Friedrich Nietzsche famously said, “A good marriage is based on the talent for friendship.” Friends complete our life. We want them to be a part of our Big Day because they are special. Their presence means a lot and helps you to reconnect with your past as you get ready to embrace the future.
Since the university days, there’d be speculations about who’ll get hitched first. One of the most joked about lines is, “shaadi mei zaroor bulana”. Friends are the people to whom to-be-brides gush about how cool, smart and intelligent their fiancé is. Male bonding is such that guys are happy to know that their good-for-nothing friend is finally getting hitched, which means the rest of the female folks are out of his reach.
You will surely want to invite your school friends, college friends, old friends, new friends and work friends to the wedding because ‘har ek friend zaroori hota hai’, right? There are a few etiquettes which you must follow when inviting friends to the wedding.
But before that, let’s face the stickiest question:
Whom to invite? (And who should be left out)
Deciding on which friends to invite to the wedding is a tricky part. I know you’d rather cut down on cousins twice, thrice or four times removed to invite all your school and college chums to the wedding. But that’s not practical. Best friends will gatecrash into your wedding, so inviting or not inviting them is out of question. Invite your other close friends with whom you keep in touch, in ways apart from Facebook and BBM. Similarly, all your colleagues need not get an invite, only the close ones at work, whom you count as your friend.
Sometimes, there are budgetary restrictions which force you to reduce the number of friends you want to invite. The decision is simply going to be yours. In any case, refrain from creating a Facebook event for your wedding and sending selective invites publicly.
Invitations are a must
Yes, I agree that back in school and college, our friends didn’t need an invitation to attend birthday parties or placement treats. But you cannot cut corners on wedding invitations. A text message, BBM buzz, Facebook invite or IM ping won’t do. Absolutely not.
Send the invitation cards and if that’s not possible, then do make a point to email digitally designed invitation cards. You can even send a properly scanned copy of the invitation card, along with a personalized message. This should be followed up by a phone call confirming their presence and even insisting on it (if the particular ones mean a lot to you).
Proper Accommodation
In case of destination wedding or out-station weddings, make proper accommodation arrangements for your friends. Don’t just randomly put them up with a cousin or family member. You can allot same room to single friends but married ones deserve a separate room (in case they’re attending with their spouse)
Wedding Favors are a Must
You can create personalized wedding favors, exclusively for your friends or you can give them the same as everyone else. It will be your way of saying how much you value their presence at the wedding. Do not forget to send the thank-you note later for their gifts.
These are sweet little gestures that go a long way in strengthening the bond of love and camaraderie. Don’t think these to be mere formalities which you can skip in case of friends. Agreed that friends remain friends, no matter the season or the time of the day, but it is also your duty to make them feel special and cherished
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