Some time back, weddings were pretty low-key, especially during the first wave of the pandemic. People did not want to splurge, given the gloominess. However, now, with the pandemic almost over, weddings are a grand affair once again. But there is one change. More and more people are opting for Vedic-style weddings that are different from the glitz and glamour of the past.

Of course, Vedic-style weddings too come with a price tag, but again the splurging depends on the person or the family. From the big, fat wedding decor to these 'rich in tradition' weddings are a change both for the bride and groom and those attending the wedding.

Recently, the city's well-known interior designer Padma Reddy's daughter Vaishnavi got hitched to Anmol at the ancient Sri Sita Rama Chandra Swamy temple in Ammapalli near Shamshabad. The city's who's who attended the wedding and the grand wedding pictures went viral instantly.

Satyanarayana Murthy, the chief archaka at the 800-yr-old Ammapalli temple, shares, "Vedic wedding is one that follows every single ritual and tradition written in Vedas thousands of years ago – right from what the bride and groom wear down to what minute and second they enter the venue."Murthy says that more and more people are seeking God as the success rate of marriages is bleak. Included in the Vedic rituals are Ganapati puja, Gowri puja, Paalu-perugu, sampradayam, jeelakarra bellam, kanyadaanam, maangalya daaram, talambralu and Arundati nakshatram. Even the food served is pure vegetarian, including a variety of curries, dals, pickles, etc.

Vividh wedding planners got the entire act together for the wedding at Padma Reddy's house. M Vamseedhar Reddy, the MD of the company, shares that they melted sambrani or myrrh all over the place for the place to smell heavenly. There were torches and diyas all over the place. Priests below the age of 15 were flown in, especially from Varanasi, for the wedding. The drummers during the mangalya dharana were from Kerala.

Similarly, another couple, Yuthika Raju and Nirav Varma, tied the knot in a similar style. The bride shares that it was a wedding that she had dreamt of ever since she watched the film Murari. Her wedding planner Devika Narain ensured that the temple was put to good use and also planted banana trees and shrubs a month prior to the wedding to give back to the temple. They, of course, completed the decor during the wedding. The palette was borrowed from aarti and Mauli; bells and temple flowers were used to adorn the entire landscape. Over 12,000 diyas were used to light the step-well.