ISLAMABAD: To ensure a complete ban on pomp and show at weddings in Pakistan's biggest province of Punjab, top hoteliers, caterers and wedding hall owners have been asked to comply with a "one-dish" rule and to submit details of marriage parties to authorities.
Lavish weddings were banned in Punjab from May 1 by the province's new government as part of austerity measures. Under the new rule, only one dish can be served to guests during various events organised as part of a wedding, including the Rasm-e-Mayun, Mehndi, Shaadi and Walima.
Pakistanis are famous for throwing lavish wedding parties, with people even taking loans from friends and relatives for such events. But the new PML-N government in Punjab, which has already enforced other austerity measures, has set its mind to make such weddings a thing of the past.
Lahore's District Coordinator Officer Sajjad Ahmed Bhutta has set up a committee that will take legal action against anyone violating the "one-dish" restriction at wedding parties.
An official statement said Bhutta has directed owners of five-star hotels and wedding hall and catering association managers to submit details of wedding parties to town municipal officers.
These officers have been directed to submit details of weddings to Bhutta's office every day. Apart from the menu, officers will have to furnish details on the use of extra lights. Lahore Police have also been instructed to conduct surprise checks at parties and take action against offenders.
The provincial government had introduced the curbs to stop all "unnecessary shows of power and expense". The new rules also state that "only rice, roti, gravy and sweet dish" can be served during the parties.
The cost of elaborate weddings has been escalating by the day, with brides-to-be settling for nothing less than designer costumes and jewellery and their families knocking at the doors of event management companies. Even those who can't afford event managers leave no stone unturned to display pomp.
The competition is intense, with hosts wanting their weddings to be the talk of the town. So menus are elaborate with something on offer to suit every guest's palette. It's not just the traditional korma and biryani affair anymore, there is Chinese, Continental and Mexican cuisine on offer too at most weddings. Even the not-so-well-do manage to serve Chinese food, which is quite a rage in the country.
Beauty parlours are booked in advance and unlike before, it is not just the bride who is booked for the big day - her family is expected to foot the bill for the entire clan.
Sunday supplements of leading newspapers often devote several pages to the coverage of private weddings, splashing colour pictures of the couple with their families and friends.
A bride-to-be recently disclosed in a write-up for a leading weekly magazine that when she went to get her bridal costume designed by a little-known designer, she was told that it would be done if she had "Rs 2.5 lakh" to spare just for the main dress!
Punjab government has also banned "fire crackers, firing and lighting (except at the wedding venue)". In some parts of the country, guns are fired to mark celebrations such as weddings, sometimes turning such happy events into tragedies.
A typical Pakistani wedding lasts for over two weeks, making deep holes in most pockets. Things get underway with an engagement ceremony, which is followed by the Rasm-e-Mayun during which the bride-to-be is not allowed to step out of her home for a week or two before the wedding.
