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Published: December 4th 2012
Friends of Friends of Friends
We met these guys at Camp Bliss and out of the blue, they called to see if we wanted to attend an Indian wedding. I guess we don't have to tell you we said "YES!"Yes we did! Well...we did not actually crash the wedding, but we attended and had no idea who was getting married!
After we checked into our hotel (called a haveli) in Jaipur, the owner told us we had a phone call at the front desk. As you can imagine, we were a little taken aback since no one knew our itinerary (oh yeah, we completely changed our itinerary after we left Camp Bliss). On the other end of the phone was someone we met at Camp Bliss in Pushkar asking if we wanted to attend an Indian wedding.
Yes, Please!
We had seen several from afar, as it is an auspicious time for Hindus to get married. They were estimates of approximately 30,000 weddings on the same day happening in Mumbai. Indian weddings are massive events, often having well over 1000 to 1500 attendees.
There was that moment of panic about what we would wear, not knowing the proper etiquette and whether we could stay awake long enough to attend! All joking aside, many of the weddings we noticed do not begin until 9:30 or 10 pm!
That panic was quickly diluted by the excitement of
going to an Indian wedding!
The festivities were fantastic! There was dancing, music by a live band, over-the-top decorations and tons of FOOD! We ate like royalty. We visited the many food stations offering up traditional Indian fare, street fare, desserts and bread cooked over open fires.
There were about 600-700 people in attendance, but we certainly could not play the role of wallflowers. We got more attention than the young bride. The children were so curious and eager to practice their English, they could not stay away. When they got up the nerve, they would approach, shake our hands and go through the obligatory English class cirriculum. "Hello. How are you? What is your name? Where are you from?" So endearing.
Our only regret is not getting a photo of an image that is branded in my memory. Picture three Americans standing on a stage with the bride and groom. The Americans, about one and half feet taller than the happy couple, are staring at the camera with huge smiles on their face while the bride and groom are staring the camera with the expression of exhaustation, anxiety and confusion of two young people embarking on
a journey of an arranged marriage while wondering "Who the hell invited the Yankees?"
Priceless. That photo will be the movie poster for Wedding Crashers Rajasthan.
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Linda Larson
non-member comment
what an adventure!
this was your best adventure so far! The unexpected just given to you! What wonderful travelers you are!