. Not using the can water is recommended since they may be subject to tampering and can be contaminated during usage with crowds.
Venue Perspective - Although difficult to implement, a thermal scanner can be used to check the temperature of the guests on arriva1.
More hand-wash & automatic sanitiser counters to be installed around the function area
It is not recommended for the guests or children to use the swimming pool (if there is one) in groups or individually. It is necessary to take extra care of children’s and grandparents to have food in their respective rooms rather than taking them to the dining area to avoid risk.
The function area and the restrooms of the home should be properly cleaned with disinfectants before the function. We should sensitise the hosts & guests about their safety and hygiene with visual guidelines. All precautionary measures taken by the guests should also be extended to the vendors because unfortunately,they are a vulnerable lot.
A shoe rack near the entrance of the house may be provided to leave behind the guests’ footwear and it will be a great idea to provide tissue base socks which can be worn above the footwear for those who do not prefer walking barefoot.
There must be a provision for guests to clean their hands and feet before getting in. Also keep turmeric water to clean their hands & feet, one of our ancient traditions. Greeting in the form of Hand Shakes should be avoided instead, we can greet with our very own traditional Indian ‘Namaste’ A list of attendees of the marriage with contact details has to be maintained.
Post function cleaning.
A professional agency to be hired post the wedding to formally disinfect the entire place, immediately after the function is completed.
Provided in the interests of all the brides n grooms.
Yours artistically
Team Marriage Colours