The Bollywood classic Hum Apke Hain Kuan showcased the traditional teasing and joking that occurs between the Bride and Groom’s friends and family during the wedding. Today’s guest post is from friend of TNIB, Miss Singh who writes all about the pranks she plays at weddings. Watch out Groom’s men! This is some serious torturing!
****
No wedding is complete without pranks. As a sali (sister-in-law), my favorite part of the wedding is torturing the Groom and Groom’s Men. Anything is fair game on the wedding day so Groom’s Men I would think twice before eating those laddoos! They may be filled with mirchi (spices). Oh and be careful before opening the greasy doorknob (I covered it with vaseline) or parking your car outside the house because there is no guarantee there will not be aata (flour) on your car when you leave.
My favorite moment is the traditional 
jhoota chupiye (stealing the groom’s shoes) in exchange for money. I have invested hours of planning different ways and ideas on how to steal the shoes by coming up with a plan, a back up plan and yes, a back up plan to the back up plan! Advice: Never underestimate your opponent. Think like your opponent and cover all your bases.
Here are some tips next time you steal those shoes:
1) Do you research. Ask the Bride for some insider scope on who to watch out for.
2) Make sure the Groom is actually wearing his shoes before he enters the ceremony. If not, don’t let him enter!
3) If you can’t find his shoes, take the sarbala’s shoes, the Groom’s Men’s shoes, or any other shoes that can potentially be the Groom’s. Someone will give in with enough pressure. I mean who wants to stand in the heat bare foot especially during a summer wedding.
4) Get some unfamiliar faces to come from behind the bharat and steal the shoes when the groom is still on the horse before he can even get the chance to scream. After all, everyone will be busy doing bhangra and dancing to the beats of dhol. It is a perfect opportunity for shoe stealing!
5) Demand more money for the ribbon cutting so even if you don’t get the shoes, you have the chance to get money from somewhere else!
