India's lavish weddings go online in virus lockdown, with thousands of guests and Bollywood dancing
- In a country famous for weddings that last for days, couples are modifying their marriage ceremonies under a lockdown limiting public gatherings
- The spread of the coronavirus and the nationwide lockdown took place as India’s wedding season was in full swing
Under lockdown and far apart, Sushen Dang and Keerti Narang went online to say their marriage vows – and pulled off a spectacular Indian wedding complete with thousands of guests and raucous Bollywood dancing.
In a country famous for lavish weddings that last for days, the young couple are among a growing number modifying their marriage ceremonies under a virus lockdown that has limited public gatherings.
Eager to go ahead with the arranged marriage on the auspicious date selected for them by a priest, the pair turned to the internet to tie the knot.
“We never imagined that even our online wedding would be so grand,” Dang, a 26-year-old data analyst who is based in Toronto, told AFP of the April 19 event.
“A hundred guests joined in our celebration on the app. We live-streamed the ceremony on Facebook which was watched by another 16,000 people.”