Big Fat Wedding = Big Fat Nothing. Is It?

They say marriages are made in heaven, well then why is it necessary to prove it to hundreds of witnesses. Indian marriages are nothing less compared to Award shows, just that only 2 families are gonna take care of the cost of all the guests till the event ends.

This beautiful ceremony has turned into business for many people. The heart aches to see entire life savings being spent for this one event to please OTHER people. A fact – Weddings/reception are for the guests to enjoy while the couple (for whom it is arranged) become “madam tussauds wax statues” who just solve the purpose of getting the pictures right.

After interacting with many family members who have hosted the weddings for their dear ones, my conclusion is – IT IS TOUGH – to host it – to please hundreds of guests – to make sure everything runs smoothly – to run million errands to ensure the guests don’t get disappointed with the arrangements – Aren’t we forgetting something – what about the couple? – well, they are under pressure to become the best mannequins to make an impression on everyone (coz relatives have an eye to notice even the tiniest fault especially when its time to analyze the bride), and after all this if you get to hear comments from the distant relatives about the things which didn’t make them happy (which is inevitable) – DEVASTATED – is how the hosts feel. In my opinion, wedding is supposed to celebrate the union of two people however; it has become everything but that.

Complaining has become the favorite topic of the folks who haven’t seen the bride or the groom in past 10 years. The different kinds of issues you could get to hear about are:

Food is not that Great.

They have not spent enough – its so tacky.

Omg,  why to spend so much of money.

The best I heard was – the bride could have found a better suitor.

Last but the most mandatory one:  gossiping about the past lives of the family members who are hosting the wedding (or the ones working towards ensuring everything is perfect for the guests).

Weddings have become a place where the distant relative get together, have a good time, eat, gossip about the mishaps of the lives of others and forget about the couple. Lastly the ones who are supposed to be the limelight of the show – the bride & groom – have to wait till everyone is fed to eat the food sponsored by their own families.

A quick tip for those who get invited to attend the wedding:

• Always remember the wedding is about the couple. You should be grateful to have been considered to be a part of celebration of the most important phase in their lives. So don’t try to steal their thunder.
• A lifetime of savings has been spent by someone to ensure you get the best of what they could afford. The least you could do is to not complain about what could have been better.
• If you cannot help or appreciate, don’t criticize.

My thoughts:

A happy marriage doesn’t require the presence of each and every person (whom we don’t see in past 10-15 yrs of our lives). A small wedding in the presence of the ones who matter the most to the couple – more importantly who have contributed in making their lives better and which makes them happy – is more logical. Because they are the ones who would help instead of complaining and it is worth to please them and celebrate something so special with them around.