Marriage is about two individuals who have a powerful emotional link and want to spend the rest of their lives with each other. When it comes to India, no one can really imagine a wedding minus the luxury, expensive menus, sangeet, etc. In simple terms, Indian marriages are mostly about the big fat gala and nothing else. In spite of the popular thinking of an Indian marriage, there are few people who broke the old-tradition and hosted the most unique and inspiring weddings of all times.

Here we have 5 such weddings which will compel you to marry in the same way as they did.

• No diamonds or gold, only saplings as gifts: As per our tradition, the in-laws gift the new bride with gold or diamonds in most weddings. When a 22-year-old Priyanka Bhadoria, a science graduate was asked by her in-laws about what gifts she would like to receive on her auspicious day, she amazed everyone by saying that she would rather have plant saplings than anything else. Much happy with the demand, the groom’s family gifted her 10,000 saplings which the couple planted after their wedding.
• Few people give us hope that our coming generation will see a greener future, and Praveen Raj and Monica Pandian are amongst them. This couple hosted their marriage at the lush green lawns of VGP Golden Beach Resort, World Environment Day in vegan style. It was a wedding where footwear’s were made of the recycled tyres and silk, fur, leather was completely avoided. The couple also wore cotton clothes on their auspicious day.

• The Mehr of Knowledge: “Mehr” is a compulsory payment that the groom has to pay to his wife at the time of their wedding. According to the rules, it is generally cash, gold or other consumer products, but, for Sahla Nechiyil who is a post graduate in Political Science, her wedding had to be anything but materialistic. So, the bride, for her Mehr, asked her fiancé, Anees, to present her 50 books and nothing beyond that.
• When she single handed did the ‘Kanyadaan’: In India when someone decides to do anything important, they have state their father’s name first. From signing a government to taking admission in a school, a father’s name is compulsory for all. But, when Hernoor Grewal got married, all she needed was her mother by her side. When Hernoor’s father left her with 4 more sisters the entire community blamed her mother but the brave lady set an example for her daughters by accomplishing all her duties which are otherwise performed as the duties of a father.

• When this wedding hosted more 100 weddings: A businessman from Surat, Gopal Vastapara, organised the wedding of his son but in a unique way. Instead of making his wedding a lavish affair, he simply just hosted a wedding ceremony where he only invited few of his friends, relatives. But, he pledged the rest of the money to organise the wedding of 100 economically challenged girls of a village in the state of Gujarat. He also asked the newlywed couples to promise to save the girl child and to be responsible towards the environment.

Weddings should lead to a happy married life and for that, it’s not at all mandatory to spend corers on the ceremonies. These weddings taught us that one should rather focus on spreading happiness than keeping people away from the festivities following some age-old taboos. Did these marriages inspire you?