We visited India because our good friend Anmol got married in Karnal, a city two hours North of Delhi. The wedding, which consisted of five days of celebrations and ceremonies, was incredible!
No detail was spared. From the thousands of flowers to the bride's intricate gowns she had personally designed to wear each day, we were constantly in awe.
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| The details of the beaded gowns, personalized bracelets & amazing henna |
We knew it was an extravagant affair when a 20+ person band of bagpipers escorted the couple into a luncheon. The stadium-style video cameras panning over our heads and plunging down from the sky while we ate lunch for a close up of the curry between our teeth assured as that this was a serious affair. As if the groom's golden sword hadn't already tipped us off!
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Day #4: The bride & groom arriving at the wedding ceremony
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We can only imagine what Anmol, the groom, had thought of our simple 18 person, 6 hour wedding celebration in Key West! He had assured us this was an event we didn't want to miss over a year ago when we painstakingly rearranged our entire six month agenda to be here. As the GoPro cameras flew overhead on the dance floor, we realized he was right.
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| The entrance to the luncheon after the ceremony. Photo credit erinckelly. |
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| Recovered & ready for day #5, the reception |
Witnessing the unique ceremonies held throughout the week was fascinating (even though we didn't know what the heck was going on half the time). Our favorite ceremony occurred on day #3 before the groom's family's cocktail party. Essentially, it was a parade around Anmol's neighborhood. Drummers escorted a group of about 50 people, mostly from Anmol's side of the family.
We went around to the houses of family members and close friends in the neighborhood singing Punjab songs and dancing in circles at each house. We were served tea and snacks in some of the houses. Ladies on the maternal side of Anmol's family took turns carrying what looked like a candle lit pot.
The idea of having a parade around a neighborhood is an awesome concept that would last five minutes in the US until the cops would be called. We loved it!
The whole wedding experience was incredible. It will surely be one of the main highlights of our trip and it was definitely the highlight of India.
The whole wedding experience was incredible. It will surely be one of the main highlights of our trip and it was definitely the highlight of India.
That sounds amazing fun. My college roommate was Indian, and when he got married in the States, they did the traditional wedding. We were only invited to like, the supper on day 3 where he and his wife where in these cool white outfits, and sat on a dais, and everyone went up to them. There were like 5 curries, and he got to eat none of them, since they were stuck up there the whole time. But he assured me that he was prepared, and they'd had the limo loop through McDonald's before they got there.
ReplyDeleteThat looks so fun and interesting! All the colors and customs...something unique for an American to experience for sure!
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