Roma Popat and Vinal Patel tied the knot recently at Braxted Park in Essex with around 250 guests watching the ceremony on a giant screen from their cars.
While many weddings turned into small and intimate affairs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an Indian-origin couple in the UK ensured they had their grand wedding with over 200 guests in attendance by staging a drive-in event.
Roma Popat and Vinal Patel tied the knot recently at Braxted Park in Essex with around 250 guests watching the ceremony on a giant screen from their cars.
The wedding was held even as the UK government reduced the number of guests allowed at wedding ceremonies and sit-down receptions to 15 people to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The newlyweds, both in their 30s and from London, waved to guests parked outside the wedding venue as they enjoyed a tour of the grounds in a decorated golf buggy driven by mask-wearing staff.
The bride said it meant everything to them that their friends and family were able to be a part of the celebration, though it wasn’t exactly as planned.
“When we had to postpone our wedding in April, we had no idea whether we would be able to get married this year or not,” Popat told The Guardian.
“We both come from big families. It meant we each had only our parents, siblings and a set of grandparents able to attend the ceremony in person,” the bride told Metro.
The guests dressed for the reception even though they were only in their cars, and “went crazy” as the rituals started.
“Everyone was honking their horns and cheering us. It was incredible,” she said.
Here’s a small glimpse of the ceremony:
The wedding planners said the idea was initially brought up as a joke before it was executed.
“The couple initially brought up the idea of a drive-in wedding as a joke. It sounded crazy but the more we talked about it, the more it seemed possible,” wedding planner Saheli Mirpuri told BBC.
On arriving at the venue, guests were given welcome hampers that contained hand gel and were requested to stay in their vehicles throughout, said a PTI report.
Since a buffet wasn’t possible, guests could choose from pizza, chilli chips, pasta, garlic bread and salad and it was delivered to their vehicles by catering staff on segways.
Staff at the venue said they were delighted to host an event like this.
“We are delighted to say this weekend we were able to overcome these new restrictions in a safe and secure way by hosting our first ever (and we believe first for the UK) drive in wedding ceremony here at Braxted Park,” a spokesperson for the estate told ITV.
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