For most, weddings are fairytale affairs. From wedding attires, gold ornaments, food choices, hiring celebrities to perform to n number of things, people are willing to blow a fortune to make their special day memorable.
Now, a Kerala couple is making headlines by opting for a low-key, ritual-free affair for their big day. The wedding invitation post of Irish Valsamma, who hails from Kasaragod in Kerala, has been doing rounds in Facebook since Wednesday, January 4.
Irish is getting married to Hitha at Perambra on February 19. He is not taking a single penny as dowry and said the bride will not wear any gold ornaments for the ceremony. He has also said that neither non-vegetarian food or alcohol will be served for the function; instead the guests will get a tree sapling.
Netizens have been heaping praise on Irish and Hitha for their bold move. When International Business Times India contacted Irish, the 27-year-old opened up on why he wanted to have such a small-key wedding. "My parents are an inter-caste couple. I was brought up by my mother's family as a Christian after her demise, and my father didn't take care of me as he wanted me to follow Islam. Gradually, I lost interest in following any particular religion and always wanted to set an example with my marriage," Irish said.
In my family, I have seen people giving and taking dowry, at least Rs 10 lakh, and in most of the cases, after the function, people complaint anyway. I don't want this to happen for my marriage. I will not be accepting any form of dowry from Hitha's family and she will not be wearing any gold ornaments, not even a thaali.
Support from friends and social media user
When I posted about my wedding on Facebook, little did I know that it will go viral. I am getting tremendous support from my friends and strangers, who have been praising me for thinking out of the box. Most of them posted comments and sent messages saying they also wanted to marry in a similar way, but couldn't, due to pressure from their parents, who worried about what the society would think if they do so.
While many youngsters support Irish, a few others have posted negative comments on his Facebook page. "Some aged people have conveyed their reservations, while I was appreciated by mothers, who said their situation never allowed them to make such bold steps.
In my case, it was easy, as Hitha, who is pursuing her studies in Ayurdeva, was raised by her parents without any religion or caste, and those columns are left blank in her certificates.
On February 19, Hitha's sister Milena is also getting married in a similar way to Chennai-based Prabhu.
Here is the viral Facebook post of Irish:
