South Asian wedding card

Since the medieval period, Indian wedding cards have carried great importance in the Indian subcontinent, and are known through several names such as :निमंत्रण पत्र/पत्रिका, Nimantran Patra/Lagnapatrika/Kankotri and many more. These invitation cards are used for announcing the marriage ceremony and this process of sending an invitation card to guests and relatives forms an integral part of the ritual. Simultaneously, these cards are famous worldwide for their unique patterns, colors and symbols. The presence of these different elements in a marriage card makes it appropriate for the matrimonial ceremony and without it the event is incomplete and unsuccessful.[1]

It is a known fact that different types of Indian wedding invitation cards such as Hindu wedding cards, Islamic or Muslim cards, Christian wedding cards, Sikh matrimonial cards and many more are available which cater to respective religion and caste. At the same time, these wedding cards are designed with beautiful gemstones, kundans, ribbons and precious jewels to give the perfect look and grace to the matrimonial ceremony. But, while purchasing or selecting marriage invitation cards it is necessary to keep in mind certain basic points like wedding theme, quality of the paper used, budget and much more.

Apart from this nowadays, the bride and groom go along with their family members to make the selection of invitation card which suits their style and wedding theme. The couples select card on the basis of various elements which are as follows:-

• Designs or Patterns- Usually for Indian wedding cards have designs like peacock or peacock feather; diya (lamp), swastika, and OM are used for designing these cards. These designs have religious meaning and speak about the Indian culture.

• Colors- Various types of colors such as red, orange, yellow, green and many more are used in preparing these cards. At the same time, special importance is given to color combination because it must match with the patterns used in the invitations.

• Wordings- Indian wedding cards are written in English as well as Hindi language. The wordings used in them are very simple and easy to understand. The cards contain the details of the venue with date and time, name of the bride and groom along with their parents. The main motto is to invite the guests to give their blessings to the newlywed couple or bride & groom.

• Embellishment – Indian wedding cards decorated with beautiful ornaments and jewels to give a beautiful look to the cards.

Image shows Ganesha on an Indian Wedding Invitation Card. Many Hindu cards have this printed on cover or inside page. Ganesha is believed to bring prosperity to the couple.

To discuss in detail, the Indian weddings are usually a large gathering wherein each and every family members along with their friends attend and enjoy the whole celebration. In this culture, wedding is regarded as one of the most auspicious occasion and which is not just the weaving of two persons rather it is a ceremony of unification of two families with the same culture and traditions. The whole function marks a new beginning in the life of the bride and groom along with their family members. The wedding ceremony is performed for at least 2 to 3 days and during this time different types of ceremonies are performed and main significance is given to God.

In Indian culture, not much importance is given to save the date cards, RSVP cards or thank you cards. The main reason behind this is the number of people who are going to the wedding is usually large or higher. The same guest can turn up at the function along with his family members or friends. At the same time, there is no restriction on the number of guests allowed to attend the function. There are no registrations or check point because most of the people attending a wedding might not have even received a formal invitation to attend the function. Usually, the number of people or guests attending an Indian wedding is more than 500, and it is a regular affair to attend marriages in India. At the same time, most people are invited through word of mouth and the success of the whole affair depends on the number of people attending it.

While comparing with other types of wedding, reception cards (especially in South Indian marriages) are given to the guests because in this culture there is no tradition of a baraat (a groom's procession).

This is so as to delineate the ritual laden wedding ceremony proper to be attended by only the closest people; family and friends whereas the more opulent reception is attended by all.

Indian wedding cards and wedding paper are full of colorful images and symbols which cater to each, and every religion found on the globe. Most of these images are important symbols of marriage and love in Indian culture. Many of these symbols denote the religious nature of the Indian community and symbolizes God.

Below is an example for some of the most common symbols used:

References

  1. ↑ South Asian wedding cards
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