“Home is where love resides, memories are created, friends and family belong, and laughter never ends”
When it comes to weddings, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought along an uncertainty about wedding dates, vendors (like wedding photographers), travel plans, the number of guests etc. But despite all this one thing is certain – wherever and whenever it may be, every wedding should be beautiful. And what could be more beautiful and intimate than your own home?! A home filled with your memories and laughter, and every corner telling a story; invoking love and nostalgia. Now if you are one of those who find this appealing, here are a few innovative ideas to make a personal celebration at home feel intimate yet memorable:
- Best part about getting married at home is that you can have control on each and every aspect of your wedding and at the same time, you need not worry about hygiene and sanitization!
- First and foremost, always keep in mind what is important to you and your partner and skip the things that don’t matter – whether it’s the flowers, the food, the music or the guest list. Make sure you and your families and on the same page regarding the important stuff.
- Since the number of guests is limited to just close family and friends, make sure to personally call and invite each and every one of them in addition to sending a formal invite. Another good gesture would be sending a personalized hamper with the wedding invitation card.
- Choose open spaces like the lawn or terrace for hosting the functions. If you have a swimming pool in the house, it adds a relaxing vibe with the rippling sounds of the water in the backdrop.
- Instead of going OTT with your wedding attire, go for a classy minimalistic look that allows more movement. Since you will be at home the whole time, you would be more comfortable this way. Pick a lightweight lehenga instead of a heavily embroidered one so you look like a bride but don’t look out of place.
- An Indian wedding is incomplete without food. Think outside the box and personalize the food menu as per the guests. Adding things like food trucks or colourful cocktail bars are also a great way to enhance the arrangements.
- Small weddings are easier with the budget, which allows ample opportunity to have fun with the décor. The idea is to retain the spirit of the family home ideas and add small cultural details to it. Try bold and bright coloured drapes to make the place look livelier and add flowers complimenting them. Another great hack is to add lots of different potted plants around the corners to give a more soothing vibe to the dead spaces. Tea lights and fairy lights around the trees and plants also add to the festive look.
- You can put extra effort in the seating arrangements and make sure they are uniquely decorated as well. Instead of cluttering your home with multiple tiny tables, get one big table for the entire family to sit together and dine. Cover the table with a cheap table runner, lots of bouquets, candles and lanterns. Personalized name tags for everyone is a great way to add fun to the normally boring tables. You can add those to the chair backs as well (Fun tip : Write everyone’s nickname instead of their real names)
- A cosyhaldi/mehendi at home can have a small colourful tent with bright details in the form of colourful cushions forming the background. Ombré garlands also make for a beautiful backdrop. Get your friends to bring some speakers and dance away the night on your favourite Bollywood songs from your childhood.
- For the Sangeet you can light up the house with scented candles in gold accents and add marigold everywhere for the royal look. These are easily available in the market and look fantastic. You can even hang lanterns for creating a starry night look.
- If you have a big enough terrace or backyard, you can create a more fancy space by using a canopy for the pheras. They serve as a very good alternative to tents. Use rich fabrics in pastel colours to add a luxurious feel to your home wedding. Make sure the canopy is slightly elevated to make the guests feel more intimate.
- A limited people home wedding helps ensure you are truly comfortable with those you surround yourselves with; and since these are your closest friends and family, make sure to schedule an event especially dedicated to entertainment. Dig up old family traditions and involve the whole family and guest list in those old school wedding games. There’s nothing more fun than engaging in fun and frolic on your wedding day laughing with everyone around you.
- For a big event with a large guest list, a family home can pose many challenges. But it has a lot of perks when it comes to a smaller group. For example, you can have a photo wall with pictures of memories made with all the near and dear ones at your home wedding. It’s traditional yet extremely personal since it gives every guest the opportunity to add pictures of their favourite memory with you!
- Another custom décor hack would be to add quirky hand painted boards everywhere as signage. You can choose a variety of options from basic colourful cardboards, metal boards to mirrors.
- To be surrounded by those you love, celebrating life and togetherness is blissful. And a great way to show gratitude for the same is to shower your guests with wedding favors. It will forever serve as a sweet reminder of your wedding if you add a framed group picture from the wedding for every guest.
- Being free from the expenses of a large wedding at a special venue, you can invest more in a better wedding photographer that will capture forever memories of your intimate wedding.
Home weddings provide just the right amount of privacy as compared to outdoor impersonal spaces. It is a true celebration of the love blossoming around every corner along with making tons of memories with every single guest. And of course, having an unforgettable wedding where you get to save a lot of time and money is a win-win for everyone!