‘Wedding receptions’ – Are they meaningful or enjoyable…!

I had an opportunity to participate a couple of wedding receptions during this week , not as a photographer but as a guest. Indian weddings are becoming more lavish and crowded than before. People prefer to participate in receptions mainly because it is held during a comfortable time, and it extends till late evenings ..... sometime till 11.00pm. Unlike participating in weddings, you have a Indian Stretchable Time (IST) for receptions.

In those days, receptions were generally organized when the wedding is celebrated in a different place. But now, weddings are made simple to make receptions grand. Well, the purpose of a wedding reception is mainly to meet the couple, their family and few common friends but I found in the recent receptions, that the purpose is to just to mark the attendance and part a gift in the hands of the couple even without seeing their face and talking to them properly. We go with a preoccupied mind and want to leave the place as early as possible.

It is also strange to see people rushing and pushing each other when they want to meet the couple. Unfortunately none of us like to go in a 'queue' and wait for our turn patiently. Some times there are few ‘smart guests’ who gain entry from the exit platform; not minding lot others waiting in the other end. These ‘smart guests’ confuse the whole event and there is a mess of actions happening in the center of the reception dais. The hosts from the both families feel delicate to handle such 'smart guests'. They also make the job of the photographers and video personnel confusing. The couples miss out the opportunity to share their joy with the people around and many important group pictures are missed because of this confusion.

Remember, all these things happen and get over in about half an hour (you can call this as 'peak hour of a wedding reception') and after this confusion the reception platform is relatively free; and by then most of them had gone to the dinning area to create the same confusion in the buffet dinner also.

There are few unanswered questions which remain in my mind every time I go for wedding receptions….

1. Why cannot we understand the meaning of a wedding reception and plan a time for it?
2. Why cannot we really have the heart and mind to wish the couple?
3. Why cannot we follow the discipline of standing in queue and wait for our turn?
4. Why cannot we value others time and follow the basic rules and avoid the ‘smart shortcuts’?
5. Why cannot we be civilized enough to behave properly in a gathering of selected invitees?

These questions are almost endless…

Finally for the organizers of the wedding,

1. Why cannot we stop the noisy (I wonder if the noise pollution control norms of ‘so many decibels’ applies to these music/noise troupes) ‘so called light music’, playing a great havoc in a small gathering where we want to talk to our fellow guests and friends?
2. Why do you call people and make them just sit and close their mouth and ears..?
3. How can we speak to some one when we cannot hear them in the noise of music?

Let us make our life and relationships meaningful.

- KL.Raja