The Millennial Bride And Groom: Breaking Free Of Conventional Bonds
For long, long-time marriages in India have been a sombre a practice. Yes, they are huge celebrations involving literally every person the bride and groom know. Even still, as the vidaai occurs, the real impact of the event hits – a girl leaving her childhood home to join the family of the groom.
Thankfully, the bride of today and the groom for that matter have changed the game. The girl is no more coy, shy, and full of fear of the unknown. She is confident about herself and takes the first step into married life as an adventure. The day is not considered as the moment she leaves the home of her parents, rather the day she amalgamates two families.
It is this new and novel way of approaching weddings that got us interested. We wanted to explore what other ways is the millennial couple modifying an age-old tradition. The answer we got was mind-boggling. From female priestess presiding over a ceremony to writing their own vows to theme based wedding venue and decors, the wedding of today is vastly different.
Some Interesting Millennial Wedding Stats
Big, fat Indian wedding. Famous words world over. There is a reason for it. When we marry, we include every soul we know in the celebration. While there is nothing wrong in inviting people, it does make for a long guest list. Generation Y couples are forgoing this tradition. Instead of a lavish affair, they prefer a wedding where only the closest people are invited.
33% of couples believe that the guest list should be just 100 people long. 42% of couples say that 200 to 400 guests are more than enough for the celebration. Considering weddings use to include 500 to 1000 guests at a time, this is a paradigm shift.
Another cataclysmic change that has come into the wedding industry is the location of the ceremony. For a long time, couples dreamed of destination weddings. From beaches to mountains, there were a plethora of options to get married. Right now, over 35% of millennial couples want to marry in their home town. Instead of a palace in interiors of Rajasthan, they would prefer wedding halls in their city to tie the knot.
Stats and numbers have their place. What’s more interesting is the actual steps brides and grooms are taking to alter conventional wedding ceremonies into millennial ones. We explore them in the next section.
Transforming The Perspective of Indian Weddings
As long as weddings have existed in India, the same vows have been spoken. The language may differ from state to state, and the seven vows may slightly alter, but the essence of them has remained immovable. The millennial couple has taken a bold step and changed the tradition. Instead of agreeing to the seven vows, the priest intones, the couple write their own just like in some western weddings.
While some add vows to the traditional mantras invoked during the pheras, others bring in completely new ones. A massive change in the nuptials, writing your own promises to each other is a unique way to personalise the event. Moreover, it can reflect the true personalities of the man and the woman.
The Baraat is another area where weddings have started to change. Originally, the concept of baraat began with conquering kings. The King who won a territory rode in on a horse with its army to take the daughter of the defeated king as a prize. Since this concept is not applicable anymore, brides have redefined it. They are either riding in with the groom or making their own quirky entry. Some brides dance in with their families and friends while others ride in on bikes.
Our country has one of the richest traditions when it comes to tying the knot. Marriage has always been an auspicious occasion. Yet, we can’t help cheer the men and women who are altering staid norms and bringing in a personal touch to the event.
I’ll admit I am somewhat culturally unaware of Indian weddings, so this was quite interesting. Thank you for posting this!