My elder son’s wedding Part 3

THE COCKTAILS

DIL’s parents are good people and very very responsible parents. I am totally awed by them. They did all the traditional and good stuff like having poojas and carting off both my boys along with their offsprings to various sacred places and getting them blessed. I simply love them for it. In a few months’ time, i.e. six months from the roka, they had solved the problem of relating to me by treating me just like they treated DIL. They would scold both of us in the same breath for overspending and over shopping, and try to restrain us from our excesses. In other words I felt right at home with them.

Then came the shopping and the sulks. No shaadi can happen without them. Like Mad Momma says Weddings are for women, by women and about women. Men are just there to facilitate it. Kid#1just did not get it. It was his wedding too, and why did I have to freak out buying loads of pink/red/maroon/orange glittery stuff and jewellery worth loads of money for DIL. What about him?? It did not help that his beloved and his mother looked at him blankly and said “Huh?! What about you, you’re getting your bride aren’t ya?” Mercifully he did not complain too vocally, just kept sulking. Since he is the quiet sort normally, we ignored him happily.

The wedding was in the last week of January and in the interest of having a good time I opted to host a cocktail party cum shagun cum ladies sangeet a few days before the wedding. My feet were killing me by this time and even when I closed my eyes in the night, escalators of malls and glittery saris floated in front of my eyes. I had seen enough bling to last me a long long time. This mother of the groom had had enough, and needed to unwind. I mean, weddings are supposed to be fun, right? And I don’t have parents to stop me, and the traditions were being satisfied by DIL’s side. So I could be myself and do some stuff my way. I must add over here that my sons and DIL also egged me on. Kid#1 and DIL actually refused to have a reception in lieu of a totally rocking cocktail. She did not compromise on the engagement ring though ….. sigh!!!!! It is beautiful but was frightfully expensive.

So we had a non traditional cocktail party. We organized a live band, Kid#1 wanted rock music, but thankfully compromised. My ear drums and dental fillings still thank him for it. DIL wanted to wear a sexy black dress and not a saree. I had no problems with that one. Her wedding right?? And her lovely figure and cleavage … she could do what she wanted. On the D Day the photographers were in a tizzy – they kept asking in total confusion “Aunty, dulhan kaun hai?” I kept pointing at the hot stuff at centrestage happily “Voh aapki dulhan hai, uska photo lo” until someone corrected me – “Say Voh humari dulhan hai, for godssake!!”.

The cocktails were out in the open at a farm house, and the weather was pleasant – mercifully, no rains. All those visits to various shrines bore fruit I guess … it was good weather. For the life of me I can not remember much of the actual party. I remember nervously waiting for the guests, then I remember greeting DIL and her family. By that time I must have had two drinks. After that, it is very hazy.

After the wedding, the bride and groom had gone for their honeymoon when DILs parents called me over to see the wedding album. Their photographer had been more efficient than ours – so their album and video came much earlier. I was very excited and went to their home straight from work. You can just imagine my horrified reaction when I saw the album of the function, there are FOUR candid shots of me of me downing wine straight from the bottle!!! Oooops!!!

Well anyways ….. But the best photos of that event are Kid#1 on his knees with the ring in front of DIL with this lovesick smile on his face. An enlarged version of that one now adorns their bedroom. And of course the priceless shot of Kid#2 being kissed on his cheeks simultaneously by two of DIL and Kid#1’s female friends. He has this huge smile on his face … totally ecstatic!!! That 17 year old was in heaven