With pandemic redefining weddings, service providers in Nagaland are forced to adapt

Our Reporter

Dimapur, Aug. 30 (EMN): Marriage ceremonies across the country have been put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic; and the lockdown has forced people to either cancel or opt for intimate weddings.

Conversely, it has affected the associated service providers, especially the wedding planners and the photographers.  

A photographer based in Nagaland, Mongsen Phom, while speaking to Eastern Mirror, said, ‘In this extraordinary situation, one cannot deny the overwhelming impact it has had on each one of us, be it personal or professional. As for me, I had to cancel around ten weddings and like everyone else caught in this unexpected pandemic, I struggled to be productive.’

‘On a positive note, since I was travelling and working from September 2019 to March 2020, this break has given me the chance to work on my pending projects. Of course, I miss going out and capturing moments. However, I take this as an opportunity to finish my work and spend quality time with my family. Staying home during this lockdown has forced me to be more creative and I try experimenting with what I can within the limited space at my place,’ he shared.

Another photographer, Achano Tungoe, said that she has been ‘filled by people’s experiences of how they have been affected by the outbreak of Covid-19’.

“Most of us don’t like change, most of all when the change is imposed on us and we can’t do anything about it. With the country, along with most of the world going into lockdown, we have seen that photographers have been hit the hardest, especially event photographers because many events have either been cancelled or postponed. For some professionals like us who have just started up with a small studio, it has been shut down for months, no clients, no way of income. So, in both ways we’ve been doomed at present,” she said.

Tungoe went on to state that ‘no matter how you feel about Covid-19, there are real financial implications’. The best thing one can do is to remain calm, be smart and prepare for the future so that ‘we can continue to thrive in any economy’, she added.

Aboli Dina Yepthomi, a wedding planner, shared that the pandemic has affected every walk of life including the wedding industry too.

‘When the country went into lockdown, many of the weddings, which we have been preparing for, got cancelled; thus the purchases and preparation just went down the drain. Our clients are mainly from our neighbouring states and we are getting queries for the next season, which starts, from October. Unfortunately, we are unable to confirm them of our services since we are uncertain about the SOP for working in a different state.

‘Plus, we cannot afford to have our team quarantined for 14 days out of the state and 14 days after coming back. In addition, we are facing untold difficulties in maintaining the rent for our godowns as well as paying salary of our permanent employees,’ she shared.

‘Intimate weddings are being discussed and planned, which seems fine considering the situation. However, we are worried as we have so much material accumulated and our warehouses are filled with materials, furniture to name a few, according to the requirements of the weddings we’ve been preparing for, as on average our Naga weddings have 1000 guests. At some point, we feel that intimate weddings are good as there will be lesser usage of resources.

‘But at the end of the day, our society is a close knit one and inviting relatives, friends, extended families, etc becomes unavoidable. We employ 30 to 40 workers on an average per wedding for a medium-sized wedding. As for an intimate small wedding, the number of workers will be downsized to 15%,’ she informed.

Yepthomi hoped that there would be ‘an early solution to the Covid-19 situation’.

Another event planner, at Luleconcepts, shared that “this is a difficult time for everyone, particularly the hospitality and the event industry because ours is a celebration business”.

“Our job is based on the need for people to gather and assemble. The coronavirus and the lockdown have definitely caused a big setback for our operations. It’s easy to get caught up in the fear of the future and the unknown but we believe that in time this too shall pass,” she said.

According to her, there is a lot of uncertainty, anxiety and scheduling conflicts that event planners are working through currently while trying their best to put clients at ease and accommodate their requests.

“Although large gatherings are put on hold for some time now, we see a new trend emerging with couples swapping their grand celebrations with smaller and intimate gatherings. This season, the scale of the weddings will downsize with limited guests, which also means more tailored experiences starting from the decor to the arrangements and so on. Strict precautions will become a major part while organising micro events. Budgets, trends and aesthetics will change but weddings will go on which is not a bad thing because it also means that a more personalised and meaningful guest experience will take precedence. Celebrations will be appreciated more than ever,” she said.

Visituonuo Rio, the proprietor of Kats Collection, recently ventured into event planning only to be caught by the lockdown.

Rio shared that even though the business has been shut since the imposition of lockdown in March, she still has to pay for rent and the staff salary; thereby affecting her start-up.

However, with markets starting to open up, her store has been operational since August, with customers starting to walk-in.