The Car Parade wedding- “How does it work? is it worth it?”
As everyone is practicing safe social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, a new way to celebrate special moments or milestones has rolled up: the car parade.
In a “car parade,” people adorn their vehicles with decorations like balloons, signs, and streamers, then drive by a loved one’s residence. From afar, the car processions often beep their horns, play music, and shout well-wishes for birthdays, gender reveals, weddings, and more.
Last week I was sent an Instagram story from a client who was attending a Parade wedding. It was a genius idea i thought. So I called the vendor that I knew was a part of that wedding and did some research to find out more about this 600-people Parade wedding (yes you read that right-600 people traditional South Asian Wedding!)
Here is how the parade was structured:
The stage was positioned on the exterior of the venue where the valet would normally be. There was a curb parallel to the stage so that the cars coming around could easily get in and out of the stage area.
When you enter the parade ground which in this case was the parking lot of the venue, you are given a loot bag with a bunch of goodies. Especially if you have kids in the family!
Then, as you move along, you can see the best stage decorations and slowly reach the bride and groom.
Next to them is a hand sanitizing station and you have the option of getting out of the car and greeting the couple and taking pictures with them. You leave your blessings and the gift envelope with them and continue the parade where you have your “to-go” dinner bag ready for you.
There was also an ice-cream truck that was on-site giving all the guests their desired flavors using a “long social distancing proof pipe” to keep the desired distance.
It was surely an interesting wedding but my client asked whether it was worth it or not. In all honesty, I think the guests at some point must have gotten tired of waiting in line to get to the bride and groom and sitting in their outfits in the car with the type of heat we have been experiencing… I don’t know if thats the experience I would want my guests to leave with. Mind you, this wedding had over 500 people. so the number of cars that must have been lined up, the chaos, must’ve taken a toll on a few guests if not all.
If this was the only option available to redeem a large deposit with the venue and if you absolutely have no other option of postponing further, then yes, its worth it. But if you have the ability to postpone to a later date without losing a substantial amount of money, then I would recommend doing that instead.
All in all, I think “car parades” are fun for smaller events such as graduations, gender reveals, and even small wedding functions.
I always tell my couples that anyone can have a beautiful wedding, but what makes a lasting impact in the minds of your guests is how you make it unique and individual to the two of you. The logistic side of the equation follows the same mentality.
Some couples may have always dreamed of having a winter wedding, with cool, crisp air, velvet bridesmaid gowns, tweed suits, and a long-sleeved bridal Lehnga or Sari. For them, moving these plans to the middle of July would not make sense.
Other couples may feel that the season of the event does not matter to them. They simply want to tie the knot and celebrate all the milestone moments that come with a wedding reception, others want the whole shebang, the massive party, the fireworks, the dance performances- you name it.
Because of Covid, some couples have completely tossed the idea of a traditional 3-4 day pre-vents and celebrated a very intimate ceremony in their backyards while others have just “Zoom” ed the entire thing.
It’s preferential. You do you!