Wedding | But I Smile Anyway...

What To Wear To a Wedding?

14 May 2016 77 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, red, Wedding, What to wear?

I had some real trouble trying to decide on an outfit for yesterday’s wedding.

My biggest problem which you all know of, was that I couldn’t fit into most of my outfits, due to that middle-aged spread, that has crept up on me rather slowly!

The other was do I wear red or not? Red is the traditional bridal colour in Indian weddings. I have not been one to wear red ever, in fact, I didn’t even wear red on my own wedding! But my Mother-in-law had bought me a beautiful outfit, complete with matching Punjabi Joothi or Traditional Punjabi shoes, and bangles to complement the outfit. The little bells on the shoes tinkled lightly as I walked, and I confused poor Sonu Singh royally as he is the only one to wear a bell usually, so he was intrigued as to where the sound was coming from!

My Punjabi Joothi!

I had to have it altered, so I could breathe in it, and the decision was made. Red it was. There were a couple of others wearing red, so I wouldn’t stand out too much!

I didn’t get a full-length shot, but here is me, complete with double chin on the day!

2016-05-14-22.54.04.jpg.jpeg

And so to work out what to wear tomorrow for the wedding reception…!

Love/Hate Challenge – The Wedding Edition!

25 Jul 2015 35 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Challenge, Love/Hate, Wedding

Muddy Mum from Mud And Nettles has challenged me to the Love/ Hate Challenge!
Now you know me, I’m not good at hating things, and initially, I said no, I don’t think I could do this again… Then got to thinking… I’m on my way to an Indian wedding… Oooh there are some strong emotions I feel towards these days, so here goes!

The rules are simple
List 10 things you love and 10 things you hate!
Here goes!!
10 things I love about weddings!
1. Getting all dolled up!
2. The meeting of family we haven’t seen in ages.
3. The beauty of such a special day.
4. The colorful outfits everyone wears.
5. Seeing new and beautiful venues.
6. The party.
7. The dancing!
8. The singing!
9. The food!!!
10. All the pomp and circumstance of an Indian wedding!

10 things I hate about weddings! Indian ones particularly!
1. The extra early starts on the wedding day! It ain’t fun, smearing full slap on at 6am!!!
2. The sheer amount of functions you are expected to attend, especially if you are not that close to the couple getting married!
3. The expenses incurred by a big fat Indian wedding, the day itself alone is in the 10’s of thousands sometimes!
4. The expectations that there should be a certain amount of give and give… not take, from the brides family.
5. Having to invite everyone, and allowing them to bring their whole family… Oh my, the expense!
6. The free flowing alcohol which causes extreme idiot behavior from certain males, who have to get tanked up… Cos they can!
7. The fact that a lot of the time, women can’t let their hair down and have a drink , in the open, if they want to.
8. At the temple, the ceremony is beautiful, then you get the temple committee member extending familial congratulations, before launching into an appeal to get everyone to donate lots of money to the temple!
9. The lateness, that is inevitable. That’s Typical Indian Timing (T.I.T.!) for you!
10. The fact that we be up early to get there on time, to make sure a persons special day is not ruined by lateness, for them to all be late anyway!!! I coulda got another hours kip, Jeez!!!!

And with that, I say anyone who fancies it, take up the challenge!
I’m in the car, to the wedding now, will catch up later!
Adios Amigos!

T.I.T. (Typical Indian Timing)

28 Jun 2015 48 Comments

by Ritu in Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Indian Weddings, T.I.T., Wedding

I’m up and about, after finally getting a full night’s sleep, after a good few weeks.
Kids stayed put in their beds, we slept soundly as I’d changed the covers for summer weight ones finally (after all we’re meant to be getting a heatwave here!) And I had arranged to meet my in laws at the wedding late, so I wouldn’t have to sit around too much.
Well, as the post title states, this was another case of T.I.T.!!!!
I aimed to be at the temple by 11.30am, hopefully the ceremony would be in full swing… They were meant to start the ceremony by 11am.
I got here, with Lil Princess, and the boys side, who were local, were 1.5 hours late… So people were still eating the wedding breakfast! I wasn’t late… In fact we were early by all standards!!
Got upstairs and now things are happening, but we’ve just had the Kurmai, which is an engagement ceremony of sorts.
Wow! Engaged on your wedding day, now that’s quick!!
In our weddings there are several levels of engagement. The first, the Roka, where , effectively, you are putting your deposit down on the suitable candidate, then there is the Chunni, where the Boy’s side come to the girl to gift her with items to signify she is spoken for. Nowadays rings are exchanged here too. Then you have the Kurmai, which takes place in the temple, where the Girl’s side accept the boy formally in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. Usually thus,was done weeks or months before the wedding , but in recent years it had become more common to do this on the day, as no one has countless weekends free for all the ceremonies of one wedding. It’s like a ‘2 for 1’ deal!!
Anyway, that has just happened. Late of course, and now the bride has entered and the ceremony begins… At 12.30pm!!!
It is normally custom to get the Lawaan (the wedding rounds) done before 12pm, but that has become less and less followed over the years. The significance of the time? In days of old, back in the villages in Punjab, the Baraat, Boy’s side, would travel early in the morning to reach the girl’s home for the ceremony, and in order to get back home to finish the ceremonies, the wedding needed to be done by 12pm, to allow them time to eat, then get back home. Not the same now with fast cars and motorways!
Another little fact for you… Why do we have a Sarbala, or best man? Because these early morning journeys were treacherous and there were dacoits en route. If something unfortunate were to happen to the groom, the best man took his place!! So you never knee who you might end up marrying!!!
So the wedding is in full flow now, the rounds haven’t started yet, but hey, it is T.I.T.!!?