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Published: December 22nd 2019
Yes, the amazing Indian wedding!! What an event! Or Events. It was a 2 day affair, with 2 events each day and involved a new outfit for each event for us! Fortunately, we had our niece Kelli, her husband Nick, and their friends Dipti and Nick to guide us thru the shopping excursion.
Dipti and NIck led us to one of a gazillions shops at the cloth market and with everyone's help, starting selecting outfits for Patti and I. 'Yes, that one will work for Wed afternoon's event, oh that will be great for Thurs reception etc'. It was amazing as we tried on multiple outfits, and after about 3 hours had managed to purchase 4 outfits, a pair of shoes and multiple sets of bangles for each outfit. Then on to the men's store at the mall where vests and the long shirts (I've forgotten what they were called...). Dipti and Nick were so patient and helpful as they assisted with all the choices.
The first event, Mehendi, scheduled to start around noon and involved the henna tattoos that are part of a traditional Indian wedding. There were 6 young women who worked nonstop
drawing intricate designs on all of the women's hands. It was a 3 part process with about 45 minutes of drying time in between.
The event included lots of great dancing, music and plenty of food trays being passed. Then a full buffet. The ballroom was decorated with beautiful streams of marigold flowers.
Through out the entire 2 days, everyone we met were so warm and welcoming. Always explaining to us what was going on and including us in the events.
It was after 4pm before we were back at our hotel for a quick rest and then back at the venue by 9pm for the Sangeet - which means music and included dance performances given by family members, relatives and friends and an array of food offerings. The event began with the bridal couple's entrance with music blaring and pyrotechnics going off. The dances were great, colorful and enjoyable. We left early @ 1am, while many partied thru the night.
The next day, with another change of outfits, was the Baraat, which is the groom's wedding procession that included the groom riding a white horse, while the
rest of us danced in front of him with a live band playing. It also included a beautiful carriage that carried the groom's parents.
Hats were distributed with plaid colors designating on the groom's side, while the pink signified the bride's side. the groom rode the horse @ 1/2 mile till he and his father met the bride's father. Both were greeted with a warm embrace and signified the joining of the 2 families. It was fascinating to watch! More food was served and then the next couple of hours, vows were exchanged.
The last event of the evening was the reception where about 1000 people attended and included a several hour long reception line for the poor couple. At this point, the bride did admit they were exhausted! And another round of amazing food that had about 50 international booths, serving anything from tacos to pasta to pizza. Suffice it to say, we did not starve! We did all chuckle at Ed's question before any of the events, asking if there would be food.
Attending the wedding was fascinating. But our memories will most likely remain on the many people
who included us in this wonderful celebration!
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Grant Wiegert
non-member comment
Food and color
Hi Again: Those folks know how to party from the photos and descriptions. You probably needed to fast a few days afterwards with all the food. Now you can say you saw the real Monsoon Wedding as you were there. Keep on trucking and have fun. Grant