Hyderabad: Weddings post 8/11 will be remembered for long as the guests will be forced to go back to the past and give Rs 101 as wedding gifts.
With the onset of the marriage season and the cancellation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, families of grooms and brides have been left in a lurch as they have to make advance payments to wedding halls, flower vendors, caterers and for other miscellaneous expenses.
Buying gifts for relatives and family members, which is a last minute affair, has come to a complete standstill. On the flipside, cash gifts of old notes can’t be given as they are no longer valid.
Mrs Madhavi Raman, a bride’s mother said, “When the banks re-open, how much money can we exchange? It is creating a lot of friction. The money being used by us is hard earned but we will now have to justify such a huge amount.”
Mr V. Nagraju, father of a bride whose marriage is scheduled on November 12, said, “We had to finalise the flower arrangements and pay advance to the caterer but everything got postponed. The vendors are asking for '100 notes but those are not available as the banks are closed.”
Another parent, Ms Muskan Ahmed, said, “We were to buy a two-wheeler for the groom and all family members had contributed cash for the same, but now it looks difficult as it is no longer valid. How are we to arrange gifts for the groom’s family?”
Many small-time caterers, cleaners and decorators do not have bank accounts and making payments to them online was not possible. Mr Rafique Khan, a caterer, said, “None of my friends are willing to give their account details as they do not want the money to be deposited in their accounts. I had an account but it is not in operation and till the banks open I will not know whether I can use that number..”
