Mothers of the bride and groom play important roles in a traditional Indian wedding setting.
Here, we present a few tips for these important ladies so that they can help in the entire wedding planning and arranging process ,support the families and, more importantly, help the bride and groom-to-be.
- Responsibilities – It is important that a mother of the bride/groom plays her role(s) well during the entire wedding planning process. She should be supportive of the children as far as possible, and play multiple roles where needed: listener, comforter, ‘fire-fighter’, financial planner and so on.
- Expectations– A good mother will lower her expectations and give inputs only when most needed. Traditionally, Indian weddings are completely arranged by the elders in the two families. However, winds of change have arrived in the country and more and more couples are taking the reins in their own hands: from arranging the Sangeet ceremony, the mehendi, or the Reception. Mothers must certainly extend their complete support during all these events and mainly work to eliminate stress for the organizers.
- Financial planning– Mothers of the bride/groom may often be required to take budgeting/financial planning in their hands. It is vital that one talks with her husband/elders of the family and, if needed, act as a buffer between the kids and the elders. ‘Talking budget’ with the other party right in the initial stages of planning also helps prevent disputes/disagreements at a later stage.
- Getting to know the in-laws – This is one of the most important aspects of being the mother of the bride/groom. One should try and arrange a get together with the other family in order to know each other well while avoiding issues that can cause potential friction.
- Tact and discretion: Sure, there are going to be times when a mother of the bride or groom is not going to be entirely pleased, be it with certain guests or the wedding arrangements etc. Instead of being critical, one should try and turn the situation around, may be even suggest improvements when possible. But it is most important to refrain from criticizing a person as doing so will only lead to ugly gossip or fights.
And finally, one mustn’t forget to take care of one’s health and have fun during the entire wedding planning-to-completion process. We hope these tips can help mothers maintain their supportive role that is expected of them during the wedding.
Images:
1) Featured: Saneesh Sukumaran Photography
2)&4) Sandeep Gupta Photography
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