India is famous for a multitude of unique things, and an Indian wedding is one of them. Indian Weddings are elaborate, exquisite and extravagant. It’s an event every family looks forward to. Savings of a lifetime are invested in the span of a week. This massive expenditure is contradictory to the Indian Saving Culture; however, it is an unavoidable expense, a societal obligation that no Indian can abstain from. In this article, you will find out how Indian Weddings are different from weddings all over the world.
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Extra Extravaganza
Indians are famous for their saving habits; however, when it comes to weddings, Indians are spendthrift. They save for a lifetime to spend on this occasion. The decorations are elaborate, the venue is grand, there are many food items, and various rites and rituals. From the number of guests to the number of dishes, everything is colossal in terms of quantity-
Indian weddings are never a private affair, because as per the Indian ideology ‘If you are getting married, the world must know’.
2. The number of Rituals
A common Western wedding takes a day to complete, contrary to that, a typical Hindu marriage usually takes a week to complete. There are so many different rites and rituals that require the participation of various friends and relatives. There is the Engagement, Sangeet, Haldi, Mehendi, the Wedding and a lot more…The engagement is the first ceremony of the wedding. The potential bride and groom put engagement rings on each other, and those rings become tangible proofs of their upcoming wedding. It happens a lot before the wedding. The other ceremonies take place in one week.
After all the months of preparation and planning, finally, the much awaited week comes into play. Not only the bride and the groom are excited but every person related to the couple in some way or the other is thrilled. They are planning their costumes, and there are rigorous dance rehearsals for the dance battle. Every event is unique and carries a charm of its own. There are different sets of rules to perform all these rituals. These rituals allow people to meet and have fun with their families. No matter how busy family members are, they always try to make their best to attend every moment of this occasion.
NOTE: If you are going to attend an Indian Wedding for the first time, make sure you spare a week so that you get to witness every ceremony.
3. Rich and elaborate Clothing
In an Indian Wedding, clothes are of massive importance. A great deal of money is spent on wedding attires. The planning starts long before the wedding. Since there are a lot of ceremonies, one needs a variety of clothes as well. A lot of time is consumed in shopping for clothes and their stitching. No matter how quick a person is at shopping, purchasing traditional clothes is always a cumbersome process. There is a lot to mix and match, and a lot to accessorize.
This point especially applies to women’s wear. They have to put on these elaborate embroidered lehengas, sarees and suits. They are extremely heavy and sometimes, way too challenging to carry.
The heavy clothing rule doesn’t apply to the bride and the groom only. All the people who will be a part of the celebration must adorn heavy traditional clothes and follow the dress code. It implies that Indian Weddings are not an expensive deal only for the ones getting married, but also for those who will be attending the wedding. People often give expensive gifts too. You can check out https://melissabrielleboudoir.com/ for a special find.
4. The countless food items
The menu of an Indian Wedding is no less than a dream. There will be more than 100 dishes, and by the end of the event, you won’t be able to try even half of them. The food is exquisite and delicious. There is too much of everything that one feels full by merely having a look at the food section.
Earlier there used to be only traditional food at Indian Weddings, but these days there is a modern touch added to it. Cuisines from different parts of the world are added in the menu. Cakes are an integral part of a Western Wedding, and nowadays even Indian couples are having the cake cutting ceremony. It usually happens at the reception of the couple; the wedding planners manage to order a cake from portals like India Cakes and allow the couple to enjoy this ceremony.
5. The Vidaai
Indian families remain intact throughout. The children do not live separately. Parents don’t prefer to let their children alone, independently. This is why Vidaai becomes the saddest event of the wedding.
As soon as the daughter gets married, she is supposed to move to the groom’s place, and live with her husband and his family. Vidaai is the last event of the Wedding ceremony photography where the bride takes a leave from her real family and settles into new domesticity. After all the frolic, the situation turns poignant. Tears well up in the eyes of the bride’s family. The entire scenario is so touching that anyone who is a spectator of a Vidaai cannot help but cry.
Disclaimer:
The information provided above doesn’t conform to the entire Indian Diversity. India is a country of diverse languages and cultures; there is no uniform pattern that follows. This article is written from the perspective of a North Indian. It is based on individual analysis and understanding, and there is no intention to hurt the sentiments of any Indian community.
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