ARTICLE BY : Arushi Sakhuja
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The novel coronavirus has put on hold a variety of events world over. While some have been cancelled, other large-scale gatherings have been postponed for the foreseeable future. The wedding industry has faced a major hit in light of the pandemic. Grand celebrations have been scaled-down to ensure attendees are limited to near and dear ones. In multiple cases, family members, close friends, bridesmaid and the best men from around the world have been unable to attend couples most important day due to travel and safety limitations. While some brides and grooms have been forced to cancel their celebrations this year, others chose to go ahead did so with tight restrictions. However, there’s no denying that a majority of those scheduled to tie the knot this year have been yearning to start re-planning their dream wedding. As the UK gears up for the first round of the Pfizer Vaccine to be rolled out this week, the hope of returning to normalcy is inching closer. And, this might be the ray of light the wedding industry has been waiting for. Could the vaccine launch mean the re-birth of grand, extravagant, and large-scale nuptial ceremonies for those to-be-wed next year? Earlier this week the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson shared some good news for those planning their D-day. In an interview he mentioned that there’s a real possibility that things could go back to normal for those getting married by Easter thanks to the coronavirus vaccine and lateral flow testing.The official statement said, “As we roll out community testing and get better at understanding how people respond to it and how it works, normality is very much on the cards. My hope is by summer, it really will be a different world for the weddings and events industry. And I hope that your potential customers will be full of confidence and optimism as well, and will be getting hitched in the normal well.”Despite the United Kingdom lifting the second lockdown on the 2nd of December, the wedding restrictions still apply. Under the current situation, marriage protocols permit a gathering of a maximum of 15 people for the wedding ceremony. The same rule applies for a reception celebration for those who live in Tier 1 or Tier 2 areas - and those who live in Tier 3 cannot have any reception at all. As the guest list gets smaller, there has been a rise in the number of virtual weddings. Couples are turning to online celebrations to ensure everyone gets to be a part of the festivities. Two lockdowns later, all we can say is fairy tales do come true. So all you brides, and grooms-to-be it’s time to get back to the hustle of planning a wedding because there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel.
Photography: Zehra Jagani, Zohaib Ali, Afzal Miah
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