Life

Indian wedding crashers

Bring a card, and ask the kids for the names of the bride and groom

Indian wedding crashers

Kris Pannecoucke/Aurora Photos/Getstock

When Russell Brand crashed an Indian wedding in London last fall, the comedian took over the dance floor and later tweeted about his playful intrusion. The bride and groom, however, were not amused. As it turns out, they are not alone: in London and beyond, Indian wedding crashing is becoming something of a sport.

“Indian weddings are easy,” says Jee, a 28-year-old Oxford student and veteran wedding crasher. “There are so many people.” The Canadian student, who identifies as “brown,” is part of a growing crowd of twenty-somethings who crash Indian weddings for fun. Jee has done it 10 to 15 times, from Bangladesh to London, Edmonton to San Francisco. If you make friends, dance with a few girls, or talk up the older folks, it’s “harmless,” he says. “Everyone has a good time.”

So how does Jee get away with it? He brings a card for the newlyweds, and asks children for the names of the bride and groom. “Bring up leukemia or divorce,” he adds—“people don’t ask questions.”

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