Are you planning a band, bajaa, or baraat in this tip-tip barsa pani season? Want to seal your love life with the ‘happy forever’ tag when the croaking of frogs and thundering of clouds are your sangeet buddies? I would say, Why not? In the last decade, we have had three monsoon weddings in the family, and believe me, they were high on the enjoyment quotient and drastically low on budget matters. With monsoon weddings, you can have your cake and eat it, too. Get a few essentials right, and you are set to enjoy your dream monsoon wedding.
👉Plan early for the wedding:
- If you have found the love of your life, before the chaotic monsoons begin, go about the what, how, when, who, and other such details well in advance.
- What will you be wearing to what the guest will be hogging on?
- How will the decorations and your wedding look?
- When is the exact date that you will be garlanding the sacrificial lamb?
- Who will be attending the wedding, and who can be given a miss? (The latter could be your partner’s ex.)
👉Wedding Venue based on your revenue:
Very difficult to search for the best banquet that is budget-friendly, guest-friendly, pet-friendly, baby-friendly, and of course, in-laws-friendly, isn’t it? Many times, we look for solutions outside when the wriggling little things lie inside us.
YOUR VERY OWN HOME!
Yes, your parents have built this space to create lifelong memories. They have invested in the place so that you can grow up secure here, study, dream, and live fearlessly in their nest. Then, why can’t you get married here? In cities where space is a constraint, housing society compounds, parking lots, and neighbours’ houses come in very handy. Instead of booking an expensive hotel for the Chandigarh-wale chacha ki family, ask your society secretary for empty flats in the society and rent them out for a day or two.
You cut down on the innumerable trips to the banquet hall, saving fuel, money, and patience that are much needed after the wedding. No yucks and yicks for your lehenga getting spoiled in the rain as well.
👉Decorating and Bonding:
When I decided to get engaged at my maternal home, I called my cousin’s gang to discuss the decorations. The crazy people dived into their parents’ antique collection and brought out some amazing lampshades, vases, dinner sets, old toys, books, and what not to personalise my wedding decor.
Make the place look like a part of you and not like a part of every other Tom Dick Harry’s wedding. Professional wedding decorators cost you a bomb and know nothing about your personality. Your family doesn’t need to be told what kind of purple cushions you have. They will not show you lavender and then settle for violet. Saves you from, ‘Bhaiyya, ye toh magenta hai, purple nahi!’
After the wedding, the lamp shades, and decor items go back to eating dust and can be used in the next wedding. As you hang the toran and paste the Shubh labh stickers, you pull each other’s legs, crack jokes, listen to some good music, and make memories for life with your gang.
👉Food For Thought:
‘Oh, the jalebis weren’t crisp as they ought to be.’
‘Did you try the samosas? Very oily.’
Even after a full meal, guests will have something similar to say. Let’s shut their mouths with some home-cooked, healthy food. For the catering part, look out for home-based catering services. Maybe, an aunty in your neighbourhood who, after her husband passed away, is running a cloud kitchen to keep herself afloat. Or a friend who has started exotic cooking at home?
The advantage of hiring such services is that you know what kind of oil and ghee go into the pan and later onto your plate. The amount of spice and oil can be controlled by sharing your palate pleasures with them. Because the aunty needs your money or the friend needs a market, as they have just started out, they are attentive to their client. Keep the menu simple yet tasty. Don’t add too many dishes, as then there is food waste.
Caterers generally cook in open or congested, with no ventilation, spaces. This increases the chances of water-borne infections during the monsoons. With ghar ka khana, you rule the roost.
👉AtithiDevoBhavo:
In a country like India, Jaunpurwali Chachi ke bhai ke saale ka dost is also family. Everyone needs to be invited, or else someone will be offended. So, now comes the million-dollar question of whom to invite and whom not to invite when the venue is your cosy little home. Here, the rain God will come to your rescue.
There will be people who will outright tell you that they can’t make it to the wedding because of high airfare or train cancellations. From those staying nearby, divide who will attend the sangeet, and the pheras, and who will attend both. Explain to them your conservative approach, as you want to spend quality time with them and not just meet and greet. RSVP is a must; make it clear politely.
👉Manish Malhotra or Sabyasachi?
When it comes to your wedding trousseau, chuck the big designer labels and opt for your mother’s or grandmother’s benarasi or zardozi silk sarees or lehenga. This is your rich heritage. You belong here. If that is not an option for you, then jump into the end-of-season monsoon sale. Here, designer labels will also be affordable.
👉Most awaited part- The Honeymoon.
Monsoon is generally an off-season period for the tourism industry. You can get really lucky with some good packages at Ooty, Kerala, Jaipur, Goa, and many other scenic places where the rains will add charm to your steaming romance. With good package deals, you can extend your stay and strengthen your bond.
Gosh!! I already feel like I have attended your monsoon wedding after writing this. If, with these tricks and hacks, you are able to make your parents proud, avoid the guilt trip of being extravagant, and make the Pammi aunty next door go green with envy, don’t forget to send me and my gals at The She Saga an invite.
Here is our RSVP!
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