IT WASN'T THAT SIMPLE

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Both Sid and Sanjh attended the wedding. Due to lack of availability of Ayesha's desired venue, the marriage had to be shifted from twenty ninth of January to seventeenth of February. Also, to Mrs. Rijwani's disappointment, it wasn't a destination wedding. The guest list of both the families were too long for an affordable destination wedding. As a last resort, she suggested to curtail down the guest list to just the two families and Sid but couldn't win a single vote in her favour. However, it would be wrong to guess that their wedding was devoid of any travel. Since most of Ayesha's close family were in Kolkata, the Sens wanted the marriage to happen there while the reception was scheduled in Chandigarh. Moreover, only one day gap between wedding and reception added more to the chaos.

Sid and Sanjh along with her family joined the Rijwanis two days prior to the wedding. There was a serious debate between Punit and Ayesha regarding the representation of Sid and Sanjh as both of them wanted them to be on their sides. However, since Ayesha's cousins outnumbered Punit's, they joined Punit's family.

That was a first for Sid. It wasn't as if he never attended a wedding before but it was the first wedding in which he was involved as a family. Be it mehendi, sangeet, food and beverage or last minute venue decoration touch up, Sid's opinion was solicited for everything. In fact, as an event manager, he was offered to manage the wedding but he politely refused. Not only was it difficult for him to squeeze out time from his start-up but most importantly, he wanted to cherish that event. He wanted to be carefree and enjoy every moment of that wedding instead of being burdened with responsibilities. Hence, the event was handed over to an event company that was recommended by him.

Also, everybody in that wedding was aware of Sid and Sanjh's relationship. Once they started dating each other, Punit broke that news to his mother and then it spread like wild fire. If everything was left to Mrs. Rijwani, she would have got Sid and Sanjh married along with Punit and Ayesha. Every second individual that they came across, asked about their wedding plans. In fact, Sanjh's family were invited to the wedding so that Mrs. Rijwani could talk to them about Sid and their daughter.

To begin with, Sid was very uncomfortable with everybody taking keen interest on his relationship but with time, he got accustomed to it and realized that's how family operates. There are no secrets. You share the good and bad so that your family can be a part of your happy and sad. Of course it is more complex than that but Sid wasn't bothered about that. He was enjoying the family vibe that he was getting from the Rijwanis.

On the other hand, Sanjh was at cloud nine. Not only was she enjoying the attention that was being showered on her love life, the big fat wedding was a mountain of content for her social media and it also generated substantial leads for her business.

For Punit and Ayesha, it was an unexplainable feeling. No matter how long you have been together, marriage will always be overwhelmingly emotional. It was the start of a new chapter in their life and they were looking forward to it. More than anything else, it was the smiling faces of their friends and families that filled their hearts with joy. The wedding was preceded by a lot of chaos and difference in opinions but at the end, seeing everybody happy was just the icing on the cake they wanted. To see her parents dancing on her sangeet filled Ayesha's eyes with tears. And Punit never saw his father shake a leg on the beats other than his baraat. Mr. Rijwani was a man who always cared about his reputation but on his son's wedding day, he was a free spirit. He was jubiliant and he wanted to dance till his heart contained. His wife tried to calm him down but his enthusiasm soaked her in and she joined him in the dance too.

The Rijwanis weren't the only one to grace the dance floor. Mr. and Mrs Sen were waiting at the entrance of the venue to welcome the groom. The moment the Rijwanis spotted the Sens, they wasted no time in pulling them in too and soon the bride's and the groom's parents were spotted grooving on a hip hop track. It was a sight to behold. That place was like a black hole. It was pulling in everybody and making them dance. From Sid and Sanjh to the cousins of the bride and the groom, everybody was there.