With enormous gatherings, culture-rich food, boisterous celebrations and foot-tapping music, Indian weddings have always been all about big fat celebrations. Everything during these weddings is pre-set and we all have been following the same lead for ages.
2021 was supposed to be the year of flying cars and personal helicopters. Since that’s not happening, we have curated a list of things that we can normalize in weddings for the greater good.
1. What a bride wears on her wedding day should be her choice.
When we think of an Indian bride, we immediately picture a dolled-up woman in a bright-red lehenga teamed up with heavy jewellery. Don’t we? Whether it’s a lehenga, a simple saree or a classy pair of a pantsuit, brides should be able to wear whatever they want on their special day.
2. You should be able to marry for love, gender no bar.
Tying the knot with the love of your life is undeniably the most emotional and celebratory affair for every single person. But, what’s the point if you are being denied the right to do so? Everyone deserves to celebrate their love the way they want regardless of their sex.
3. Putting an end to Kanyadaan & Vidaai.
Literally meaning ‘donating the girl’, kanyadaan is a ritual where the bride’s father gives away his daughter to the groom and this needs to stop because daughters aren’t commodities to give away to someone. Vidaai, which marks the farewell of the bride from her home, needs to stop as well because every fresh beginning doesn’t mean putting an end to all other relationships. Also, not every bride wants to sit in the backseat of the car after their vidaai. It’s totally okay for them to take the steering wheel in their hands and make a grand entry in their sasuraals as their husbands chill on the passenger seats.
4. Environment-friendly and sustainable weddings is the new ‘cool’.
There is no doubt about the fact that a sustainable lifestyle is the call of the hour. It’s really important that we take this seriously and embrace this idea for future weddings. From minimum decoration to sustainable lighting, we can all help the environment a little from our end.
5. Choosing female priests to solemnize a wedding.
Male priests have been solemnizing weddings across our nation for decades. As we are living in 2021, we need to embrace this patriarchy-smashing trend.
6. Every woman is unique, so it’s okay if every bride doesn’t behave the exact same way.
Gone are those days when brides were supposed to keep a pretentious smile and all that traditional poise. We should normalize the fact that not all brides feel like crying during their wedding functions, some just want to dance, drink and laugh throughout the entire process.
7. Writing your own vows instead of the pre-set 7 vachans is much more authentic and honest.
8. A bride can walk down the aisle however she wants.
While the whole concept of walking down the aisle with your father so he can ‘give you away’ is rooted in patriarchy, we can tweak the rules a little and maybe make a grand entry all by ourselves, or be flanked by people we truly care about- whether it is our father, mother, sisters or friends.
9. Embracing a gift registry policy is a win-win situation for everyone.
Rather than splurging unnecessarily on bedsheets and juice mixers, a gift registry policy can save a lot of time and energy for both parties. From Priyanka Chopra to Meghan Markle, modern-age couples are totally embracing and loving this idea.
10. Splitting the wedding bill between both families is much more logical and fair.
There’s no doubt that the tradition of the bride’s family paying for the wedding serves as a modern-day dowry. However, it’s more logical for both sides to contribute as much as they can afford. While it might mean to scale down your wedding a little, it’s even better if the couple can afford to pay for the celebration themselves.
Wouldn’t this be a picture-perfect wedding?