Splurging on wedding invites

IP Anand

IP Anand

THE Malhotras have sent their son’s wedding invitation,’ announced my wife, and handed over to me two big boxes. Curiously enough, I looked at the gold-rimmed, strong and sturdy, cardboard cartons designed in ornate patterns. Grand and gorgeous, they emitted a sure sense of opulence.

Awestruck, I opened the boxes. One of them contained ‘desi Punjabi sweets’ and the other had two small wrappings of exotic sweetmeats. A bunch of cards, having an ornamented pattern identical with the one on the boxes, was framed against the inner top. Each ceremony was mentioned on a separate card.

The highlight of the box, however, was a crystal case showcasing a 100gm sterling silver coin of 999 purity. The shining souvenir made a shine surge in my wife’s eyes, whereas my heart sank a little as I was reminded of American author and finance consultant Erin Lowry’s obsevation that wedding invitations are the classic ‘open your wallet’ item for couples and their wedding guests. An expensive invite, I knew, signals a lavish wedding, and a hefty envelope to match with.

I wondered why people turn extravagant in breaking the news of marriage. Howsoever stylish and costly the card and the container may be, they become redundant and are often discarded.

I recalled my own days when the message about the big day was sent on turmeric-sprinkled postcards (chhirkveen chitthi), considered to be auspicious. The wedding cards which followed were simple, selected not from any designated designer’s showroom, but picked up from the printer’s shop itself.

The standard wedding cards were aimed at informing invitees about the wedding, the person getting married, the marriage schedule, the venue and extending a respectable invitation to grace the occasion. Sweets and presents were given at the end of the event.

Gradually, the emphasis shifted to adding swag and style to the invitation. That is how designer cards came into being.

Now, the invites are iconic of the sender’s status, and the big and bold is believed to be beautiful. The wealthier the host, the bolder the presentation. No wonder that Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal’s invite, including ‘four mini jewellery boxes containing intricate gold-framed photos of gods and goddesses’, was reported to have cost Rs 3 lakh each. This trend of spending lavishly on invites is growing infectious. Parents vie with one another for innovative ideas to flaunt their fortune.

‘Hello! Where are you lost?’ my better half broke my rumination and brought me back face to face with the wedding boxes. I heaved a deep sigh and prayed to God to impart me, and others of my ilk, means and might to match ‘magnificent marriages’ till we all get over this ‘Splurge Syndrome’.