Authored article by Manju Baghel, Wedding Specialist, Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway

Although the coinage ‘Intimate wedding’ is fairly new and possibly started when millennials decided to have weddings with closest circle of friends and family instead of a large-scale wedding, the concept is not new and is definitely not a fad. Intimate weddings are here to stay as it is an individual’s choice. Intimate weddings give people a chance to restrict the guest list and splurge on the set up, food, theme and so on. People go all out on pampering their guests and taking the oomph factor a few notches up when it is an intimate wedding. Of course, this became the norm during the pandemic because of the mandatory restrictions but many took their cue from that and decided small weddings were a way to be more sustainable, be more mindful of the wastage and make it more meaningful with their closest friends and family.

When it is an intimate wedding, hotels work hand in hand with the party to take care of their guests’ needs and customize food preferences of each guest, looking at dietary restrictions in terms of them being Vegan, Gluten free, and so on. These sorts of weddings are being preferred by the millennials as they want to share this special moment with select friends and family members and make it an affair to remember. Intimate weddings can have a colour theme, an eco-friendly theme with recyclable decor, or one where the couple want to make a statement by planting saplings.

For hotels, intimate weddings give them the scope to shine by offering value ads to the small group of people, allocating more staff per person, going an extra mile and really making it a memorable experience for them and their guests. These are primarily leisure properties that have the expertise to deliver the luxury of the big fat Indian wedding in a small-scale intimate format.

As couples are embracing trimmed-down weddings, the hospitality sector is suitably adapting to meet every whim, fancy or wish a couple desires; the most skilled and inventive Chefs are creating culinary wonders; talented florists, and dedicated housekeeping staff are making it their mission to transform dreams into reality.

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