Lavish open-air wedding venues across the city left dripping after cyclone-driven freak showers wash out Monday shaadis; planners suffer huge losses, one couple has to make do with pheras in the changing room
When Mumbai's couples were planning a December 2017 wedding, they hadn't anticipated that a cyclone, of all eventualities, would play spoilsport. Monday showers caught the city off guard, and wedding planners and couples who had opted for an open-air venue were the worst hit after they were left scrambling for shelter following the possibility of a washout.
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Chetna Yerunkar and Indraneel Sadadekar said the guest turnout was really low
One of the wedding planning companies that had organised a celebration at MMRDA grounds in BKC claims to have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1 crore due to the rain. Another wedding that had been planned on a ground in suburban Andheri had to be shifted to a changing room.
Puran Singh of Yes Events in charge of a wedding at MMRDA Grounds, BKC
Recalling the nightmarish turn of events, Puran Singh, operations manager from Yes Events, which had organised the wedding at MMRDA grounds, said, "The wedding ceremony had just begun when it started raining. The pheras were to be held post midnight, but since the rain did not stop, we had to shift the programme to an indoor hall in Vidyavihar."
The Chitrakoot ground at Andheri (W) that had to be abandoned. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar
While the organisers managed to shift the venue and transfer the 1,500-odd guests, a 75,000 square-feet-long carpet used at the ground had been destroyed after it got completely soaked. Expensive designer wooden chairs, sofa sets and tables worth R40 lakh were also damaged due to the rain. "In total, we suffered losses worth Rs 1 crore," said Singh.
A wedding that had been organised at MMRDA grounds in BKC, had to be shifted to Vidyavihar after heavy rain destroyed the furniture and carpet. Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar
Meanwhile, Richita Shah and Shamik Hirani's grand wedding celebration planned at the Chitrakoot ground in Andheri West, nearly took a beating. However, quick thinking on part of the couple's families and the management saved them too much worry. Around 5.30 pm, when it just began raining, the relatives decided to shift the venue from the 20,000 sqft ground to a 5,000-sqft indoor venue. The pheras took place inside a changing room within the hall due to lack of space.
Pic/ Pradeep Dhivar
Shrushti Shah, sister of the bride, said, "I am glad that the management at Chitrakoot made arrangements to shift the venue."
The family had also planned a few surprises for the bride and groom, including an entry on motorbikes and a few dance numbers, but all of that had to be cancelled.
The abandoned Chitrakoot grounds in Andheri West where couple Shamik Hirani and Richita Shah had initially planned to hold the wedding function
Chetna Yerunkar and Indraneel Sadadekar are another young couple, who got married yesterday. The reception venue was an open ground at Lokhandwala, which was completely soaked. To their luck, the wedding ceremony was over before the rain started. "We had expected a huge turnout, but most guests were unable to travel to the venue," said Yerunkar.
A photographer takes cover under an umbrella. Pic/ Ashish Rane
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