It was March of 2020 & the day had arrived for the two to become one. This was special, very special indeed! The world was grappling with a strange new menacing situation brought about with the novel Coronavirus, but like they say, love doesn’t wait.
India has a unique way of getting couples together in a wedlock. It’s an old culture, which is also widely accepted since it’s not only the ‘couples’ dream but also their families’. Arranged marriage – it had to be. This is how our beautiful couple Mamatha and Mohith met. That was 8th March of 2020, Jab they met.
But first there were a couple of obstacles to overcome as there was a protocol in order for the pandemic. Special permissions were sought for interstate border crossing and Mamatha being a cardiac anesthetist had to isolate herself for ten days before being able to meet the man of her dreams for the first time ever & those must have been the hardest 10 days!
It wasn’t too long afterwards that the couple decided to tie the knot and quickly both families were involved in prepping for the wedding. “Without a doubt it had to be Katha Weddings as they'd done my son’s naming ceremony and we knew that ‘Team Katha would give us what we wanted,” says the sister of the groom, Priyanka.
The marriage was solemnized as soon as the lockdown was relaxed in October of 2020. It was a traditional Telugu style wedding. The wedding itself was a very intimate affair that had numerous Covid 19 guidelines and restrictions to abide by. “That was in itself a huge hurdle to overcome”, recalls Priyanka. “we had to go back and forth on the guest list to see where we could cut down and so we had to divide our guests between the Muhurtham and Reception so we could have all our near and dear ones be a part.”
The reception took place at the Radisson Blue and the theme was elegance of pink and white. Throwing the prep team off gear were the uncertainties that had piled up since the beginning of the pandemic & the restrictive lockdowns. Sourcing flowers was especially challenging. “It was every wedding planner’s biggest nightmare - Flower scarcity!” recalls Team Katha with horror. Rates skyrocketed, as demand was high. Miraculously we managed to get the flowers we wanted and were able to pull through”.
The guests were welcomed to a beautiful “welcome panel” framed structure decorated with flowers and surrounded with bouquets of vibrant pink and white flowers. The long Radisson corridor had multiple stylish framed structures dressed with pink and white carnations and chrysanthemums surrounded with twinkling candles, giving a warm, fuzzy and welcoming feel to all our guests.
The main set beamed with class & elegance, a backdrop laden with hues of pink and white carnation and chrysanthemums, surrounded with vases, flowers and an ornately draped white fabric complimenting the vibrant pink flower wreath above it. “The set was beyond beautiful and Team Katha managed to do an amazing job despite the obstacles that were thrown at them! I was eagerly waiting to see what magic Katha Weddings would create for our next event, taking the situation into consideration!”, says Priyanka.
“We were extremely happy that our client loved the decor for their reception event and were hoping things would go the same way, but little did we know that was not the end of our nightmare! The reception was to end by 11pm, and we were to start work by 12am. But the rituals went on till 3am in the morning and we had to handover the mandap by 7am. There was barely any time, and we had to expedite the process but also make sure the work was being done with precision” exclaims Team Katha.
Theme for the Muhurtham was ‘Shiva and Parvati’, with dumroos (mini drums) and bells to give it an authentic temple feeling. “They couldn't go to the temple, so we brought the temple to them! But there was yet another problem. The primary flower for this event was Rudrakshi and our team searched every nook and corner and beyond to find these flowers but all in vain, as they were nowhere to be found! Through the situation we had to keep ourselves calm and collected. Thinking on our feet and the years of experience, we got the idea of using purple carnations which was a colour match & the next best alternative to the Rudrakshi. We explained to Priyanka the issue and to our luck she was very understanding and gave us the ‘go ahead’. However, the carnations were mighty expensive and we broke the bank paying for them” says Team Katha.
It being a temple theme, there was a magnificent Lord Ganesha’s statue in the passage, decorated with dazzling diyas, urulis filled with rose petals, damroos & rajanigandha garlands to give the guests that walked in a ‘Temple’ like feel. In the main corridor there were these beautiful, rich, gold structures customized with flowers like baby’s breath, button roses and purple carnations. In addition, there were tiny cute sparkling brass Nandis (Oxen) sitting on flower rangolis and urulis with rose petals. For the Mandap itself, there were antique solid wood pillars used, which date back to a century & were decorated with traditional flowers, rajanigandha strings and garlands. The ceiling of the mandap was covered with coconut sheets and the backdrop was made with large green banana leaves. “With limited time and off our schedule, we managed to finish the entire decoration in the nick of time.” says Team Katha.
“I am beyond impressed with how well Team Katha managed to pull off the events with umpteen number of hiccups and obstacles thrown their way - the pandemic and guidelines and restrictions to be followed! Always composed in front of us, though we knew that it was a very tricky situation for everyone. With smiles plastered on their faces, they ensured that everything would be ok, and without a doubt Team Katha went above and beyond to give us their absolute best! All in all, I'm glad it all went smoothly” recalls Priyanka with a relieved laugh.
