Couple tie the knot on board flight to Madurai

Couple tie the knot on board flight to Madurai

Padmini.Sivarajah@timesgroup.com

Madurai:24.05.2021

Pompous weddings have become a thing of the past and lockdown weddings lacklustre events, but Meenakshi Rakesh and Dhikshana decided not to let the virus play spoilsport on their special day. On Sunday, they tied the knot on a flight from Bengaluru to Madurai with their relatives on board.

Sources said the entire contingent had cleared the RT-PCR test before boarding. In the video clip doing the rounds, the two are seen tying the knot inside the aircraft as nadaswaram plays in the background. The couple and their entourage later had q small reception at a hotel in the city.

Meanwhile, Sunday also saw several weddings advanced from the auspicious days of May 24 and 28 thanks to the relaxation allowed by the government ahead of the week-long total lockdown. They included the marriage of two doctors whose wedding was planned as a grand ceremony on Monday in Madurai. As the Covid second wave started, they started thinking of a low key affair.

“I did not print cards as it would have been a waste of money, designed one and sent by WhatsApp to relatives and friends,’’ said K Karthikeyan, father of the groom.

With the announcement of total relaxation for the weekend coming on Saturday afternoon, phone calls were hurriedly made urging all those who could make it to come for the wedding.

Decorators who had booked natural flowers for decorations were asked to do what they could with artificial ones. R Senthilkumar of Helo Events said the uncertainty had made four of his clients prepone their weddings planned for May 24, 28 and July 6 to Sunday. “However, 80% of the couples could not get the garlands or flowers of their choice, and had to manage with what was available,’’ he said. Many weddings were held outside closed temples including Sri Meenakashi temple.

A Ravichandran, a priest who conducts weddings, said many elderly priests are wary of attending weddings. Hence, some younger priests who did not have any bookings were enlisted at the last moment for the rituals. “They came double masked with turmeric applied on their hands because marriages have become a risky affair,’’ he said. The demand for flowers in the Matuthavani flower market also went up with jasmine selling for ₹500 a kilogram.

SKY HIGH: Meenakshi Rakesh and Dhikshana tied the knot on a flight from Bengaluru to Madurai with their relatives on board