Weddings are special! Aren’t they? Most of us have been waiting for this big day in our lives forever. No matter how different they are, we all have dreamt of our wedding ceremonies and have been planning them in our minds for quite a long time (Sometimes, even before we know who are we going to marry :P). The glitz and glam of the big fat Indian wedding, however, has made us forget to enjoy the real essence of our weddings i.e. to celebrate love and to celebrate the coming together of two individuals and families. 

ShaadiSaga got in touch with some of the brides who chose to celebrate their special day with those who mattered to them rather than hundreds and thousands of people who they hardly know. We found their experience to be beautiful, cherished, fun-filled, and as glamorous as the big fat weddings, if not more. We would love to discuss their experiences with you for you to feel their love as we did! So, get, set, and ready for some stories filled with intimacy, love, and a lot of emotions.

Brides Reveal Their #IntimateWedding Experience

#PuriNitinKi Made Us Believe That It’s Only Your Happiness That Matters, at Last!

From having a big Punjabi wedding with unlimited alcohol & a DJ that played music all night and festivities that lasted for days planned for them to finally taking their pheras among only the dearest one. Chaitali Puri calls her intimate wedding a rollercoaster of emotions. After they decided to postpone their wedding until next year, given the pandemic we live in, it was Chaitali’s father-in-law who asked them if they want to get married on the same date, what followed was 12 hours of madness and a beautiful wedding ceremony. 

“How many people do you see sitting around you and your partner when you’re having your pheras post-midnight? In most cases, not more than 50. This is your opportunity to cherish and celebrate your love with those immediate family members and focus all your energy on celebrating your love! When I pictured this scenario, I immediately knew I am not postponing my wedding to an unforeseen date! There were a lot of pros to this situation too- no more angry relatives, no more super expensive venue rents, and no more months of anxiousness”, says Chaitali on being asked what made her choose to get hitched with no more than 50 guests at the ceremony. She also has a piece of special advice for all of you planning an intimate wedding, this season. “Invest in a good photographer and the end result of your intimate wedding celebration will be so personal and special to you, that you’d live that moment over and over again.”

Surbhi Sandhir is in Love with #PalstoNagpals & So Are We!

Surbhi calls Intimate weddings the ‘new normal’. Surbhi, her friends and relatives have already been doing the wedding planning virtually, for they all happen to live in different parts of the world. Video calls were a saviour! Little did they know that that they would find themselves celebrating their big day virtually too. She mentions how little things like getting her lehenga customised by a local vendor to creating their wedding background all by themselves turned out to be the most cherished events of her wedding for her.  Not to forget her friends who stuck by her side via zoom and turned this one into a wonderful ‘Zoom Wali Shaadi’. 

Source: Surbhi Sandhir

We have always believed that love conquers all and it was an incredible experience to know a story that made us restore our faith all over again. Love can conquer even at the time of the pandemic. 

Source: Surbhi Sandhir

Kanika & Mohit said ‘I do’ like the ‘80s’ 

Kanika and Mohit, completely and hopelessly in love, were happy as their wedding preparations were smooth before the national lockdown was announced. They had to cut down their wedding guest list, for more than 50  people were not allowed to gather together to celebrate a wedding ceremony. Both of them, however, was sure that postponing the wedding isn’t an option. They knew they wanted to get married. It didn’t take them long to finalise their plan as they took the vows on 10 May 2020 with their closest ones surrounding them.

Source: Kanika Nagpal

Source: Kanika Nagpal

Sulakhni Chabba Vouch for #IntimateWedding after Having One Herself!

Sulakhni has loved the idea of the big fat Indian wedding ever since she knows weddings. She always wanted one for herself. All was working out for her before the world was hit by a pandemic and the Indian government ordered to not allow wedding ceremonies with more than 50 guests all over the country.

Disappointed at first, she along with her husband-to-be decided that she doesn’t want to postpone her wedding. The money that was saved bu cutting the guest list short gave them the luxury to have more wedding venue options, they chose to go for a farmhouse, at last. A decorator by profession, Sulakhni Chabba decorated her wedding venue herself! Customised masks were made for all guests and sanitizer-dispenser were installed in all corners of the wedding venue. Their home cook catered the food for their wedding. The couple and their closest friends//family ended up having the time of their life, filled with fun beauty and emotions minus the drama. Sulakhni concludes by saying, ‘we realised that this is how it should be done. Only close friends and family is all that matters at the end of the day.” and we agree!

The Lovebirds Smriti & Siddharth, Couldn’t Wait Any Longer! 

Smriti & Siddharth believe in destiny a little more after their unplanned yet beautiful intimate wedding. After spending days in Chandni Chowk to find her perfect lehenga Smriti found herself walking down the aisle in a beautiful red saree picked up for her by her father. 

As the preparation came to halt after the coronavirus outbreak hit the country and the Indian government announced that a wedding cannot have more than 50 guests, their families decided to postpone their wedding. They, however, knew that they cannot wait any longer to be each other officially and believed that all that mattered was the presence of those who mattered the most to them. After convincing their parents that they wanted this now, the couple had their small wedding ceremony with only 30 guests at Smriti’s residence. “The best part about this lockdown wedding is that we didn’t miss out on any rituals,” says Smriti remembering the best day of her life, she further adds,  “In the end, it is about being with your loved ones.”

Being Quarantined Together  Was All They Wished For!

Another one making us believe in the power of love a little more. Isha & Tushnik had planned a grand wedding filled with a lot of Band, Baja & Barat for themselves over the past 3 years. But destiny had other plans for them. After being engaged for a year, the couple decided to tie a  knot on the 18 of April 2020. The national lockdown, however, spoilt their plans. They took the very first opportunity that came in their way to call each other their, officially when the restrictions on weddings were eased. With only their 14 family members around, the couple had an intimate &  fun-filled ceremony on the auspicious day of Budh  Purnima. Their friends witnessed their special day via video calls. Isha tells us, “There was no kanyadaan and no vidaai. I left my house happy and not crying.” Further, she takes pride when her friends tell her that “They had been to a thousand weddings till now but never attended such a beautiful virtual wedding from the safety of their own homes”

Final Thoughts!

Here are the five couples who taught us that its love that matters, at last. They knew how to find their way to each other in the most difficult times and this, we believe, is inspiring. At ShaadiSaga, we talk, eat, and breathe weddings, for there is nothing more beautiful than coming together of two beautiful souls. We hope these stories helped and inspired you to be all exciting about your intimate wedding. Trust us! it’s beautiful! Did you have an intimate wedding too or are you planning to have one soon? Let us know in the comments section!

Got ideas to make intimate weddings memorable for soon-to-be-married couples? We would love to know. Drop them in the comments section!

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