2018 has truly been a year of weddings! I add myself too in the list of brides who got hitched this year. One of my earliest memories of a wedding is that of my aunt crying at her ‘Bidai’ and I wondered why?
Fast forward to 23 years from then… I was the next daughter of the family to tie the knot, and I soon found my answer to that ‘why’.
Being this family’s only daughter, I confess to having been extremely pampered by my uncles and aunts, been a spoilt brat (even today!) much to the annoyance of all my brothers. Only on the eve of your wedding do you realize the number of people you took for granted, the aunt you could have paid a visit more often, the chacha you should have checked on now and then, but here they are sharing your joy and just as happy as your parents in doing so.
In a day and age where the focus is mainly on conducting extravagant weddings, we tend to overlook the fact that a wedding rich in ‘moments’ is far beautiful. I take immense pride in saying I wasn’t the bride who woke up at the break of dawn for her makeup or fretted over costume hassles, or went through skin care routines months before the big day. I was that bride who went to the mandap wearing two different nail paint colors. A wedding can be lavish or simple, but it’s a memorable one when your family becomes friends and friends become family through it all. In this regard I have truly been an ecstatic bride in every sense of the word.
You don’t need a wedding to count your blessings, but as I sat through my functions, soaking in the wedding atmosphere, watching my family amidst the wedding madness; I looked on from a distance teary-eyed, realizing no one would love me more than they do, and I will be forever thankful for this selfless love that makes them move mountains for me.
So, I cried like a baby; through all the functions, shamelessly washing away my makeup artist’s hard work in hiding my hangover. I realized no matter how long the hours or number of days I have spent with each person in the family, the time was never enough, never will be.
Yes, I will still be their little girl, pampered each time I’m home… but a time does come when you turn around and head to a new abode.
Teary-eyed (like my aunt), but immensely thankful for so much love in this lifetime.