Five Indian Weddings That Broke Stereotypes

Indian weddings are notorious for their extravagant nature. Lakhs of money is spent on festivities. But call it the winds of change, a lot of youngsters tying the knot are using this occasion to make a difference in society. Know about some weddings that broke stereotypes.

1. Blood donation camp on wedding day

When Bengal-based Sandip Roy and Sreela Mondal decided to get hitched on Feb 8, a big fat Indian wedding was definitely not on their minds. Instead, the couple organised a blood donation camp where they and other guests donated blood.

The couple was aware of the fact that Bengal faces a shortage of blood every summer. This compelled them to organise the camp. This was also their way of spreading the message of blood donation. The bride and groom convinced their friends and family that instead of gifts, they donate blood to celebrate the wedding.

Also: Bengal: Couple Organises Blood Donation Instead of Wedding Feast

2. Bride sitting on horse cart for her Baraat

Jiya Sharma (25), who belongs to Behror town of Alwar district, Rajasthan, wanted a memorable marriage ceremony, one that would give out the message of women’s empowerment. So she sat on a horse cart and took her ‘baraat’ to the groom’s door. Not only do we laud her guts to break a centuries-old custom, but the groom’s family too must be appreciated for having a wedding with a difference.

A student of MA English literature, Jiya’s baraat went the usual way with her friends dancing on the streets.

Gargi Ahlawat, an MBA from the UK, also sat in a horse-drawn carriage and led the procession for a pre-wedding ritual of ‘Bandori' in Chirawa, Rajasthan.

Also: Women in the Workplace: Is Marriage the Point of Contention?

3. Specialised learning tools as wedding gifts

Paloma Dutta, a travel writer and an editor at Penguin Random House, and her partner Ved Baruah, a historian working with the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, took up a social cause on their wedding day. In their wedding invitations, Paloma and Ved let the guests know that they had associated themselves with the NGO Shishu Sarothi and wanted to gift children with special needs. So, they requested that the wedding gifts should be either ‘specialized learning tools’ or even regular stationary items like crayons, pencils, erasers, notebooks etc. They put in a note saying that any money they received during the wedding reception will be donated towards the cause as well.

Also: Even the Tinder Generation is Swiping Right to Arranged Marriages

4. Arriving on cycles for their marriage

As many as 258 grooms along with their relatives arrived on cycles for their marriage on November 7 in Surat. Reason? They wanted to create awareness on traffic and pollution. This is being done as part of the 58th mass marriage ceremony organised by community organisation Saurastra Patel Seva Samaj.

5. Getting married within Rs. 500

Vijayawada sub-collector Dr Saloni Sidana married Ashish Vashishta, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre for just Rs 500. Not only this, they also returned to their duty stations within 48 hours.

Read Also: Madhuri and Jay’s Wedding – First Open Transgender Marriage In Mumbai

Which stereotype did you break or aspire to break on your wedding? Write to us.