Not too long ago I went to an Indian wedding and I was really excited to go. I would see people I hadn’t seen in a long time: friends, family, and other acquaintances. The venue was a five-star hotel. The weather was supposed to be amazing. I was looking forward to it. The events building up to the wedding were great. The ceremony was nice, and the priest did an amazing job narrating it. Then, came the reception. The unique cocktails were killer, but the pre-dinner reception program was so long, and I was getting hungry.
Then, after finally getting dinner, (halfway through the reception), it got boring. I noticed a lot of the guests had already called it a night – including some of the bride and groom’s close family. People who had no excuse not to party. Say what?! I looked at my watch – it was only 10 pm! Why are so many people leave? And why are there only 10 people on the dance floor? Another glass of rosé helped and I danced with the wedding couple and some other friends for awhile, then called it a night.
I began to wonder – why is it that such an amazing looking wedding felt a bit … boring. Well, for starters, with Indian weddings (and most weddings for that matter), we’re so hung up on how everything looks, we forget about the experience. Weddings are meant to be about tradition, culture, and celebration aka the experience. But so many of us are hung up on how pretty everything looks.
And if you’re like me, you want your wedding to be fun, enjoyable and exciting. You want people to talk about how they spend all night on the dance floor or how they were pleasantly surprised about something that happened in some way.
From that experience, I’ve put together some tips on how to have a fun Indian wedding that you can use from the beginning {before} you plan out your Indian wedding.
KEEP YOUR GUESTS FULL AND COMFORTABLE AT ALL TIMES
At Indian weddings, food is a priority. You don’t need five-course menus for every meal, but feeding guests on time is key. If your events have a big gap in between, offer self-serve snacks or munchies.
And for comfort – if you have an outdoor wedding and it’s hot, give out paper fans or umbrellas to block the sun. Music also plays a big role. Yes, music should be loud enough to hear, but work with your DJ so it’s not blaringly loud. If your guests can’t stand to be in the reception hall to eat dinner because the music is too loud, are they going to come back in to dance?
DO SOMETHING UNIQUE
Guests remember unique parts of a wedding. Make it a point to do something unique – something you haven’t seen at other weddings. Here are a few ideas: Interactive photo booth, video guestbook, professional performers, fireworks (if you’re going over the top), different types of food or super unique food (like Indian eggplant sliders…mmm).
CONSIDER YOUR LIKES AND YOUR GUESTS’ LIKES
Yes, it’s your wedding and you should do what you like, but don’t forget that your guests are the ones attending your party. Think about who is attending (older family members, people from other countries, etc), and that should help gauge your music, food and drink selections.
TELL YOUR GUESTS WHAT TO EXPECT
Guests want to know what’s happening all weekend long even though you’ve given them a wedding invitation with event times. What’s the plan? Where do they show up and what’s going to happen? Guests tend to enjoy more when they know what to expect.
Check out this post to help you plan the perfect Indian wedding welcome bag (hint: it should include a weekend itinerary to help your guests navigate the weekend).
GIVE YOUR GUESTS A BREAK
Indian wedding can be exhausting, especially for travel to the wedding location, pre-wedding events, and the day-of festivities. Slot in some time so your guests can rest in between events. A common time is between the wedding ceremony and the reception. If guests are staying at a nearby hotel (or if your hotel is the venue), they can take a break there.
And lastly and most importantly:
BE A PART OF THE FUN
Guests want to see you, the wedding couple has fun. They want to dance with you, talk to you, and celebrate with you. So relax, it’s your wedding. Don’t just watch your guests have fun – get out there and enjoy yourself too.
For more ideas, visit our resources page.
Photo source: American Prestige Photography