This is the story of a monsoon wedding a piquant tale of the Hindu family set in present day India. Unlike its namesake it does not handle issues of modernity, class, morality, society but some fun, frolic and comedy of errors. The plot is set in a traditional Indian wedding set up, which is the central event around which this story is built. If you are well experienced with Indian traditions then you will know that this day is a memorable event in the lives of an Indian bride, groom, and their families. I have known families who will live frugally all their lives to be able to spend lavishly on that occasion. It’s a matter of pride, status and too many emotions fly around when a wedding is on.
One such person I know was a close friend’s dad who had saved each and every day of his life for my friend’s wedding and always envisioned his princess being married in a royal ceremony. They stayed in Jodhpur and I was so excited to head to this destination wedding. My friend Seema(name changed) shared stories of how her dad had chosen the best caterers, experimenting food all over the city, how only the top decorators would be adorning their ancestral haveli to look like a mini palace, and how her costume and jewellery had been passed through generations and were antique. Everything right to the minutest detail was planned to the tee.
As you know Indian weddings have a built up of various ceremonies and so the wedding saw relatives gathering from all over the country a few days in advance. Handling so many people, so many days in advance would have given any man stress but not uncle, he had been planning for this for years. Individual rooms were allotted to families, older kids had separate rooms. There was a pick up from the station, the airport and even sightseeing taken into account. Everyone was all but praises for uncle and he could feel his chest almost swelling in pride.
One beautiful day when lively music flowed through the hallway and we were preparing for ladies sangeet, the sky changed colour and made a crackling sound as if mocking him, while the rain poured heavily down the roof and the ‘aangan’ of the haveli. This was something that uncle had not had an inkling about but destiny was playing games. He shifted the ceremonies to the halls inside and while the vibrant laughter filled the havelis, his heart just sank.
He remembered that six months back when aunty had reminded him to get the waterproofing of the haveli’s roof done as it was ancestral and needed it. He had brushed her off by saying that he had no budget for the same after accounting for the cost of caterers, decorators, musicians and other numerous perks that he wanted to pass on to his guests when they arrived. He had not expected the monsoons to arrive so early this year and soon in the preparations he had totally forgotten about it.
So what did he do? Was he able to pull off the wedding of his choice?
Had this been the monsoon wedding of the Bollywood movies, some miracle might have happened but aunty came to his rescue. She had requested her close friends to keep an alternate venue at standby fearing the worst. The guests were shifted to the new venue and the wedding went off well, though not in the style that uncle or my friend had dreamt of. They had to shell some extra money at the last minute. The guests complained about shifting venues but on the other hand were more than glad to avoid the leaking rooms of the haveli. Soon all was forgotten and fun and laughter was back in the air.
It is important to consider waterproofing solutions while constructing or renovating your house and external walls and ceilings, in particular, are exposed to harsh climatic conditions such as; extremes of temperature, water logging during heavy rains etc.
To avoid such mishaps happening to your special day may I humbly suggest using expert help such as Dr Fixit who have a dedicated team and a range of waterproofing solutions for covering all 5 surfaces of your home i.e. roof, external wall, water tank, external wall and bathroom that would help you prevent damp ceilings and walls. For example;
For waterproofing the terrace, Dr.Fixit Roofseal and Dr.Fixit Newcoat can be used.
For the external walls, there are unique waterproofing products like Dr. Fixit Raincoat ā a high-performance acrylic elastomeric coating for external walls – and Dr. Fixit Newcoat Ezee which can bear the heat, humidity, and rainfall and form a layer around the construction of external walls as well as terraces. These products are resistant to algae and fungus.
Bathroom tiles can be filled with Roff Rainbow tile mate epoxy(Available in 22 colours) ā a permanent, waterproof joint filler that can sustain temperature upto 1000C.
Watch this video to see how Dr. Fixit aka Waterproofing ka doctor is your guide to #FreedomFromDampness;
Monsoons are beautiful and it’s in your hands to make it a beautiful monsoon wedding or not :).
p.s. This is a sponsored post
Oh my gosh! Nightmare! I had an outdoor wedding and it rained for a portion of the reception. I totally feel for the family! (Thankfully the rain stopped after a few minutes in ours though so it wasn’t a total disaster.) Anyway, yes, lesson learned, before splurging on lavish suppliers, practical considerations must first be taken cared of. Happy that the wedding went well despite the mishap though. On a side note, I’ve heard about how lavish and beautiful Indian weddings are. I’m hoping I could attend one one day. š
Oh God, rains can be very tricky and that is why precautions like waterproofing are important. I am glad your wedding went off well, eventually. Indian weddings are beautiful and you must attend one. I am already done with mine otherwise would have invited you ;)!
Omg! This place looks wonderful Prerna. The designs and the ambience is just perfect.
Thanks dear, the pictures are just representational :), however the wedding was pretty grand.
There are not too many couples who schedule their weddings during the rainy months in the Philippines. I guess, many do not want to go through the troubles of experiencing one. There’s a lot to be considered, beginning with the venue. Traffic is also bad when it rains.
That was your friend’s house? It does look like a palace. Must come with a cost to be able to stage an elaborate wedding with all the perks… I mean, I understand the weddings in India is elaborate, but having the means to do so makes it so much more eventful.
Actually, the pictures are representational, but a lot of the weddings that happen are destination weddings and the family that I am talking about had done it really grand.
The house where we lived didn’t have good painting. So we had to paint the entire house because most of the paints fall off! Now, it’s a lot better and the house is nicer. But I couldn’t afford a waterproof paint, it’s too expensive for me. Maybe when we have our own house, that’s when we’ll use one. It’s amazing what paints can do to make a house lovely!
Yes, the products in the market have improved but waterproofing is very important in a rented place. So if you have leakage, you must take it up with the owner.
Awwww that’s a really sad story! Though the wedding celebration was successful, it would have been better if the original plan was executed properly. The lesson of the story may be to prioritize the big stuff before going to the details. It’s a good thing the aunt had a back-up plan.
As much as rain is considered as a blessing in Philippines during a wedding but monsoon is a nightmare.
Wedding is always been an important milestone for every woman or man , Im happy there is a back up plan to save the moment. Preparation really matters, the bottom line.
I agree being prepared for any kind of issues, especially for a big event like a wedding. In this case, he actually avoided the leakage issue and just a timely treatment from Dr. Fixit could have saved the day.
I have never been to a traditional Indian wedding, the representational pictures do look inspiring. I can imagine how much preparation goes into these, and how sad it is when unexpected circumstances, such as monsoons. Good to always have a back up plan.
Thanks Nya. If you have never been to an Indian wedding, you must try and get yourself invited to one. It’s great fun :).
Sometimes we tend to skimp and save on the important things and splurge on the unimportant ones. A little forethought would have saved them so much trouble. I am glad that the wedding was not ruined, though.
PS: Take a bow woman this is brilliant and you know why.
Thank you babes, I know what you mean and that’s a huge compliment :).
Naaa, I would felt the same thing too for your uncle. Good thing the backup plan works fine. And yep, it is really essential to consider weather conditions.
Absolutely, most people tend to ignore things that they think are unessential.