Indian Wedding

So we didn't randomly chose India as our holidays destination. We were invited to a friend's wedding. Even if it was a little bit short notice, we thought we could not miss it and that would be a great experience to be part of.

We knew that the wedding would be in 2 parts, with the ceremony in Hyderabad and the reception  a week later in Chennai.

We met lot of people during the first days of our trip that warned us that an Indian Wedding usually lasts for days, but we kept thinking that would be on only for a day. Spoiler alert: we were wrong!

The festivities actually started the day before the wedding ceremony with the Mehendi party. It's the moment the bride get ready for her wedding. Artists come and draw on her hands, arms, and feet some very intricate pattern with henna. All other women attending the party can get henna drawn on their hands if they wish.

Off course a delicious diner was also served during the party, and some religious ritual took place around the bride.

The next day was the actual wedding ceremony. Sadly we couldn't understand what the priest was saying but roughly things went like this: (traditional music between each steps)

-The groom sat on his own in the middle of a big and well decorated stage.

 

- Then bride arrived, and sat in front on him with a sheet separating them.

 

- Once the sheet was lifted they both put on each other head a small pile of jaggery (sugar).

- Lots of rice was poured onto their heads by the family.

-They shook hands.

- And finally they exchanged flower necklaces

- Like in every wedding followed a very long photo session with all the guests, and we were a lot!
- And we got a delicious meal.

 

The wedding reception, a week later, was very colourful with: speeches, quiz for the married couple, some Bollywood style dances ( I even participated on one) and some wild dancing at the end.

Congratulations Sandeep and Gayathri