MANGALURU: The temple hall was decked up, the wedding lunch was being prepared, and the priest was getting through the rituals. The boy's side then noticed that the bride's family was fumbling their way through, not familiar with the proceedings. An hour later, the 300-odd guests were in for a surprise: the wedding was cancelled, they were told, but they were welcome to enjoy the feast.

It turned out that the bride and groom belonged to different castes and were unaware of it until they got around to the rituals. The boy and girl met each other at another wedding, and, family members say the marriage broker was to blame.

A few days ago, Naveen (name changed) from Periyapatna in Mysuru, had come to Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada for a wedding. Naveen, in his 30s, was also looking to marry. During the function, he met a marriage broker and asked him to find a suitable bride. The broker thought on his feet and pointed him to Lalitha (name changed), of Uppinangady. One thing led to another and Naveen managed to speak to her. The meeting led to further conversations and the two decided to get married. The elders then got involved and the wedding was scheduled for July 10 at Harihareshwara temple in Sullia taluk.

The wedding was initially planned at Subrahmanya but was shifted as halls were booked. Temple authorities said Naveen booked the wedding hall though as per tradition, the bride's family paid for the rent and the wedding feast. Neither side brought up the matter of caste during the preparations and there were no differences on any matter.

However, the groom's family found that the bride's side was not able to follow the rituals. Both parties found out that they belonged to different castes and pulled up the broker who could do little but return his "commission".

Manager of the hall Loknath said necessary documents were taken before letting out the hall. Once the wedding was called off, police were informed but neither side wanted to file a case.