tag 19 – bride

Terri impulsively tagged a bunch of us ladies (wonder why the men got left out), to post a blog-friendly wedding picture of them. Brides are supposed to be at their pretty best. Happy, excited, shy, nervous as hell yet looking like they are completely in command of the situation, and enjoying it too. Yeah, some challenge eh, and the guys think being a bride is easy!

So, I dutifully pulled out the album with a few pictures of our wedding day and as any woman with a few good years behind her would relate, I didn’t recognize myself. I looked like a hastily built malnourished scarecrow that got scared out of her mind and ran blind smack onto a red wall, thus landing a bad bruise on the forehead. (yes yes, I know I sound like a broken record, but I shall not forgive the priest, who you see partially there, who kept getting random ladies to apply more and more kumkum on my already red forehead! Check my marriage meme for more detailed cribbing)

Anyways, here’s a blog-friendly picture of me during the ceremony.

picture-4

Yes, I know, I look plain, with no jewelry and jazz. My good friend looked more like the bride though of no fault of hers! Don’t ask. One of those insanely half-baked idealistic views on minimalism and ‘less is more concept’ that I stubbornly stuck to. Of course I conveniently blame the mother now that she should have told me better, but like I was listening then. Apart from a few other heartfelt reasons, this alone makes me want to go exchange vows again, and maybe I just will too, considering all.

Today marks 16 years since the husband and I decided to stick it together. Yes, we met on the 1st evening, and made it official on 2nd morning. Stop smirking about the dates, the jury’s still out on who or even if we got fooled. Okay, that joke’s become boring and I shall cease.

So which one of you fine folks want to show us how you looked on your special day? That includes men. Consider it a tag.

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86 replies on “tag 19 – bride”
  1. says: My3

    Mine is 20 years. I went into the WONLY cotton-sarees-as-silk-kills-worms phase much to my poor poor sainted mother’s worries. But we finally agreed that a few silk worms will be killed but NO head gear or jewellery.
    🙁 Now I wish I had dressed up as Andal. How much fun those pics would be to look at. My friend got married late at night in Nellore. Lovely picture.

    1. says: rads

      Totally agree! Andal costume’s so cool! Side kondai and all 🙂

      Weddings at night are how I look at a perfect wedding!:)

  2. Wow 16 years! That’s understandable. We’ve only been married for 15 months now, and I already spot drastic changes in the way we both look! I think I’ll bunk office and sulk in bed all day.

  3. Oh, and last night, I hunted down a few of my childhood pictures, looked at them longingly and penned a few lines on the loss of innocence. See for yourself and you’ll know what I mean. Now THAT would make a great tag! I think I need my vanilla iceream! 🙁

    1. says: rads

      aww, did u eat that ice cream? I can’t coz of the insane 7 day challenge I signed up for, but come Monday, I break fast with ice cream. Yess!

      Oh yes@childhood pics. You wanna start? 🙂

  4. says: Vijay

    Congrats…. for men it should be a current picture in their wedding suit :-)….hmmm cant seem to find mine… And I’ve been meaning to watch that wedding video of mine for the last 17 yrs….

    1. says: terri

      Vijay, I hope wedding suit is different from birthday suit. See, that’s why we don’t tag guys, certain images are best kept under wraps.

      Rads, congratulations on the Jab We Met anniversary. I hope the husband remembered without the need of a gentle reminder. And that sure looks like a Gul Panag dimple from this distance.

      1. says: rads

        Husband? Remember? er. Terri, since when did that gene get pooled in men? He remains blissfully ignorant. Will make sure I hold a banner for the June date.

    2. says: some body

      “in their wedding suit ”

      if it fits. if it doesn’t, well … see what terri wrote! 😉

      – s.b.

    3. says: rads

      Video? *gasp* Really? U do? Whoa.
      If mine ever came up with such a suggestion, I’d quickly can it in and say we need to save that for our time capsule which we shall open in 2050.

      1. says: Vijay

        Waaa you don’t have Video aaaa? Full with special effects and all… like Telgu movie…have I mentioned my wife is from the Telgu Land?

        1. says: rads

          no no, we have video. Just don’t want to watch like you do :p

          lol@special effects. Yes, more like an Annamacharya Keertana special 🙂

  5. ..ah congratulations on the 16 years, and heres to a few more. i think change comes in three days or so. i keep on mournfully looking at my hands ( of all things!) and bemoaning the fact that water and housework has ruined them. dont even want to look at the face. sigh. ok now i think i shall go and sulk.
    btw, you look nice in the snaps. blurry. but nice and coy

    1. says: rads

      heh, thanks Cynic, was playing the part. 🙂

      I knowww@hands. Aren’t they the first ones to cheat on you? Then the neck follows is what am told. I shiver and wait. :

    1. says: rads

      Thanks Solilo 🙂

      lol, well, depending on the level f anonymity we’d like to retain, we choose the picture 🙂

      You doing?

    1. says: some body

      gradwolf:

      “same pose, my mom and dad have got framed!”

      ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!! you ought to have commented from your gradsheep account ;-).

      – s.b.

  6. says: Sands

    such a lovely dimple! All that exaggesration about the sindoor on the forehead. Very pretty from what I can make out. Congratulations on the anniversary of the first meeting 🙂

  7. says: Ramesh

    Congratulations on your wedding anniversary.

    A few years before on the same day I was born.
    (4 years ago, it was as many years before as you had been married)

    – Ramesh

  8. says: Rads

    oh my that’s a long time..can’t imagine how i’d feel after so many years together…we’ll b completing 3 years in July…n im already bored of being married…well nyways congrats for bearing it up so long…

    1. says: rads

      LOL@bored. O come now surely you don’t mean that. If you do, you just need to spice and shake things up a bit 😉

      It’s been an interesting 16 years 🙂

  9. says: Rads

    n btw nice post…ur pics r not quite clear but all that u felt as a young bride was sooo cute to read…it jus reminded me of mine…i was soo thin n pretty n all back then…im jus the opposite nw :(…guess wedding changes everything…

    1. says: rads

      lol, it shouldn’t though, yet it does. I liked myself a year after tho’ not during the wedding. Bag o bones I was.

  10. says: sraikh

    Happy Anniversary. Mine was a whole day affair and I cried and cried. My parents were leaving the next day with evil sil in law(s) plus I was so so young..

    PS:The two Rads all very confusing.

    1. says: rads

      LOl@ 2 rads. Someone else also mentioned. Okay, here’s a hint. I use lower case and she uses upper case? 🙂

      Thanks sraikh. How young were you?! *always wanted to ask you that and thought be rude* Still feeling quesy, don’t have to ans if u’d rather not 🙂

      1. says: Rads

        LOL..dint think i’d create such a confusion…i purposely use “R” to avoid that but ppl still getting confused :))

      2. says: sraikh

        I will turning 32 in Nov. By Nov, I will have a 10, 7,5 and 3 yr old monsters and would be celebrating my 12th wedding anniv. So yes I got married at 20 and had my first child at 22.

        I dont mind that question. I sorta of feel very young because I have a 10 yr old 🙂

        1. says: rads

          We are a year apart wrt baby-times, mine was at 23. It’s such a high when people notice that you don’t fit into the typical stereotype 🙂

  11. says: M

    Congrats for completing 16 years of your journey together.

    I like the picture and totally see the simplicity is best phase. I did go through that for my wedding and I don’t regret it one bit. I was in such a state that just wanted to get married..before my Dad changes his mind 🙂 He was against our marriage at that time because hubby is from UP.

    Now of course he is happy, we have completed 8 years now.

    1. says: rads

      Thanks M. 🙂 Don’t think I regret it hugely, just that I was a different person then than now.

      lol@changing mind. Parents just do a lot of drama, they come around quick is what I hear.

  12. says: Ram

    Whats your munchikien upto? No new stories? Or has she grown out of the cute phase and become irritating?

  13. says: Priya

    Awww, you know rads, I’ve never seen a bride who looked ugly on her wedding day 🙂
    And you look beautiful – jewellery is distracting !! I didn’t have much jewellery on either – whatever I had belonged to both my grandmothers – I had never met them (they passed before I was born) and this way it made me feel like they were still part of the wedding.

    Silly, I know 🙂

    But this is fun. I should dig up my photos too. I’ll do that this weekend 🙂

    Priya.

    1. says: rads

      haha, thanks 🙂

      No, makes sense perfectly to remember them in spirit through tangibles. I didn’t know my grandfathers that way.
      Yes, please do. waiting 🙂

  14. says: Jyothy

    Though the picture is blurry, you look so pretty.
    Simple and sweet.
    Congratulations on 16th aniversary.
    how do you “spice it up ” as u mentioned up in the comments section…share some tips , rads:)

    We had our 9th anniv.on 31st mar and it was like ” did we hang on/ hang out for 9 years???” and then it was like any other day. 🙁

    1. says: rads

      Thanks Jyothy 🙂

      lol@tips on spicing up. Well, for starters spending some time without thinking yourself as parents helps a whole bunch. 🙂

  15. says: Gayatri

    Hello,

    very pretty picture.
    i’ve been reading your blog and found it a fun read.
    enjoyed the IR songs and remembered my college days.
    nenu kooda “telugu bidda”ne. kaani, losing touch with the language as i’m married to a tamilian. so, i appreciate the telugu and tamil (can understand some) on your blog.
    just wanted to thank you for your asparagus recipes.

    so long..will go back to my lurking
    Gayatri

    1. says: rads

      ahh, another telugu-tamil girl! 🙂

      You welcome, I need to spend some time listening, these days relaxing with music’s becoming scarce.

      Oh, don’t lurk now, come back and tell me how the asparagus turned out?

  16. says: s

    “One of those insanely half-baked idealistic views on minimalism and ‘less is more concept’ that I stubbornly stuck to.”

    very cute 🙂 I can relate to similar views when I was younger, although mine didn’t fly at my wedding – thanks to my family 🙂

      1. says: s

        Actually secretly I wanted all the wedding bling-bling…so I wasn’t really upset 🙂

        I am still conflicted by what I’d like to follow (read ideals) vs the need or temptation or lazyness or (more reasons) to not follow them. But follow them or not, I find young people with idealistic views very endearing…its a pity I don’t see any youngsters (in India) with such silly notions these days. Maybe my sample is too small 🙂

        1. says: rads

          hahaha, I know the feeling of wanting jazz, but doing drama for not 🙂

          well, this generation are much clearer in their head than us. The id in them is strong, and rightly so. I however, don’t mind where I came from, just that we don’t exactly fit or speak the same language when conversing with them. Some at least 🙂

  17. says: Radhika

    “half-baked idealitic views on minimalism”

    when I was younger I used to think I should wear only cotton sari in my wedding.I used to wear cotton saris for my friends marriage.after sometime I changed my views.girls should be colourfully dressed for the occasions atleast.It makes the whole surrounding bright.It lifts the spirit.I think we should not miss all small pleasures in life.FLowers,jewelry,silk sarees ..I feel its a kind of rejuvenation.Atleast i want my kid to enjoy all the occasions .

    congratulations on your wedding anniversary

    1. says: rads

      I LOVE cotton saris. Last count owned 43 or so! It dropped big from 75, and it shall rise now when I go home and shop 😀

      You right. Certain occasions demand certain visuals. Girly-girl dressing may not be for everyday, but during such festivities, it pays off to dress up. 🙂

      Thanks!

  18. says: swaps

    “Yes, I know, I look plain, with no jewelry and jazz.”

    Actually, I had not noticed it at all. You don’t need props to look good 🙂

    1. says: rads

      You sweet. Thank you! 🙂

      *no I wasn’t fishing, just feel brides are usually all dressed up, at least the ones I see these days.*

  19. says: Nirmal

    Belated Anniversary Wishes!
    What a tag :). Some day if all goes well will complete them 😛

    i hv read many blogs before most of them would be couple of years either younger or elder to me but for first time i feel like reading the views of someone of the earlier generation , this doesnt talk abt the age factor but then for ppl like you who have seen what is commitment in mid 90s and the current commitment it must be a big change in good sense.

    Best example would be this,
    “3. How long after you met did you start dating?
    Are you kidding me? Dating? What dating? Would ‘rt away’ be acceptable an answer?”

    These days every other arranged marriage has a separate phase before engagement!
    Times change within a decade!! You must also read this <a href=”http://ponnirmalkumar.blogspot.com/2008/08/mathematics-of-love.html”an article based post which talks abt present generation !

    1. says: rads

      Nirmal, thanks for reminding me I belong to the older generation 😛

      Jokes apart, I don’t think it’s the age factor alone, it’s the when in your lifespan that you commit also matters.
      Husband and I had a courtship of 2 months. It was a very enjoyable 2 months. 🙂

      Read it, didn’t get around to commenting, will do. Sorry, am a lil swamped.

      1. says: Nirmal

        Thanks for reading! It is an adapted post from news daily.

        Older generation i meant was not with age but the views 😛

        Quite curious to ask this…what does kowthas mean? and you nick yourself Rads? any thing behind this?

  20. says: Saranya

    First time commenting, just wanted to wish you congratulations for 16 yrs.. that is a lonng time! 🙂
    In a few yrs..I will do this tag definitely, when the time arrives! 🙂

    1. says: rads

      Thank you so much! You need to delurk more than just for anniversaries. I can’t keep having too many of them in a year you know! :p

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