Braving the summer weddings

It was a typical wedding being held in the middle of June. Guests were jam packed in a lawn. Apparently, the hosts had underestimated the number of people that might turn up. The result was that members of the groom’s family arrived to find no empty chairs for them to sit. Without missing a beat, they cheerfully made for the stage and sat down on the sofas. Others perched themselves up on the tables, for dinner was a long way from being served. With the temperature already soaring, the multitude of people made the heat all the more difficult to stand.

To add to the confusion, the electricity went out. The entire hall plunged into darkness. One would have expected the generator to start functioning immediately, but apparently it was a low-budget hall, and consequently it took some time before power was restored. Till then, one can only imagine the chaos which reigned, with children crying out for their parents, and harrowed guests groping their way around tables and chairs, trying to find their way around.

The above was only one of the many anecdotes which are the hallmark of weddings held in the summer. As it so happens, the summer season is more of a pre-Ramazan season, so loads of families cram in as many weddings as they can. At an average, one family might have two to three weddings to attend each summer. And if there is a wedding in the family, then it might take up the whole summer.

Summer weddings have their own issues. From venues to timings, and from menus to power failures, there are some things which are an inevitable part and parcel of summer weddings only.

We’ll start off with food —an integral part of most weddings. When it comes to deciding the menu, very few families actually take the weather into account. The fact that some food items are suitable in summers, whilst others are more appropriate for a winter wedding, is quite true. Unfortunately, you easily find families choosing the traditional greasy biryani and fried fish as a summer wedding meal, whereas, a Chinese menu would be lighter, more sensible option.

Of course, the fact also remains that at most weddings, dinner is served really, really late. Eating a hefty amount of heavy food at such an unearthly hour can easily lead to indigestion the next day. When asked, teenagers had much to say on this issue.

“I suffered indigestion once as I ate two whole plates of biryani, and there were other dishes too which I definitely tried. Yes, the menu at weddings should be light considering the heat,” said Taha Baig, an O’ level student.

“I’ve suffered from indigestion many times from the food at weddings,” complained Zeenat Razvi, an O’ level student. “Sometimes it’s because of eating so late, but other times I think it’s because of the dodgy food itself. But I do think the menus at weddings should be light considering the heat. It also depends on the kind of food. Some heavy food items taste good, others less so. It all depends upon your taste buds really.”

Zainub Razvi, her sister, had a different take on the issue. “Indigestion from wedding food, in my opinion at least, is a result of either overeating (which is very common in our society, especially when you get food at 1:00 am, by which time you’re starving), or because the food has gone bad (either because of the excessive heat, or because it got contaminated, which is not uncommon, given the standards of hygiene prevalent in our society).”

When it isn’t food, it’s the phenomena of dressing up. This may sound quite interesting, but many girls are simply not willing to have their weddings in the summers because putting on layers of makeup, and dressing up in designer clothes becomes a trial in itself, with the rising temperatures. And obviously, telling such girls to tone things down is an exercise in futility.

However, even female guests don’t really seem too bothered, considering how overdressed most of them are for the occasion, anyway. But, the normal folks who find nothing fascinating about dressing up, and promptly being drenched with sweat, wear light clothes to weddings, and they are therefore the object of much disdain among the ever-gossiping aunties. Yes, it’s a wonder how people don’t have anything better to do with their time.

Moving away from aunties and their gossip, summer brings with it the monsoons. And rain. Rain is one of the best ways of jazzing up a totally boring wedding, but the fact remains that it can totally ruin things for the families concerned. It so happens that many families choose to hold weddings in open spaces because of the heat, and the next thing you know, the guests, as well as all the furniture, is drenched.

Zainub Razvi narrated the following incident: “Last year, we went to a wedding of some distant family friends. It was fairly early in the summer, and the monsoons weren’t expected, so the event was arranged in a massive outdoor park, covered with net-like overhead covering. But suddenly it started raining, and before we knew it, it turned from a harmless drizzle, to quite heavy downpour. As the rain got heavier and heavier, panic set in. Many guests started leaving in a hurry without even having the food in order to avoid being completely soaked. Unfortunately I don’t know what happened eventually because we also left once it started raining that heavily,” she concluded.

But it’s not all that bad. The greatest advantage of summer weddings is that if there is a wedding in your own family, you can enjoy it to the full as there is no worrying about homework or assignments or projects. There is definitely no hassle of going home and getting into bed early so that you can make it to your educational institute in time the next day.

Fizza Hassan, an O’ level student agrees. “Summer weddings are good in a way because the late night weddings do not affect us. We can spend the next morning sleeping, and we can stay at the bride/groom’s place and have lots of fun.”

Considering what a late affair weddings in Pakistan usually are, it is no surprise then that if they are held in summers, it is actually a convenience for the younger guests, not to mention that their mothers also remain more at ease.

Overall, summer weddings can become more bearable as well as enjoyable, if families pay attention to minute details like holding weddings in halls/lawns which have proper generators and a good overhead covering. Light menus for food items are a definite plus, not to mention punctuality to ensure people don’t have to eat late at night. Till then, we will be simply “braving” the wedding, instead of “enjoying” it.