Beautiful wedding

Last weekend I actively got involved in my friend's daughter's wedding. I was the first to reach the marriage hall the previous day morning when the groom's immediate family members were arriving. My friend came with her daughter a little later to avoid  'rahu kalam'. I took them to their rooms and immediately I ushered them to the dining hall. There is something very fresh and nice about inaugurating breakfast on a cool february morning in chennai. Nowadays, the caterers have in the menu all the south indian breakfast items, except the various upma varieties! We had idlis, crisp dosais, pongal, vadai and all the side dishes that go with it and of course kesari. Coffee was really fresh and aromatic.

I say, halt. I did not start this as a wedding breakfast menu post. I wanted to say the central theme of this wedding was artistic decoration, be it in the flower arrangements on the stage, or on the bride's hairdo, rangoli at the entrance or the kolu like exhibition of the life and times of the groom, or the aarthi plates that seems to occupy a very central theme in their scheme of things. Not to mention the exquisitely embellished cholis of the bride and the young women of the  entire extended family.

Let me be more elaborate. The stage decoration was just too beautiful. I have seen enough of opulent and garish and expensive stage decorations. But here, the theme was beauty and not flaunting wealth. Rajnigandha was the flower used maximum and the fragrance was surrounding all of us as we were passsing through the stage throughout the day. The dexterity with which the decorators were going about their job, added to the wow factor. The stage decor was changed for the reception and it was like a swirling tent made of  rajnigadha flowers. It is another matter that the bride and groom were ready in time as also the singer and all of them were waiting for the florist to give final touches to the decoration on the stage!

For the engagement ceremony, the groom's party were doing a very elaborate and intricate handwork of decorating every piece of fruit in a tray with chumkis and what not. The trays themselves were elaborately decorated by them. We were told, immediately after a wedding date is finalised, the women of the extended family get down to start the arthi plate decoration work. Yes, everything is home-made! The mama takes a kalasam of rice and followed by all the ladies with the decorated plates with interesting goodies in them go to the temple and come back with the maapillai for maapillai azhaipu function.


Just near the entrance, two of their family members were sitting and making a rangoli pattern with coloured small stones. It was coming out beautifully. After a while I saw that it was complete and looking very beautiful. I also noticed that red chillies were kept as though peacock plumes to add colour.I was wondering, when I was told it is for warding off 'kan drushti'.

My friend's daughter the(bride) and her cousin had made elaborate kolu like arrangement. It was like a thematic project work presentations that school children do these days. It showed where he was born, the city he grew up in, the school he studied( where they met each other!) the colleges he studied ,his interests, his workplace and the wedding venue! It was a very nice idea and very well planned and executed.

They had special mallipoo fixes for the bride and immediate family. It had thick strand of circular jasmines closely knit together with rose bud like golden threadwork inbetween. For the bride it was red roses in a circular strand with golden threadwork rose buds woven inbetween. If one was not properly introduced to the inner circle then you need to only look at their colourful headgear and you will know that they matter in the scheme of things!

The priest was not a central person, but an also ran. The central theme was artistry, handwork, beauty and flower work, each of which had a very personal touch.

I am not sure if it is a USP of this family but I really believed that they have got the whole machinery of organising for a wedding nicely mapped out and in an enjoyable way too.