Weddings are serious business – from seating plans to food critiques, nothing escapes the scrutiny of relatives. But when it comes to this wedding RSVP that has been doing the rounds, it seems the hosts decided to embrace the chaos with a generous sprinkle of humour.
Opening with a tongue-in-cheek ‘Rishtedar Saare Vahi Pakau’ (RSVP for all the same boring relatives), the invite sets the tone. Each category of guests is called out with hilarious honesty:
Mummy-Papa – the default VIPs whose attendance is assumed.
Mama-Mami – ‘Mayra yehi bharenge isliye upar daala hai naam’ (They’ll cover the bill, so their names get priority).
Fufaji – ‘In-house kalesh expert’ (The experts of in-family drama). Every wedding has one, and here they’ve earned a special mention.
Irritating bacche – ‘Jo stage pe jaake photo bigaadte hai’ (The kids who ruin stage photos). For once, someone had the courage to call out those mini misguided missiles in sequins.
The piece de resistance , however, is the ‘Strict Instructions’ at the bottom:
‘No gifts please, only Google Pay or cash. Hum already 7 dinner sets aur 20 photo frames receive kar chuke hain.’
(We have already received 7 dinner sets and 20 photo frames.)
If that doesn’t make you laugh, nothing will. It’s a hilarious yet relatable nod to the abundance of repetitive gifts Indian families receive. For generations, wedding gifting has operated like a closed-loop system: ‘You give a dinner set, you get a dinner set’. By the way, I too am stuck with several such items, which I ’recycle’ without using or reusing by gifting those presents to others ‘occasionally’.
Even the hashtag – ‘GopalSharmaGaya’ – seems to play on the dramatic flair of Bollywood wedding announcements while staying true to the cheeky vibe of the invite.
Humour with a personal touch
What makes this invite stand out is its honesty. It breaks away from the pompous, overly formal wedding cards that focus on gold foil lettering and flowery prose. Instead, it reflects what Indian weddings truly are – joyous but exhausting affairs, filled with quirky relatives, drama, and the ever-misbehaving kids.
In a world where Instagram-worthy aesthetics have taken over, this witty RSVP reminds us that weddings are celebrations, not exhibitions. A dash of humour and a pinch of reality make for the perfect invite – one that guests won’t forget anytime soon.
And while we’re all laughing at ‘pakau rishtedar’ and the overstocked dinner sets, let’s not forget to RSVP – preferably with cash or Google Pay. After all, someone has to help fund the post-wedding expenses! If you ever receive such an invitation, don’t skip the reception. After all, someone has to critique the food!
— With inputs from NDTV; invitation screenshots courtesy X (Twitter)