whew..feeling better now after completing the epic on my wedding.i tried my best to make it short,but i didn't want to leave out the details either.
looking back, i feel that i really enjoyed my wedding even though i felt drained and tired at that point.yeah i do feel indian weddings are fun whatever way you see them.
these posts are more of something which i can go back and read a few months or even a few years later and relive the experience. of course if someone happens to stop by to read and likes them in some way it is a bonus !!!
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wedding. Show all posts
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Day 3 ..and a half
the last day of the wedding began on a more sobre note compared to all the hype the previous 2 days.only a few relatives were left in the mandapam.i had to draw the 'kolam' in front of the groom's room(my new home ;-) ) .after changing over into another (and the last!! ) saree,the final ritual began.all the ladies (including me,no longer a girl!!)dissolved the 'paalikai' (a mixture of various grains) in water ( not sure what it meant though).
it was time for us to leave for our new home(the actual one).i didnt know what i had to tell my parents and i felt that the formal good byes were just unnecessary.my dad being the emotional man he was,stayed away from me the whole morning,for fear of breaking into tears.
my sister managed to lighten the situtation by cracking a few jokes.i never thought i would cry,though i am a very sensitive person who could cry at the drop of the hat.but somehow,the emotion of the moment was too much to bear and i broke down at the steps of the mandapam hugging my dad.thank god for someone managed to pull me away and gathered myself up.
off we went to our new home and a new life!!
it was time for us to leave for our new home(the actual one).i didnt know what i had to tell my parents and i felt that the formal good byes were just unnecessary.my dad being the emotional man he was,stayed away from me the whole morning,for fear of breaking into tears.
my sister managed to lighten the situtation by cracking a few jokes.i never thought i would cry,though i am a very sensitive person who could cry at the drop of the hat.but somehow,the emotion of the moment was too much to bear and i broke down at the steps of the mandapam hugging my dad.thank god for someone managed to pull me away and gathered myself up.
off we went to our new home and a new life!!
Nalangu -end of Day2
my dad patted comfortingly on my shoulders.he was feeling all that a girl's dad would have felt at that moment.proud,happy and relaxed after the hectic five months preceding the wedding.
congratulations poured in and everyone shook hands with everyone !!
me and S were back to the final set of rituals.my mami slipped the 'metti' (silver ring) on my toes.we then performed the 'sapthapathi' ,the 7 important steps.each one signified a commitment to support each other through happiness and sorrow,health and illness and so on.i stepped on the 'ammi' (the grind stone) and saw the star (din mein taare!! )..or pretended to see the star 'arundhathi'.
coming down from the mandapam,we performed the namaskarams to everyone.it was almost a chase down at the end,with people hurrying for lunch and we hunting them down with 'akshadhai' ( the sacred rice) in hand ;-)
we were now led into the groom's room for 'grihapravesam'. this was because my in-laws home was not in chennai and the change room was now my 'new home' !!!.almost all the ladies present crammed themselves into that room. the power was not restored in that room yet and it was a stampede in the dark. more paal and pazham followed.
went up for lunch and another round of food-phobia continued with me eating as little as possible.i think the payasam was good.anyway,i finally retired to the cool comforts of my room.shut out everyone from there and unloaded the weight off my head.changed into another saree,this was my 8th in 1 1/2 days (what a feat!! ).i dozed off with random thoughts running on my mind.
people started knocking and i was out of my sleep in 10 mins.i looked on as my friend(sree) and sis folded up the sarees and clothes lying around.my cousin sriram came in.i still feel bad that the only time we could meet, happened to my wedding.we have conversed so much on emails and chats that i found it strange that i couldnt think of anything to talk about then.
he declared that the crowd was too old for him,to which i could agree,but that he was enjoying being at a wedding for 2 days for the first time.showed me a gadget( guess it was an mp3 player),to which i managed to show some interest.( he couldn't have chosen a worse person to show it off).
time for another change over,this time it was the 'nalangu'.this was supposed to be a relaxing event,after all the tiring rituals over 2 days. however it turned out to be a never ending one.
with people looking at us from all sides and my athai and dad's mama sitting beside us to instruct, the nalangu began.
it was fun to begin with, me and S rolling the coconut and then trying to take it from each other's hand.we then broke the 'appalams' over each other's back.then came my most dreaded moment,the one where the bride had to sing.i had often wondered in the past few months over how to tackle this and my reactions ranged from walking out to just staying silent.i couldn't do any of that now.to add to my misery,my mil was a trained classical singer,and most of my in-laws family could sing.
i did learn to sing for 3 years,but all that was less than a memory now.well, i managed to mumble out 'muda karatha' and before anyone could realise what i sang ,i ended it with a sheepish smile. now all the athais and paatis were asking me to continue in a louder voice. to my relief my mil came to my rescue and asked S to sing. he 'sang' paartha mudal naale,in his loudest voice and no one wanted to him to carry on.still i admired his courage.
people then started singing,dancing and performing skits that it began to resemble an school day performance.i thought i could doze off by just sitting there.finally,it was over to our relief.
wishes and goodbyes followed.things started to sink in as people began to leave one by one.a pang of loneliness hit me,not sure why.i felt all alone among new faces. i would not be going back to my home now, i had a new home,new amma and appa,new chithis and athais.everyone was showering love but i felt sick. sick of this whole stuff and of leaving my home,my dad and mom and sis, my cupboards and everything.
wonder how guys feel during this time,given that most couples stay away from both their parents now a days.S told me later that he did feel strange but it was not that bad.i was emotionally drained.
congratulations poured in and everyone shook hands with everyone !!
me and S were back to the final set of rituals.my mami slipped the 'metti' (silver ring) on my toes.we then performed the 'sapthapathi' ,the 7 important steps.each one signified a commitment to support each other through happiness and sorrow,health and illness and so on.i stepped on the 'ammi' (the grind stone) and saw the star (din mein taare!! )..or pretended to see the star 'arundhathi'.
coming down from the mandapam,we performed the namaskarams to everyone.it was almost a chase down at the end,with people hurrying for lunch and we hunting them down with 'akshadhai' ( the sacred rice) in hand ;-)
we were now led into the groom's room for 'grihapravesam'. this was because my in-laws home was not in chennai and the change room was now my 'new home' !!!.almost all the ladies present crammed themselves into that room. the power was not restored in that room yet and it was a stampede in the dark. more paal and pazham followed.
went up for lunch and another round of food-phobia continued with me eating as little as possible.i think the payasam was good.anyway,i finally retired to the cool comforts of my room.shut out everyone from there and unloaded the weight off my head.changed into another saree,this was my 8th in 1 1/2 days (what a feat!! ).i dozed off with random thoughts running on my mind.
people started knocking and i was out of my sleep in 10 mins.i looked on as my friend(sree) and sis folded up the sarees and clothes lying around.my cousin sriram came in.i still feel bad that the only time we could meet, happened to my wedding.we have conversed so much on emails and chats that i found it strange that i couldnt think of anything to talk about then.
he declared that the crowd was too old for him,to which i could agree,but that he was enjoying being at a wedding for 2 days for the first time.showed me a gadget( guess it was an mp3 player),to which i managed to show some interest.( he couldn't have chosen a worse person to show it off).
time for another change over,this time it was the 'nalangu'.this was supposed to be a relaxing event,after all the tiring rituals over 2 days. however it turned out to be a never ending one.
with people looking at us from all sides and my athai and dad's mama sitting beside us to instruct, the nalangu began.
it was fun to begin with, me and S rolling the coconut and then trying to take it from each other's hand.we then broke the 'appalams' over each other's back.then came my most dreaded moment,the one where the bride had to sing.i had often wondered in the past few months over how to tackle this and my reactions ranged from walking out to just staying silent.i couldn't do any of that now.to add to my misery,my mil was a trained classical singer,and most of my in-laws family could sing.
i did learn to sing for 3 years,but all that was less than a memory now.well, i managed to mumble out 'muda karatha' and before anyone could realise what i sang ,i ended it with a sheepish smile. now all the athais and paatis were asking me to continue in a louder voice. to my relief my mil came to my rescue and asked S to sing. he 'sang' paartha mudal naale,in his loudest voice and no one wanted to him to carry on.still i admired his courage.
people then started singing,dancing and performing skits that it began to resemble an school day performance.i thought i could doze off by just sitting there.finally,it was over to our relief.
wishes and goodbyes followed.things started to sink in as people began to leave one by one.a pang of loneliness hit me,not sure why.i felt all alone among new faces. i would not be going back to my home now, i had a new home,new amma and appa,new chithis and athais.everyone was showering love but i felt sick. sick of this whole stuff and of leaving my home,my dad and mom and sis, my cupboards and everything.
wonder how guys feel during this time,given that most couples stay away from both their parents now a days.S told me later that he did feel strange but it was not that bad.i was emotionally drained.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Day2-The D day
The day started early.woke up around 4 am,brushed,bathed and put myself in the hotseat for yet another round of make up.this time i was determined to not let it be overdone.so i literally begged the beautician to tone it down to which she pretended to have listened.this time it was a more traditional hair do. lots of flowers, nethi choodi( on the forehead) , rakkodi ,chandra and surya prabhai and with the lady sticking shining white bindis to resemble stars, i was carrying the entire solar system on my head.
my mama garlanded me and i was led to the front of the mandapam accompanied by my athais,chithis and cousins.i have seen these events in numerous weddings but to actually go through them in one's own wedding is quite an experience.i was nervous and stiff so much so that i wasn't even smiling.i was telling myself that i ought to be happy now, but all i could wish for was all this to be over soon .i was becoming too conscious.
out in the front of the mandapam, S was waiting with a huge crowd of people after being brought back by my father half way through the ceremonial "kasi yatra".wonder why we stick to a few customs even when they are not really relevant in today's world. still it was a sight to see him in pancha kacham carrying the umbrella and the decorated fan.he still teases me saying "i wish your dad hadn't stopped me".
we exchanged garlands amidst the ladies singing "maalai maatrinal".when i had to be lifted up, my mamas couldn't really muster enough strength.but my dearest cousin ramana managed to lift me up really high, single handedly and he had to bring me down a few inches for S to reach me.that was fun and i felt a little relaxed after that seemingly childish and light hearted ritual.
we were made to sit on the "oonjal"(swing) and then started the intake of "paal and pazham"( milk and bananas).Every known/unknown person(strictly ladies) had to give us 3 spoons of this protein rich diet.thanks to my mother's idea that we could use some small "kinnams"(containers) instead of the hand , my saree was saved from being spoilt by dripping milk.
S was eating all of that happily and poor me.. i couldn't even raise my head enough to swallow the fruit due to the heaviness of my hairdo and had to be content with sipping the milk.we had to fast(starve!!! ) till the time the wedding was complete.in his enthusiasm S started swinging the oonjal fast enough for me to feel that i was going to throw up.
with the ladies singing "kannoonjal aadi irundal" (one of my fav wedding songs),small coloured balls ( not sure what they were made of, but something definitely soft and slippery) were thrown around in all directions.S actually thought that the yellow coloured ones were laddus and opened his mouth big enough to catch one of them.( Guys!!! )
we went back inside the mandapam and on the decorated stage. the "vaathiyar"(priest) started reciting the manthras which S had to repeat,which he did sincerely but it was damn funny.he has no inclination what so ever to the slokas and manthras and he was just blurting them out like a robot without the much needed stress on the words.i could barely control my smile.
i was given the wedding saree ( the 9 yards silk saree-also called madisar or onbadhu gajam) by S after duly falling on his feet( should have seen his face then!! :-) ).
time to wear the 9 yards..or should i say for others to wrap it around me while i stood absolutely clueless.
thank god for rajam aunty( our long time family friend),who was an expert in this.she managed to tie it around me in no time, and made sure that it wouldn't give up when i performed the countless namaskars and all that.i really tried my best to follow the method, but i could barely remember how she started and ended.anyway,i was decked up with more jewellery now.
nervous about my saree more than anything else, i went up the mandapam to sit with S. more manthras followed and then it was time for 'mangalya dharanam'.
i sat as lightly as i could on my dad's lap !!!( a ritual started when child marriages were the norm). first a wooden rod was placed on my head with mango leaves on it, and a few manthras were recited. the priest explained that the rod was like the one placed on neck of the bullocks in a bullock cart. this ritual signified that we had to balance our matrimony just like the bullocks did when one of them felt tired or that the burden was too much to bear.
a few miutes later the priest announced that 'mangalya dharanam' was to take place and nobody is supposed to shake the hands of the couple once it is over in enthusiasm, as we are not supposed to part hands.and then amidst a shower of flowers S tied the mangalyam and made the first knot, the second and the third were done by my 'nathanars'(sister in law).
everytime i try to recollect what exactly went through my mind at that point, i go blank..coz that was exactly how i felt.i tried to tell myself that i should feel elated, happy or atleast nervous.but i just went blank.i guess that is what one feels at the height of emotions.
my mama garlanded me and i was led to the front of the mandapam accompanied by my athais,chithis and cousins.i have seen these events in numerous weddings but to actually go through them in one's own wedding is quite an experience.i was nervous and stiff so much so that i wasn't even smiling.i was telling myself that i ought to be happy now, but all i could wish for was all this to be over soon .i was becoming too conscious.
out in the front of the mandapam, S was waiting with a huge crowd of people after being brought back by my father half way through the ceremonial "kasi yatra".wonder why we stick to a few customs even when they are not really relevant in today's world. still it was a sight to see him in pancha kacham carrying the umbrella and the decorated fan.he still teases me saying "i wish your dad hadn't stopped me".
we exchanged garlands amidst the ladies singing "maalai maatrinal".when i had to be lifted up, my mamas couldn't really muster enough strength.but my dearest cousin ramana managed to lift me up really high, single handedly and he had to bring me down a few inches for S to reach me.that was fun and i felt a little relaxed after that seemingly childish and light hearted ritual.
we were made to sit on the "oonjal"(swing) and then started the intake of "paal and pazham"( milk and bananas).Every known/unknown person(strictly ladies) had to give us 3 spoons of this protein rich diet.thanks to my mother's idea that we could use some small "kinnams"(containers) instead of the hand , my saree was saved from being spoilt by dripping milk.
S was eating all of that happily and poor me.. i couldn't even raise my head enough to swallow the fruit due to the heaviness of my hairdo and had to be content with sipping the milk.we had to fast(starve!!! ) till the time the wedding was complete.in his enthusiasm S started swinging the oonjal fast enough for me to feel that i was going to throw up.
with the ladies singing "kannoonjal aadi irundal" (one of my fav wedding songs),small coloured balls ( not sure what they were made of, but something definitely soft and slippery) were thrown around in all directions.S actually thought that the yellow coloured ones were laddus and opened his mouth big enough to catch one of them.( Guys!!! )
we went back inside the mandapam and on the decorated stage. the "vaathiyar"(priest) started reciting the manthras which S had to repeat,which he did sincerely but it was damn funny.he has no inclination what so ever to the slokas and manthras and he was just blurting them out like a robot without the much needed stress on the words.i could barely control my smile.
i was given the wedding saree ( the 9 yards silk saree-also called madisar or onbadhu gajam) by S after duly falling on his feet( should have seen his face then!! :-) ).
time to wear the 9 yards..or should i say for others to wrap it around me while i stood absolutely clueless.
thank god for rajam aunty( our long time family friend),who was an expert in this.she managed to tie it around me in no time, and made sure that it wouldn't give up when i performed the countless namaskars and all that.i really tried my best to follow the method, but i could barely remember how she started and ended.anyway,i was decked up with more jewellery now.
nervous about my saree more than anything else, i went up the mandapam to sit with S. more manthras followed and then it was time for 'mangalya dharanam'.
i sat as lightly as i could on my dad's lap !!!( a ritual started when child marriages were the norm). first a wooden rod was placed on my head with mango leaves on it, and a few manthras were recited. the priest explained that the rod was like the one placed on neck of the bullocks in a bullock cart. this ritual signified that we had to balance our matrimony just like the bullocks did when one of them felt tired or that the burden was too much to bear.
a few miutes later the priest announced that 'mangalya dharanam' was to take place and nobody is supposed to shake the hands of the couple once it is over in enthusiasm, as we are not supposed to part hands.and then amidst a shower of flowers S tied the mangalyam and made the first knot, the second and the third were done by my 'nathanars'(sister in law).
everytime i try to recollect what exactly went through my mind at that point, i go blank..coz that was exactly how i felt.i tried to tell myself that i should feel elated, happy or atleast nervous.but i just went blank.i guess that is what one feels at the height of emotions.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Day one-continued...
the vratham turned out to be very interesting.It was kind of a recap of my entire life till that point.my father had to say my name in my ears thrice just as he would have done during my naming ceremony.there were a lot of other rituals like these and finally my father tied the "kaappu"(sacred yellow thread) on my hand.on the other side S was going through a similar routine.
the rituals done, i began chatting away happily with my friends deepak,sreeparna and her mom who had just arrived.
another thing you could notice in weddings is that everyone wants to talk to the bride and the groom.granted that everyone is curious, but i was damn nervous that i shouldn't blurt out something by mistake." do you know me" is the first question you face.with a memory which fades away lightning quick especially in the matter of faces and names i'm always dumbfounded when faced with this question.depending on my luck i either say "oh yes" or " oh no" .the "yes" is followed by " ok then tell me my name" and " no" by a look which says " how could you???"
my mind says,why the hell do you want me say your name..you should know it very well by now.or ..why do you put up a long face...you are no george bush by the way.
and i hush up all my thoughts and smile as sweetly as i could before some one else starts off the questionnaire again..
i managed to lie down for a few minutes and then the preparations for the engagement started.make up, change of saris and then the engagement began. the "muhurtha pathrikai" wedding schedule was read out and i was given another saree to wear.back to my room, another quick change of saree..( make the pallu longer she has to tie a coconut in it ..somebody shouted) and then back to the crowd.
the customary photographs done.now i rushed back into my room for an extended make up session for the wedding reception.it went on for more than an hour..and when i looked into the mirror i could hardly recognize myself.i had never had so much of cosmetics on my face ever..the most i had was a dab of compact and kajal.oh i just didnt want to go out of the room.i was feeling so self conscious.but people had already become restless outside. i was 30 mins late and had kept S waiting.just then the photographer barged in.i was so nervous that i coudn't even smile for the pics..but somehow managed to do that.with my mil almost as restless as me due to the delay i dragged myself out, walked quickly and got on the dais even before S.
then started the endless row of friends and relatives with gifts and posing for the pictures.i smiled till my jaws ached .finally it was all over by around 10, then the tireless photographer again took us into the room and photoshoot started all over gain with me and S. after 30 mins of clicking we finally had dinner.
my apetite just vanished on seeing the food though everyone had said that the food was wonderful.it had been so from the morning and it continued. guess it was my nerves.
the so called dinner over..now it was back to the room.taking off the make up was worse than putting it on.there were around a 100 pins on my hair and it felt like horse hair.all done and my hair breathing again .thanks to my sweet sis..we got to bed.
and guess what..the power went off again.but i was too tired to even notice this and went back to sleep.
came to know next morning that my sis had walked and jumped over all those people sleeping in the hall and spoke to a couple of guys standing outside and made them switch on the generator.how sweet..
the customary photographs done.now i rushed back into my room for an extended make up session for the wedding reception.it went on for more than an hour..and when i looked into the mirror i could hardly recognize myself.i had never had so much of cosmetics on my face ever..the most i had was a dab of compact and kajal.oh i just didnt want to go out of the room.i was feeling so self conscious.but people had already become restless outside. i was 30 mins late and had kept S waiting.just then the photographer barged in.i was so nervous that i coudn't even smile for the pics..but somehow managed to do that.with my mil almost as restless as me due to the delay i dragged myself out, walked quickly and got on the dais even before S.
then started the endless row of friends and relatives with gifts and posing for the pictures.i smiled till my jaws ached .finally it was all over by around 10, then the tireless photographer again took us into the room and photoshoot started all over gain with me and S. after 30 mins of clicking we finally had dinner.
my apetite just vanished on seeing the food though everyone had said that the food was wonderful.it had been so from the morning and it continued. guess it was my nerves.
the so called dinner over..now it was back to the room.taking off the make up was worse than putting it on.there were around a 100 pins on my hair and it felt like horse hair.all done and my hair breathing again .thanks to my sweet sis..we got to bed.
and guess what..the power went off again.but i was too tired to even notice this and went back to sleep.
came to know next morning that my sis had walked and jumped over all those people sleeping in the hall and spoke to a couple of guys standing outside and made them switch on the generator.how sweet..
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Wedding - Day one
our weddings are always spread over 3 days !! i know this would sound shocking for a lot of people.all i could hope and pray was for me to come out of this in one piece and keep myself sane througout the length of all the rituals.
so onto day 1 ..Aug 30th,2007
the alarm went off and i woke up with a start..where was i, why did i wake up so early ..oh i was so confused. i could hear voices in the kitchen and then everything came back to me.we had to reach the mandapam before 5.30 am. i shot out of the bed, only to find that the power had gone off and there was very less water coming out of the taps as the overhead tank was almost empty and no power to fill it up.things couldn't get worse than this!!!
everyone was running around, thankfully the kitchen tap yielded little more water than the other ones.so we filled up the buckets from there and headed to the bathrooms.
the power had still not come back and the worst nightmare for a girl, dressing up with an emergency lamp for your wedding ( well not quite the wedding yet ). Anyway, managed to dress up in the dark and then me, my parents and my granny started off for the mandapam while the others followed a little later with the suitcases and boxes.
the agenda for the day went on like this.
vratham - from morning till noon
engagement - from noon till evening
reception- evening till night
and hopefully some sleep afterwards..
so onto day 1 ..Aug 30th,2007
the alarm went off and i woke up with a start..where was i, why did i wake up so early ..oh i was so confused. i could hear voices in the kitchen and then everything came back to me.we had to reach the mandapam before 5.30 am. i shot out of the bed, only to find that the power had gone off and there was very less water coming out of the taps as the overhead tank was almost empty and no power to fill it up.things couldn't get worse than this!!!
everyone was running around, thankfully the kitchen tap yielded little more water than the other ones.so we filled up the buckets from there and headed to the bathrooms.
the power had still not come back and the worst nightmare for a girl, dressing up with an emergency lamp for your wedding ( well not quite the wedding yet ). Anyway, managed to dress up in the dark and then me, my parents and my granny started off for the mandapam while the others followed a little later with the suitcases and boxes.
the agenda for the day went on like this.
vratham - from morning till noon
engagement - from noon till evening
reception- evening till night
and hopefully some sleep afterwards..
My wedding-preparations
March 28, 2007:
This was my " ponnu paakara" day!!! Sundar (S) and his family came down to my place to meet my family and formally "see" me.It sounded so formal and cinematic, more so that I have been knowing S for so long, that I just wanted to laugh out aloud at the drama that was happening, but managed to maintain a dignified silence. After all the regular high level talks, a few clicks of the camera,bajjis and filter coffee, everybody was happy.
April,2007 ( not sure of the date)
The D - day was fixed at August 31st,2007 :-)
April 14,2007 till the wedding
The best part of any wedding ( atleast for the girl ),SHOPPING !! we started it off on this auspicious day of tamil new year.bought some jewellery for me . this was just the beginning of almost 3 months of intensive shopping.we shopped only on the weekends. i can still remember how much fun all those days were.we( me, my parents and my sis) would start off from home after some heavy b'fast and go from shop to shop buying sarees and other dresses( for me ,family and relatives),jewellery, vessels( copper,stainless steel,silver),things needed for the marriage ceremonies.....the list was just endless.
well, shopping was just one part, getting things stiched was the other and more painful part. The tailors are always over flowing with things to stich, they always run out of people to stich things and perfection is never acheived..either the sleeve is long or short, tight or loose,and it is oh so frustrating. I remember that I was waiting for my stuff even o the day before marriage.
During this period, me and my parents finalized on the traditional wedding card( pink and yellow one in tamil). Me and S wanted the card which was meant for our friends to be something different. But the price you have to pay for " something" different was always on the higher side.
Then we would wonder if we had to spend so much on a card when we could spend it on something useful (already planning, you see!! ). Anyway, we settled to card that didn't too ordinary and at the same time didn't make a hole in our pockets.
Now for what to put on it..we googled and googled ..from shakespeare to every anonymous person who wrote something on love, wedding...and almost anything.from english to tamil to sanskrit..you name it we searched for it..and finally we just gave up.
what finally appeared on the card was a mish mash of verses taken from all the sample cards the shop had, however it turned out to be pretty good.
well, all this shopping went on almost till 2 weeks before the wedding, and i was part of all of it, when my grandmother stepped in to show her authority by saying that the bride-to-be is not supposed to roam around in this fashion.
So i finally took a leave a month's leave from office,and settled down to the cool comforts of home, with everyone from my mother to aunt to granny falling over each other to make me comforatble( in my own home).I was fed with grt food,fruits and juices, didnt have to move a finger and chat and gossip endlessly.What more can anyone want!!
A week before the wedding we packed all the dresses and vessels and everythign needed for the marriage in suitcases and boxes,labelled them and kept them aside. Sounds simple and neat, but the confusion that took place before doing all this was unbelievable.anyway, we were done with that.
August 29th,2007
Woke up early to find that it was just pouring outside.Everyone was upset and worried if this would continue till the wedding. i was excited coz today was my mehndi day.nothing like the north indian weddings.but me and my sister went to the beautician to get it done. back home we sat with our hands and legs spread out under the fan while my mother fed me( this is bliss!! )..butsoon it started getting painful . finally when i took out the mehndi , the beautiful red color turned the pain into joy.
not much to be done on that day. when we finally went to bed, none of us could sleep. atleast i couldn't bat an eyelid. it was raining like hell,the thunder and lightning adding up to all the excitement. my sis told me that this would be my last night at home and suddenly all of us started feeling awful.somehow one by one we started talking about my childhood, my pranks and about those good old days. we talked and talked till we dozed off unknowingly.
that night would remain in my memory forever.
This was my " ponnu paakara" day!!! Sundar (S) and his family came down to my place to meet my family and formally "see" me.It sounded so formal and cinematic, more so that I have been knowing S for so long, that I just wanted to laugh out aloud at the drama that was happening, but managed to maintain a dignified silence. After all the regular high level talks, a few clicks of the camera,bajjis and filter coffee, everybody was happy.
April,2007 ( not sure of the date)
The D - day was fixed at August 31st,2007 :-)
April 14,2007 till the wedding
The best part of any wedding ( atleast for the girl ),SHOPPING !! we started it off on this auspicious day of tamil new year.bought some jewellery for me . this was just the beginning of almost 3 months of intensive shopping.we shopped only on the weekends. i can still remember how much fun all those days were.we( me, my parents and my sis) would start off from home after some heavy b'fast and go from shop to shop buying sarees and other dresses( for me ,family and relatives),jewellery, vessels( copper,stainless steel,silver),things needed for the marriage ceremonies.....the list was just endless.
well, shopping was just one part, getting things stiched was the other and more painful part. The tailors are always over flowing with things to stich, they always run out of people to stich things and perfection is never acheived..either the sleeve is long or short, tight or loose,and it is oh so frustrating. I remember that I was waiting for my stuff even o the day before marriage.
During this period, me and my parents finalized on the traditional wedding card( pink and yellow one in tamil). Me and S wanted the card which was meant for our friends to be something different. But the price you have to pay for " something" different was always on the higher side.
Then we would wonder if we had to spend so much on a card when we could spend it on something useful (already planning, you see!! ). Anyway, we settled to card that didn't too ordinary and at the same time didn't make a hole in our pockets.
Now for what to put on it..we googled and googled ..from shakespeare to every anonymous person who wrote something on love, wedding...and almost anything.from english to tamil to sanskrit..you name it we searched for it..and finally we just gave up.
what finally appeared on the card was a mish mash of verses taken from all the sample cards the shop had, however it turned out to be pretty good.
well, all this shopping went on almost till 2 weeks before the wedding, and i was part of all of it, when my grandmother stepped in to show her authority by saying that the bride-to-be is not supposed to roam around in this fashion.
So i finally took a leave a month's leave from office,and settled down to the cool comforts of home, with everyone from my mother to aunt to granny falling over each other to make me comforatble( in my own home).I was fed with grt food,fruits and juices, didnt have to move a finger and chat and gossip endlessly.What more can anyone want!!
A week before the wedding we packed all the dresses and vessels and everythign needed for the marriage in suitcases and boxes,labelled them and kept them aside. Sounds simple and neat, but the confusion that took place before doing all this was unbelievable.anyway, we were done with that.
August 29th,2007
Woke up early to find that it was just pouring outside.Everyone was upset and worried if this would continue till the wedding. i was excited coz today was my mehndi day.nothing like the north indian weddings.but me and my sister went to the beautician to get it done. back home we sat with our hands and legs spread out under the fan while my mother fed me( this is bliss!! )..butsoon it started getting painful . finally when i took out the mehndi , the beautiful red color turned the pain into joy.
not much to be done on that day. when we finally went to bed, none of us could sleep. atleast i couldn't bat an eyelid. it was raining like hell,the thunder and lightning adding up to all the excitement. my sis told me that this would be my last night at home and suddenly all of us started feeling awful.somehow one by one we started talking about my childhood, my pranks and about those good old days. we talked and talked till we dozed off unknowingly.
that night would remain in my memory forever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)