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When you ask a
foreigner what is the most colorful occasion marked on an
Indian’s calendar… most would reply apart from the festivals, it
is the wedding.
Whether invited or
not, but if a tourist knows of an Indian wedding in close
proximity to where they are, they just pick up their camera and
go click-clicking till they have not completed a few roles of
film getting almost every guest at the wedding, not to forget a
dozen pictures of the bride, groom and the ceremony.
While weddings are marked in white in the west, in India its all
about the reds and its other family colors. The Indian wedding
dresses are in vibrant and eye-catching colors with gold work
done all over. |
The bride and her groom like the dolls
one usually sees at the stores. She is covered from head to toe, they
say mainly so that no one can cast an envious eye on her. The groom is
dressed in an embroidered Indian suit, with a pearl or gold necklace and
a colorful headgear.
Earlier the Indian wedding traditions that were followed were specific
for the varied casts. There were specific prescribed ways in which
people from their respective casts were married off. However, because of
the increasing inter-caste marriages, many couples opt for the best of
all casts. So, the sangeet ceremony that was one of the main events in a
North Indian wedding has become a part of every wedding celebration,
across the nation.
Another interesting aspect is that if its an inter-caste marriage then
they couple marry twice – once following the groom’s way of marriage and
then the brides. So, instead of a wedding happening in one or two days,
the celebration goes on for almost a week. Of course, there are also the
busy one’s who simply have court marriage and small temple ceremony and
are back to their desk on the same day.
Though most brides prefer to wear the chaniya choli or the ghagara choli,
yet the Indian wedding sarees are a rage in many parts of India.
However, this is more so in the southern parts of the country where all
the womenfolk wear the typical south silk sarees that are rather
expensive and do look very grand. Even in eastern India the bride is
made to wear the traditional Bengali saree till date. However, for the
reception she is allowed to wear whatever she prefers.
Indian bridal wear can range from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10 Lakh. This kind of
price variation depends on various factors such as the designers, kind
of fabric, threads and stones used. It is not that those on the lower
scale do not look rich. However, these are not made from pure gold
threads and wires, or precious stones. The fabric is not pure silk. But
all the same the bride looks as gorgeous, no matter what her dress costs..
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