Weddings in India are complex and complicated, specially if you are planning to have festivities spread over a few days and hope to have a lavish and elaborate affair. In a series of articles we shall give you certain guidelines on how best to plan the perfect wedding, so that you are able to go through all the functions in a relaxed manner with all the arrangements in place.
Date:
The dates for the wedding are normally chosen through the family pundit or priest. Hindus are very particular about auspicious dates, whereas the Christians ( link to Kerala wedding) look for a Sunday when the church is free and which suits all the major participants in the wedding. Once the date is fixed, every other date just falls into place around it.
Number of functions:
The next important step is to decide how many occasions are going to be held in conjunction with both sides. These could include the sangeet or the cocktail/dinners before the wedding, the mehndi celebration, the chura _( link to Punjabi wedding)– or other pre-wedding morning traditional occasions, the actual wedding day and the reception held by groom’s family after the wedding. Among the rich and the affluent, there are many smaller dinners held during the week before the wedding, just to have an occasion to gather together and get into the celebration mood.
Venues:
Good quality venues get booked up a year in advance, hence it is of immense importance that the venues are confirmed and advances paid to book them as soon as possible. Whether it is a five-star hotel, or a banquet hall, or even a wedding venue on the outskirts of the city, have a look at it carefully before you confirm. Check the toilets, the kind of amenities provided, the parking spaces for all the cars, the ambience around the area, and above all what is included in the rates they are charging. Some places charge extra for decorations, parking, tables and chairs, electricity and other such facilities. Make sure that you have it written down so that there are no last minute surprises.
