Intimate Home Lockdown Wedding: Deepika Weds Chitang in Mumbai

Bride Deepika Ghose and Groom Chitang had planned a destination wedding in Phuket, Thailand for 7th and 8th of March 2020. “I had dreamed and planned with every detail – it was my wedding after all, and like most girls, I had been planning it since before I can even remember,” says Deepika. The couple had waited for a long time, six and a half years to be precise when it came to finalising their wedding day.

They had braved many delays and changes and had finally managed to work out the dates that suited both families. “We even had a traditional Gujarati card writing ceremony a month before the wedding dates so we couldn’t change the dates!” adds Deepika. But the Coronavirus happened, and things started to fall apart… “I was still hopeful that the situation would die down, and we would still be able to have our dream destination beach wedding. We had paid for everything in advance – hotels, vendors, Thailand based planners, all our guests had booked flights etc…”

But as the pandemic worsened, they started worrying and were torn between cancelling, postponing and relocating the wedding. Unfortunately, the situation became such that their grandparents were asked not to travel as their age was a risk factor. And this decision prompted them to have a small intimate ceremony in Mumbai itself, at Deepika’s Nani’s house with their immediate family present. So, with their grandparents, parents and real siblings, they tied the knot in a simple ceremony. “It was beautiful and meaningful and special – I have practically grown up in that apartment, and it is also where my parents got married, so it was auspicious for many reasons.,” says Deepika.

The couple, albeit happy with their situation, did want to celebrate with their friends and extended family, but that would be a story for another day. Just ten days before their actual wedding date, they had to cancel all their bookings in Phuket as the situation had gone from bad to worse. So, they decided to have smaller functions in Bangalore set on 7th & 8th of March. Lucky for them India was not in complete lockdown yet.

Deepika and Chitang then planned an entire wedding from décor to venue to everything else in 10 days! Of course, there were heartbreaks as many guests couldn’t make it and they couldn’t replicate a beach wedding, so they had to make do with what was available to them.

“We learned to let go of the small things and minute details that I was once so determined to perfect for the occasion. We consciously focused on the meaning behind the wedding and the celebration and what’s important. Our guests were so helpful, supportive and understanding every step of the way and we felt so blessed and so grateful that we were able to still have a celebration as well as our meaningful wedding. We learned how to approach the situation with grace instead of regret, and we were all happy with the way (most) of it went off.”