Wedding season is on. Dinning halls in hotels are booked till December end and beginning of January 2007. All the wedding halls, gardens and open spaces that could be utilised by the needy people, are not available for another three months except on dates, which many people do not choose for eerie reasons.
The season begins in October and comes to an end by December in such cases, where the brides or grooms or both, live abroad or proceed abroad after marriages. For others, it last beyond December. Marriage parties, which usually come from outside Pakistan during these months for various reasons such as holidays, closure of educational institutions and harsh weather abroad. They come to Pakistan to meet their relatives, attend marriages and relax for a few days before going back and joining their offices and business.
It has now become practice to book hotels, at least one year in advance and marriage halls, at least three months before, the date of a wedding parties. Charges vary from hotel to hotel, and the marriage hall to marriage hall. A few clubs, which are prestigious, are cheaper but only for the members and their close relations. The distances have shrunk and therefore the distance factor doesn't count while booking a venue for a wedding party. Prestige is attached to location, area and the name of the venue.
People, coming from the United States of America think in terms of dollars and find every thing cheap as compared to the United States. Those, who come from Europe, and with Euro in their pockets, are more generous in spending.
To them booking of a dinning hall for 500 guests at a five star hotel, at the rate of $1000 or Rs 60,000 as booking charges and $12 or Rs 720 plus taxes per head as cost of food is just peanuts. And those, who carry pound sterling or Euro, this much expenditure in terms of Pak rupee is further low. Room charges at these hotels range between $100 to $150. In Islamabad and Lahore the charges may be slightly different.
Those, who prefer marriage halls and gardens, pay even less. The catering charges are even lower. Number of dishes available outside five star hotels is more and better in taste. Those, who plan and pay in advance are comfortable in all respect. If the prices go up, they do not have to pay the difference, as the hotels usually remain committed to their terms and conditions.
But those people, who delay decisions suffer most. They compromise with venue, menu and outgo. In these cases neither dollar nor pound sterling and Euro help. However, owners of palatial houses in Defence Housing Society, Clifton, Civil Lines and other posh areas who think in terms of foreign currency, let out their premises for wedding parties on exorbitant rates settled in dollars, pound sterling or Euro. People coming from the Gulf areas pay in Riyal and Dinar as well.
In fact, these owners of the palatial houses earns handsome amount in peek wedding seasons. There is complete freedom on choosing as many dishes as one wishes to serve. Even one can serve hard drinks as well. Many people coming from abroad and having liberal attitude to go for these palatial houses. They find complete freedom to make their parties lavish with food, drinks and music, which is, otherwise not possible at hotels and marriage halls. The amount of taxes, which one pays at hotels, clubs and marriage halls is saved here.
Video films have become a must item on these occasions. Wedding parties held at private houses get better results, as compared to weddings held at commercial locations. The caterers, who have private properties on their list, they motivate their clients to go for such locations. They capitalise on the issue of extreme privacy which private houses offer.
Luxury motorcars cavalcade, which used to be an expensive activity, has now been replaced by profusely decorated horse-drawn carriages pulled by two to four horses, bedecked with artificial jewellery, stones and bells, twinkling around the hoofs. This is an expensive activity, but it gives an oriental touch to the occasion.
Along with these hundreds of marriage ceremonies, equal number of matchmaking also takes place during these occasions. Many new romances take place to subsequently grow into life partnerships. Strangers become friends and unacquainted families come closer to each other when their grownup children find their life partners during one of the many ceremonies, that precede the marriage ceremonies. It saves parents and relatives from the hassle of finding suitable brides or grooms, for the sons and daughters.
From the marriage ceremonies to matchmaking activities, there would be a lot of enthusiasm for the next two to three months and as the proposals finalise, there would be rush for fresh booking of hotels, clubs and marriage halls for the next wedding season 2007-08. Heaps of food wasted at these wedding parties, are usually twenty-five percent of the entire quantity purchased. Can we save it and use it where it, all is needed. I think we can. What is your opinion?
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