Weddings bring with it, its own excitement – each one to their own – be it a wedding within the immediate family or one in the extended family or one in a friend’s family or the wedding of friends of your children.

The excitement is to be there in the event – celebrating the occasion, being a part of the rituals, meeting people, enjoying culture that is at play at the wedding etc etc etc..

If the wedding would be attended by a few other known people, there is an excitement to meet them. If only the bride or the groom and a couple of members in their family are known; and we attend the wedding because we have been invited and we would like to attend the wedding (and of course they will also be happy to see us), the excitement is something else.

If this excitement isn’t enough, it is a different excitement to choose a gift for the couple getting married. An excitement that cash, gift voucher doesn’t give – of buying a gift of what the couple may like to have, is known. That’s a lot of excitement to shop around within a budget we may have and how we think the couple will feel when they open the gift. If they are setting up their own home, how they will make use of it (the thought of whether they will make use of it, doesnt really occur)

Whichever way it is, it is excitement all the way.

Well, it was a couple of weddings I attended that brought the excitement to blog on it too :-).. Who, where, when, how – all these questions don’t matter. There were three aspects that really stood out at these weddings for me, in no order of priority.

Firstly…

Both the  weddings reminded me of Edward De Bono’s book ‘Simplicity’. There was something simplistic about both the weddings, loads of warmth, laughter and hospitality. This is something that we see in many a wedding but these two weddings were a trifle different – it is perhaps a feeling felt, that is hard to articulate in words.

Secondly…

It’s certainly not a small world – It is a big big world that has so many we have journeyed with, for a short while, for a few years, lost touch, staying in touch and haven’t met in a while – those we know from childhood, college, while working etc etc. We think it is a small world because our connctions ‘seem’ small. They actually aren’t because those we are connected with are connected to someone else; and that makes it a wide wide web. We are caught so much in the web like the spider that we don’t see beyond the spot we are in. I met quite some people I wasn’t even aware were connected to those whose weddings were performed. This raised a question in me – how did all of us land up at the same place and at the same time? Unplanned, unknown and unexpected and a pleasant surprise..  Wonder if it is a coincidence, accident or serendipity!!!

Reminds me of what was shared recently in the Ninjutsu class – that we are what we believe. If we believe it is a small world, it is.. If we believe it is a big, wide world, it is.. and that opens out so much of space – not only within ourselves but also in the way we see it or rather feel it 🙂

Thirdly…

Last but not the least – I realised that it was time to eat back my words of – There aren’t too many choices for men, when it comes to attire (the comparison is always that of the woman’s – and thats like comparing apples and oranges).

Ooh, men’s attire took a different shape when I observed them at the wedding. Kurtas in different colours –  the plain ones in  shades of yellow, orange, blue, red, pink and the evergreen black, white or the designer ones or those with paisley designs or bright designs.. full sleeve, half sleeve, Chinese collar, round neck… The jackets worn over the Kurtas – long, short, plain shades or a bold and bright or paisley design..

Oh well, shirts weren’t losing their shine – they also came in different colours and designs and in some cases were paired by their counterpart dhoti who complemented with their similar coloured borders. Women’s attire didn’t hold the stage for me this time, men’s did!!

Either the choices for men’s attire  has actually become much more than before or I am looking at it with a different lens or it is a combination of both!! Whichever way it is, the choices are certainly refreshing to see and is here to stay!!

There is more to weddings that the actual wedding, isn’t it? So much more that it can pen a blog!! 🙂