Jayu and Harish's wedding
- vathsanclan
- Apr 25, 2017
- 3 min read
This time we came to India especially to attend Vathsan's sister's wedding.
I knew it's going to be a colorful, overcrowded and a bit chaotic event so I was already overwhelmed before this wedding even started. Just to let you understand why, when we first came to India ( with kids in 2015), Vathsan's parents threw us a party, for approximately 200 people. It took place in a rented nearby hall, everybody came all dressed up ( I am guessing, people usually look quite dressed up in India ) there was delicious catering provided and I spent majority of that evening greeting and meeting people who I saw for the first time in my life. Knowing that in Jayu's wedding the guest list was about to reach 1500 people at some point, I couldn't even imagine how are we going to say Hi to all of them...?
I was equally not sure what am I suppose to wear?
And how are we going to keep an eye on our kids in such a big crowd?
But then, the reality came, and as always, everything turned out a bit different : ) So let's just keep it simple. Here below are some bullet points just to give you rough idea and flavour :
- All these 200 people we met a year before at our party turned out to be the key guests in the wedding hence, I did not have to actually meet much more new people, this year I just had to say Hi to those whom I met already.
- Bride's brother has many important functions to do during multiple ceremonies, my vision of him keeping me company was the complete opposite.
- I ended up not wearing Saree ( because I don't know how and what if this thing will fall off? ). Big mistake, I was the only one, and my different outfit ( still local, but not saree ) was just so intriguing that pretty much everybody asked me why were I not wearing a saree...?
- It is actually ok to hang out around stage/ altar. In the set ups I know, usually altar is only for priest, the couple and their witnesses, in Jayu's wedding stage was pretty full, even if you think of how many priests were there sitting in the middle, but also filled with both parents, some aunties, Vathsan and even our kids, since they wanted to be close to Papa.
- Keeping eye on our kids was actually not too difficult. Very often they were just simply sitting on the stage, next to bride. During reception if they were not with me or Vathsan, then some other family member, it was like a big chain, if they would suggest they want to get back to us, like a boomerang, someone would bring them back.
- You don't have to be silent, it's ok to talk. The Polish weddings I have attended, both the church one and the non religious one, were quite short, between 15 - 60 minutes. That is why, there is absolutely no talking during the ceremony. A proper guest should come, sit and listen. But try to picture few days long wedding filled with ceremonies in Sanskrit, a language that Tamil people don't even speak?
- All food was served on banana leaves. Simply cool, huh! Makes you feel so environmentally friendly, although this tradition came way before the eco awareness.
- Bride was wearing beautiful henna all over her legs and arms, but henna artist was also ordered for the wedding and other girls and women could have it done ( so did Yana )
- Guests were leaving party with goodie- bags. I never saw it on weddings before, my first goody bag experience was coming from NZ, when our kids were bringing some from other kids birthday parties.
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