A meticulously planned wedding reception in Hubballi took an unexpected digital turn after India's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled a flight, leaving the newly married couple and their parents stranded over a thousand kilometers away in Bhubaneswar. The incident highlights the cascading effects of last-minute flight cancellations on personal milestones.
The Planned Celebration and Sudden Travel Snag
Sangam Das from Bhubaneswar and Medha Ksheerasagar from Hubballi, both software engineers based in Bengaluru, tied the knot in Bhubaneswar on November 23. A grand reception was scheduled for December 3 at Gujarat Bhavan in Hubballi, the bride's hometown. Relatives had gathered, the venue was decorated, and all arrangements were complete.
The couple, along with family members, had booked IndiGo tickets from Bhubaneswar to Bengaluru, with a connecting flight to Hubballi for December 2. Other relatives also had bookings from Bhubaneswar to Mumbai and onward to Hubballi for the same day. However, their travel plans began to unravel from the morning of December 2.
A Day of Uncertainty and Last-Minute Cancellation
According to the family, IndiGo staff repeatedly informed them that the flight was "delayed" throughout the day, starting from 9 am on December 2. This state of uncertainty persisted late into the night. It was only between 6 pm and 8 pm that the airline finally announced the flight's cancellation.
By the morning of December 3, merely hours before the reception was to begin, the formal cancellation left the couple and their parents with no viable alternative travel options. Medha's father, Anil Kumar, expressed his frustration, stating that an earlier notification from IndiGo could have allowed them to make other arrangements. The lack of timely information made physical attendance impossible.
The Virtual Reception: Making the Best of a Bad Situation
Faced with a hall full of waiting guests in Hubballi and scheduled rituals, the families decided to proceed with the reception virtually. The guests took their seats at the venue as planned. Meanwhile, in Bhubaneswar, Medha and Sangam dressed in their wedding finery and joined the event via a video link.
The couple interacted with their guests, completed the formalities, and even apologized with folded hands for their unavoidable absence. They thanked everyone for their understanding and for embracing the digital solution. The reception, though not as envisioned, was successfully conducted, turning a story of travel disruption into one of resilience and adaptability.
This incident underscores the significant personal and emotional toll that airline operational failures can exact, forcing families to innovate under pressure to salvage important life events.
