Soon after their engagement, Janaki and Pratik began planning their 400 person South Asian wedding. Ultimately deciding to hold their nuptials in Janaki’s hometown of Albany, NY,  family and friends from all over the world were going to come to celebrate and vendors from outside the area were contracted to help with the intricate décor. Yet, when the pandemic hit the couple was torn on what to do.

“After months of agonizing over whether we should postpone, cancel, or down-scale our wedding, we decided to down-scale our wedding to a single event in my parent's backyard on our originally planned wedding date.” 

Credit: Fabula Photography

Safety was the couple’s first and foremost priority when deciding to go ahead with their micro wedding. They scaled down to a 50 person guest list and switched to all local vendors to abide by the travel restrictions during COVID. “We hired Total Events to initially create unique, modern décor elements for our venue to supplement our traditional South Asian décor (from another vendor).”

After having to downsize and re-design their wedding, Janaki and Pratik went through Total Events for their full décor and rentals to get everything they needed. While many aspects of their wedding had not originally gone to plan, the couple decided to focus on what they could control, the décor and small details of their celebration.

“Our theme for our micro, outdoor, COVID wedding became "rustic with pops of color" and safety! Total Events and Surroundings Floral studio did an AMAZING job making our vision for the open-concept, floral mandap and the dining tent come true. The way they used fabrics and florals to complement the elements of nature in my parent's backyard was just perfect!”

Credit: Fabula Photography

Janaki’s Advice for Brides-To-Be:

“If things don't go originally as planned, don't stress and try to find the silver lining! In the end, some things will go "wrong" but all the happy and positive moments will totally outweigh those minor blunders.”

 The couple even found ways to make their virtual and socially distanced guests feel like they were a part of the celebration. To include as many friends and family as possible they planned a “Vidai parade” around the neighborhood where guests waited at specific gathering points to congratulate the bride and groom and a live-stream production was conducted by Fabula Photography. “They felt like they were there with front-row seats the entire time, and it made us feel very happy that everyone could feel included.”

Credit: Fabula Photography

Luckily, through all the challenges thrown their way, Janaki’s vision for their wedding was turned into reality in her parent’s own backyard! In the end, all of their guests loved how intimate and thoughtful each element of their wedding was, despite the limitations set during COVID. “

They loved the personalized details and the fact that they felt safe attending our wedding. We really tried to go above and beyond to ensure that tables were placed 6 feet apart, that everyone was given cleans masks to wear, that everyone had more than enough hand sanitizer, and that food was served by professional staff.”

Check out Janaki’s full review on WeddingWire!

Vendors:

Photography: Fabula Photography 

Catering: Sukhadia Caterers

Coordinator: Amanda’s Errands and Events 

Planning & Design: Xquisit Events 

Floral & Decor: Surroundings Floral Studio

Indian Decor Rentals: Abhishek Decorators 

Cake & Treats: Coccadotts Cake Shop 

DJ: DJ Albany 

Hair & Makeup: Saba 

Bridal Jewelry: 9rock 

Mehndi Artist: Henna by Nayalesh