The formality of declaring a wedding and asking for leave to get married can be taxing. Especially with the growing rat race in the corporate sector, even sending out a marriage leave application can make people feel anxious.
It’s one thing if it is a leave application for your own marriage but if you are asking for a leave to attend the wedding of a close friend or relative, it is more difficult to get approval. Don’t worry, if you do it right you will get the leave you want.
Preparing for a Yes
No employer will completely reject your wedding leave application. Employers don’t have the right to deny their employees the right to have a personal life. But if you are not in the good books of your employer, you might get the number of days cut down by a lot. So, if you have a duration longer than the mandated leave, you need to prepare for approval much before you start drafting the letter.
Make sure that:
• You are not behind on your deadlines.
• Your last appraisal went well.
• You are on the good side of your employer and colleagues. This does not mean you need to be a bootlicker. Many people find that annoying, and it is unethical anyway. It only means you need to make sure you are a good team player.
• Invite your employer. Sounds like a no-brainer but you will be surprised how many people short out on the courtesy of inviting their employer, especially if it is not their own wedding. The employer isn’t desperate to be invited but it is rude not to.
• Talk about the leave personally before sending in the official application. This will make it difficult for your employer to reject your request.
• Once again, no employer can reject the entire leave application for marriage if it is your own wedding. They can cut down the days. And if things have not been going well at the office, they might reject your application completely if the wedding isn’t your own.
Inviting the Employer/Managers
Many people make the mistake of inviting the employer or HR and other management teams at the wrong time. Even when you Google “leave letter for marriage” for tips, you might come across suggestions of inviting the employer in the leave letter itself. This is not a good idea.
It looks like the invite is a bribe for the employer/management to approve your request. It looks like you are inviting them out of an obligation and not sheer will, or that you totally forgot about inviting them and only remembered when you needed approval on the marriage leave application. How awkward would it be to tell your employer you are going to throw a party that hundreds of people will attend, but the employer isn’t invited? That should not look like the inspiration behind the invitation.
The invitation undercuts the leave application just as much as the application undercuts the invitation as explained above. The point of the leave application should be to emphasise how important the entire duration of the leave is to you. Don’t clutter it with other issues.
So, when should you invite the employer/management? You should invite them around the time you are sending out the invitations. However, the authorities should receive the invitation before the rest of your colleagues if you are inviting them.
Also, you should personally hand in the invitation letter instead of just having it posted to their home or office address. This way you make a bond of courtesies. This might seem a no-brainer to some of you but it needs to be said for those who are socially awkward or are just confused about what the right thing would be. So, do not spiral, this is how you do it:
• Personally invite the authorities and hand out the invitation.
• In case it is not your wedding, add a personal touch. If the employer/management is on friendly terms with you, get the bride or groom to call them to personally invite them while you hand the invitation.
• Hand the marriage leave application days after the invite.
• Invite your colleagues after you’ve invited the authorities.
This way, you have sealed the deal. The only thing left is to draft the letter that you need to send.
Tips for a Good Marriage Leave Application
On paper, a marriage leave application is short and sweet. There isn’t much scope for nuances. But you can still play your cards right. Here is how:
• If it is someone else’s wedding, add a heart-melting adjective like “my beloved sister’s wedding” or “the wedding of my closest friend”.
• Proofread before sending.
• Do not experiment with a very uncommon format and keep it formal. Informal camaraderie is for the face-to-face conversation before or while handing the invite.
• Do not go overboard elaborating on the depth of your relationship with the person getting married. This isn’t an essay where the sloppiest of applications wins.
• Don’t add details like “I must be there for him” or “They need my help on the day” or “The wedding can’t happen without me”. Such applications do get approved but it is unnecessary. The point of a marriage leave request is not to convince your employer to let you go. It is just a formality that should not take more than a minute to read.
This does not mean that you don’t need to convince your employer. You already know how to prepare in advance for it. Just leave it all out of the application.
Don’t Lie
This needs to be added as a separate tip altogether for emphasis. The number of people who lie on their marriage leave email is astounding. And most of those lies are unnecessary. With social media, most lies about the public get caught anyway.
Don’t lie about how long you’ve known the bride or groom if the employer is invited. They will very easily find the truth out. Being caught in a lie never helps build or maintain a good impression. Remember, if you say “it’s a close friend’s wedding” your leave will get accepted just the same. If your employer wanted to reject it, they could reject it even if it really is your childhood friend.
Don’t say “brother marriage leave application” if it is your cousin. Even if that is a small detail to you, if caught, it looks like a lie. Just overall, do not lie about anything on the application.
Don’t lie about the location of the wedding. In case you are trying to justify the duration of your leave, don’t make up a far-off location for the venue. This is an old tactic that died with the advent of the era of social media, geo-tagging, and cheap commercial airlines. Lying about the venue will not buy you a few more days of leave. Hence, the bottom line is to not lie to your company about the details and tell what needs to be told for your own good.
Know Your Rights
Even though you are all caught up in the excitement of the impending wedding, whether it is your own or a close friend’s wedding, it is imperative for you to know your rights to the wedding leaves with respect to your company. You shall be able to engage in better planning if you are cognizant of the rules as well as your right as an employee of the company.
Talking about the number of days of leave that you can apply for, you are entitled to 1 to 3 days of paid leave for your own marriage. So, if the management casually suggests you take a casual leave for the wedding, politely let them know you know your rights.
If you requested a longer leave, usually it comes from your casual leave after the first five days. Three days of paid marriage leave is the norm. Also, you may consult HR to determine the exact rules pertaining to marriage leaves in our company. This will help you to plan the length of the leave.
Marriage Leave Application Template
Now you know more or less everything that is there for you to know, let us enable you further. Since all that is left to do is to draft the letter, we are furnishing a sample marriage leave application template for you that will give you a good understanding of the technical parts of these letters. Try to refer to this master template and do feel free to edit parts according to your need while writing out your own.
<Your name,>
<Your address,>
<Postal code.>
<Line break>
<Date>
<Line break>
<To,>
<The “Designation”,>
<Name of the Company,>
<Branch/Address,>
<Postal code.>
<Line Break>
<Subject>
<Line break>
<Address the recipient,> (Avoid using Sir/Madam because you know who your employer is. Use either “Sir” or “Madam”.)
<Line break>
<State your designation, add employee code if relevant. State your relationship with the person getting married if it isn’t your own wedding. State the date and venue of the wedding. State the time period you are applying for, which is typically 2 days before and after the wedding.>
<Line break>
<State your progress on a current project and if you have made arrangements for a temporary replacement. Usually, the employer takes care of it. Then formally request to approve the leave for the mentioned time frame.>
<Line break>
<Thanking You,>
<Yours Sincerely/Faithfully,>
<Signature>
<Name in full>
Note: If you are sending the invite via email, start with the subject line in its designated place and start the body of the email with the greeting. Do not add the date or address.
Post-Marriage Leave Application
If you have a honeymoon right after your wedding, or even if you want to spend some more time in the city your friend is getting married in, you need to apply for casual leave for the duration. A marriage leave does not cover that. But do put it in the same letter so that it is all approved together. Writing a leave application can be a tricky business, but if you are aware of the basic format, mannerisms associated with it, and certainly the rules around it including your own right as an employee of the company, then drafting it with aplomb cannot be that daunting. Also, before and after sending out the mail or letter, do inform your supervisor that she or he can expect the mail in the mailbox the same day. It is a basic courtesy that you are expected to conform to.
FAQS
Here are the answers to some of the frequently asked questions about a marriage leave application.
1] How long is the duration of the leave can that can apply for in her or his company?
You can apply for any reasonable length of time for leave but anything beyond five days will count as casual leave. Again, you need to remember that it may vary a bit from one company to another. Therefore, the best thing to do would be to consult HR before making the final decision.
2] Is marriage leave a paid leave?
Marriage leave is a paid leave for one to three days. Sometimes the employer can extend it to five days. Anything beyond that comes from your casual or sick leave. If you don’t have any of those left, the additional leave days will cost you.
3] Can I get marriage leave for someone else’s wedding?
Marriage leave covers yourself and your family. So, if it is your sister’s marriage leave application or even a close cousin, you will get one to three paid days off. If it is a friend, it depends on your employer whether you get a marriage leave or casual leave.