Wedding Crashing in India

In 2005, the movie Wedding Crashers was released and became an instant cult classic. The movie about two guys that attend weddings uninvited in an attempt to bed women.

The movie had some amazing scenes including this one:




Would you like to be a wedding crasher? There are tours that get you invited to amazing weddings that your were not invited too. The New York Times writes about tour companies that get you invited into a massive wedding in India. According to the article, weddings in India are huge lavish multiday affairs.

The author, Adam Graham, writes about his personal experience:

"We had been invited to an Indian wedding. As the hand-painted invitation put it: 'You’re cordially invited to the wedding of Sau. Kan. Hanupriya Jodha (daughter of Rani Kiran Hada and Darbar Mahendra Vikram Singh Thi. Para) and Chi Kr Navdeep Singh (son of Shri Th. Sh. Rajendra Singh Ji Shekhawat R.P.S. Thi Khachariawas — Adopted by late Shri Th. Sh. Surendra Singh Ji Chauhan Thi Sihali at Govind Villa in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.' 

The newlyweds-to-be were not old friends from college, family members or even friends of friends. Truth be told, we didn’t know the bride and groom or any of their 1,000 other guests. We had been invited thanks to a New York-based tour agency called Micato Safaris, one of a handful of tour agencies that provide access to Indian weddings. Weddings in this region, which are mostly arranged, are a big deal — and for a tidy price, crashing them can be a great way to poke one’s head into a rich cultural window that you won’t get from a guidebook."

Graham paid a company to get him invited to the wedding. The article mentions three companies that offer this type of service:

Micato (micato.com/india; five-night packages, including lodging, meals, activities, tips and flights within India, from $7,590) can help visitors experience an authentic Indian wedding by arranging invitations and fittings of saris and sherwanis.

Cox & Kings (coxandkingsusa.com; seven nights, including lodging, and some meals, from $4,395) arranges wedding encounters in their Jewels of India Tour.

London-based Mystic India (mysticindia.co.uk; eight-night home stays from $1,252) creates a range of tours to fit every budget; for wedding encounters, guests are required to bring a gift valued at £100, about $160, or more, to the wedding couple.

Don't feel like paying a company to help you get invited. Visit somewhere between October and February and you might stumble upon one. If that doesn't work, ask someone at the hotel.

Indian weddings are over the top affairs. Some weddings can have over 1,000+ attendees.

http://www.exoticindianweddings.com/indian-wedding

Graham writes that:

"All weddings are different, of course, but food almost always plays a central role. However elaborate the ceremonies, much of it is homemade and served communally. It’s vegetarian and delicious. Fragrant bowls of curries, stacks of nan atop silver plates, and savory biriyani in crockpots stretch over long tables. Bars are almost always free, and whiskey flows heavily. 

Men and women are separate for much of the ceremony. Women gather for ornate henna bodywork in one tent, while men exchange business tips and network over whiskey and cigarettes in another. Women may enter the men’s tent, but men are strictly forbidden from the women’s. I warily peeked into the women’s tent to check in on Dianne and witnessed women of all ages sitting in a circle painting one another with henna."

Overall, an Indian wedding is a celebration of community. A celebration of family.. A celebration of love. All tied up with elaborate clothing, food, and lots of dancing.

Would you pay to attend a stranger's wedding?

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