{"id":1068,"date":"2018-06-10T01:11:16","date_gmt":"2018-06-09T19:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.wordpress.com\/?p=1068"},"modified":"2018-06-10T01:11:16","modified_gmt":"2018-06-09T19:41:16","slug":"weddings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/?p=1068","title":{"rendered":"Weddings&#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_1068\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"1068\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon small\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>I always (used to) tell my dad, &#8220;My wedding should be like a festival (thiruvizha)&#8230; Like a celebration&#8230;&#8221; It normally should be, right? I mean a wedding is when a family invites a new member into their home. It is when two families actually become one for the sake of two individuals. Of course it should be the place for all happiness. It should be where everyone feels the pain in their cheek from all the smiling and the pain on their feet from all the dance of joy.<\/p>\n<p>It used to be. I guess! I mean my parents&#8217; time weddings seem to have actually genuine happy and fun stories. No candid picture but just memories. Those were also costly affairs but the cost back then would mostly be from the wedding hall which would need to accommodate all of their relatives and the food. There was no expensive wedding photographer, no 1 lakh rupees worth lehenga (my mom wore a cotton saree), no candid video, no unnecessary events (I mean when did sangeet start becoming a part of our tradition?) nothing of that sort. There were hiccups here and there. But then what event goes without one?<\/p>\n<p>Since my father has been seeing all the wedding trends nowadays he assumed I was asking for a royal wedding. Nope!\u00a0 I was asking for a gathering. Like a festival. Where people get together and have fun, be happy, have loads of smiles and laughs. I grew up in a nuclear family. Never had the chance to experience the fun side of a joint family. I don&#8217;t have cousins who have dirty childhood secrets about me. Hell! I don&#8217;t even have friends who stuck with me for that long. If I ever get married it will probably be just me, my parents and my brother. I don&#8217;t have a huge crowd being happy for me. So I used to wish for that. I used to sit and watch songs where huge family crowd will surround the bride and groom and celebrate the wedding. I love such songs.<br \/>\nYou sort of end up falling in love with the things you yearn for&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>But my biggest question now is are any weddings actually just being a family gathering anymore? I mean sometime between then and now a huge change came up and weddings became a show off runway where each family competes to show who has the costliest outfit for the evening. Girls try to dress better than the bride and upset her. The stage decorations are brought out from movie sets. The loud music and the choreographed dancing. Seriously&#8230;<br \/>\nWhen did weddings start becoming such hectic affairs. Spending so much on photographers for what? You don&#8217;t even frame that picture and hang it on a wall in your rented apartment because your landlord won&#8217;t allow it. You end up either with a huge hole in your bank account or a huge debt. Both of which are not good. You feel upset during your wedding ceremony because the the makeup wasn&#8217;t what you wanted or the stage decorations are not what you dreamt of. You have arguments as to which expense is from whom&#8230; You invest in a lehenga\/sherwani which you will literally never wear because it is too heavy and too glitzy. I don&#8217;t understand.<\/p>\n<p>For whom are we putting this show? What do we get out of this? A wedding night where you are dead tired? A sangeet night where you are not enjoying because your 25000 rupees lehenga is tight and uncomfortable? A sleepy wedding ceremony because you have to wake up 3 hours earlier to get the makeup on? So while getting married all you think of is to go to bed and not experience the complete joy that you are about to enter a new relationship that is lifelong?<\/p>\n<p>I mean wanting to look all nice and feel good on your wedding day is not a bad thing. But when did a wedding become such a circus that everything has to be cinematic and look like a red carpet event? That is what I am asking. Wear a pretty dress (which may or may not be pricey), have a lovely little crowd whom you know will only wish the best for you, have a private little wedding ceremony with your loved ones. Feels romantic right? Feel that love in the air. Instead of feeling imported flowers&#8217; pollens in the air&#8230; (Saw a lot of orchids at a wedding)<br \/>\nA marriage is supposed to be someone&#8217;s private life. And a wedding ceremony is supposed to be a beautiful celebration. Why are we putting in so many add-ons and ruining the actual joy of it???<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hitchedforever.com\/blog\/hindu-wedding-symbols\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/hitchedforever.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/eiMA6eXnT.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"686\" height=\"404\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>P.S: This is just my midnight pondering. Do not think I hate just extravagant weddings. I like them but I wonder why&#8230; Thats all. You are absolutely welcome to spend millions on your special day. No harm in it. Since I do not have such a kind of money I am thinking out loud..<\/p>\n<p>P.P.S: I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED OF LOOKING TO GET MARRIED ANY TIME SOON. SO DON&#8217;T COME ASKING IF I AM&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>Heres one of my favourite wedding songs&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=smjcnBHBHvI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_1068\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"1068\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon small\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>I always (used to) tell my dad, &#8220;My wedding should be like a festival (thiruvizha)&#8230; Like a celebration&#8230;&#8221; It normally should be, right? I mean a wedding is when a family invites a new member into their home. It is when two families actually become one for the sake of two individuals. Of course it&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[178,346,352,366,391,403,407,443,624,1001],"class_list":["post-1068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inner-musings","tag-celebration","tag-extravagant","tag-family","tag-festival","tag-friends","tag-gathering","tag-get-together","tag-happiness","tag-midnight-pondering","tag-weddings"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":40,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1068\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}