Published by Aparna on 05 Jun 2008 at 07:20 pm
Wedding Receptions
After sarees, here’s more on wedding receptions. Wanted to write some post but right now, I am not able to think of anything else to write.
If there is one place where queues are followed properly by everybody, it has to be only the wedding receptions! Go home from work. Get ready in a hurry. Reach the kalyana mandapam fighting the traffic jam everywhere. Stand in a queue for a minimum of 10-15 minutes. Wish the couple, give the gift, pose for a photo and go straight to dinner hall.
Coming to the dinner, if it’s a wedding reception, then today the norm is that the dinner should be a buffet one and the menu should have the following dishes: (The dinner menu is the same at almost all the receptions)
- Some soup
- A sweet – some kheer mostly
- Chappathi/Parattha/Naan/Roti/Phulka/Poori & some side dish that has lots of masala
- Dosa (optional) with chutney and/or milagai podi
- Pulao & Raitha
- Bisibelabath
- Potato curry or some other sabji
- Chips
- Curd rice, pickle and/or vattha kuzhambu
- Ice cream with fruit salad or gulab jamun or carrot halwa
The dinner being a buffet, again stand in a queue, fill the plate with all the dishes, try to find a less crowded place where you and your group of friends can stand comfortably, take care of your saree and hold the plate with one hand and eat with the other, again stand in a mini queue and get the ice cream, finish the dinner, collect the tamboolam bag and leave. Reach home after fighting the traffic jam everywhere again and then finally rest! Phew!
The only way in which you can avoid the queues at the reception is to go there on time – the time specified in the invitation. But anyway no reception starts on time even if you manage to reach the venue on time. So by the time the couple comes and stands on the stage, the whole place already gets crowded.
P.S.: I have to go for a reception at T.Nagar tomorrow. The very thought of the traffic there during the peak hours scares me.
Mahesh on 05 Jun 2008 at 8:10 pm #
Ha, having had my reception last month [in T-Nagar BTW :)] now I know the other side as well. It may be a pain to get there, etc. But imagine standing with a big garland on your neck for a few hours, smiling at *everyone* and the camera with their lights on in the Madras heat. God, I didn’t even manage to taste the food at the end.
Sathej on 05 Jun 2008 at 8:49 pm #
//Stand in a queue for a minimum of 10-15 minutes. Wish the couple, give the gift, pose for a photo and go straight to dinner hall.//
Thats not the ideal way it should be, right. This sounds to be more like a formality. Anyway, yet again, where’s the time to stand and stare? People have so little time to spare for anyone these days.
//I have to go for a reception at T.Nagar tomorrow. The very thought of the traffic there during the peak hours scares me.//
Have gone for a few kutcheris. If one goes via Nandanam, it takes an eternity to get past the series of signals!
And btw, looks like you have become an expert in these issues
Sathej
Vijay Ganesh on 05 Jun 2008 at 10:15 pm #
These make up sessions take 2 hours… havent seen any reception i visited started on time during last 18 months. So, i eat first and finally come and shake hands - actually the traffic is less after 8:15pm or so for wishing the couples
Aparna on 05 Jun 2008 at 10:25 pm #
Mahesh,
Congrats & wish you a happy married life 
Oh so that explains your long term absence from commenting
I know that’s difficult too. Getting introduced to hundreds of people on a single day & having to smile at all of them!
Sathej,
No it is not a formality. You don’t have a choice these days.
Vijay,
Nowadays, I go after 8 only. Still I end up standing in a queue.
Yes. After paying some 8-10K to the beautician, shouldn’t one make full use of them?
Sir on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:10 am #
En kalyanam West Mambalam la
Sathej on 06 Jun 2008 at 11:41 am #
Not having a choice - thats what is a formality I thought
Ideal picture would be going somewhere because one really wants to.
Sathej
Aparna on 06 Jun 2008 at 12:02 pm #
Sir,
I see. May I know your name Sir?
Sathej,
Where did the question of going just because you have to & not want to, come here? I meant we don’t have a choice but one only ends up spending time standing in the queues because of traffic, crowd, etc. If you wish to, you can always stand and stare for as long as you want to at all the weddings.
Sathej on 06 Jun 2008 at 1:20 pm #
Hmm….well, I didn’t mean ’standing and staring’ in that sense. Anyway, point understood.
Sathej
R.Saravanan on 06 Jun 2008 at 2:56 pm #
Dear Aparna
“queues” are the order of the day where ever you go.
In wedding parties it has become a tool to show off rather than a formality.Because closer to main attraction you see…
Further Yaar
Porrutthal boomi alzvaar
the abovr familiar line for rest of the situations…I guess..
Hope no one will mind me saying this.
Regards
Arun Sundar on 07 Jun 2008 at 2:02 am #
“Go, gift and hog” should be the taaraga mantra and the hog part should be mandatory, one thinks.
vidhya on 08 Jun 2008 at 12:32 am #
Nowadays a lot of post about marriages… Right from sarees to food… Any idea to get married soon?? Started to plan for your marriage??
Niyaz on 08 Jun 2008 at 3:14 pm #
hey nice explanation frm u …..
but have u reached dat reception on time ?? Lolzzzz hehe
Ponnarasi on 08 Jun 2008 at 5:52 pm #
Kalyanam eppo?
Menu ellam pottu…Hm…
Athuvum antha carrot alwa and Gulab jamun….
puranjoy on 08 Jun 2008 at 9:16 pm #
As long time readers, we demand that you post ur marriage plans on the blog. Take us through the journey.
puranjoy on 08 Jun 2008 at 9:17 pm #
Assuming of course that Vidhya and Ponnarasi are on target.
Aparna on 12 Jun 2008 at 8:36 am #
Saravanan,
Whatever may be the reason but I am glad that queues are being followed properly at least there
Arun,
Yup
Vidhya,
I am going for a lot of weddings nowadays & that’s the reason for these posts
Niyaz,
And surprisingly there wasn’t much crowd too for that reception.
I did reach on time
Ponnarasi,
Hope you get to attend lotsa weddings soon 
Puranjoy,
Not everything will be blogged about
puranjoy on 12 Jun 2008 at 11:59 am #
Oww come on! What have we stuck around for so long if not the juicy tidbits? What, you thought it’s because of the Alaipayuthe series?
No seriously, some of my favorite posts are ones where the authors narrate their wedding experiences. If you are indeed getting married, please do post about it. It would be quite instructive. If I was in India, I would have hounded you to invite me to the reception, and then blogged about it
and since I can’t, I appoint you my nominee to do it 
Aparna on 12 Jun 2008 at 1:50 pm #
Puranjoy,
LOL! FYI am not getting married now. Will surely post about it whenever it happens! I too do believe that those will make for good posts.
puranjoy on 12 Jun 2008 at 8:12 pm #
Now I can rest in peace.
arvind on 14 Jun 2008 at 3:25 am #
funny post…dont ask me why ????
even i dont know y ,,,
when it comes to receptions i always prefer typical north indian receptions .. yummy…its been more than6 years since i attented a north indian one…
anyways ..i see lot of ur readers asking u some question..so y should i sit back…
what is ur marriage plan ??
reception sarees -> over
reception food -> over
reception bridegroom -> coming soon ????…
Aparna on 14 Jun 2008 at 10:07 am #
Arvind,
Btw, I have never been to a North Indian wedding.
arvind on 15 Jun 2008 at 4:23 pm #
why dont u try north indian reception for ur wedding..
send me the invitation too.i have been missing it ..
Aparna on 16 Jun 2008 at 11:58 am #
Arvind,
Btw how is a N.Indian reception from S.Indian? Tell me that
Just wait for a few years and you have your reception as a north Indian one
Prasad on 17 Jun 2008 at 5:41 pm #
hhhmmm but if it’sa friends wedding it’s jus tooo gud :DDD you catch up with all old friends many of them married which u wont know and end up tellin him tht the girl there in the blue saree( which will b his wife) is so freekin beautiful!!!! LOL..LOL!!!!
for all other formality weddings i jus find a way to escape
Aparna on 20 Jun 2008 at 8:22 am #
Prasad,
LOL!