The big day of the Indian wedding

Note:  As I consider a wedding to be a private occasion, I have not included many photos of the hosts or guests. 

Wedding ceremony

Today’s the big day of the actual wedding.  I turned up at the wedding venue (rather than the apartment) for a change around 0920.  After about an hour, the bride was escorted in by four men sheltered overhead by a flower-decorated frame of sorts.

The groom was on a side stage receiving blessings from guests which culminated in marigold and rose petals being tossed at him from trays by guests.

The bride and groom then took their places on the main stage which was decorated with lots of flowers.  The Hindu priest conducted a brief part of the ceremony before they were showered by more marigold and rose petals.  In fact, I stood by an electrical pump which was hand-fed with rose petals from a plastic bag.

The ceremony continued with some symbolism of their union, such as a white string being draped around the couple, their hands being wrapped together in a scarf, and washing of their hands with water from pitchers by the bride’s family.

The couple shifted to the side stage where there was a small fire lit on the floor.  They walked around the fire a few times, in between rounds of prayer.  Puffed rice was tossed into the fire at times too.

The finale was about 2h30 after the bride made her grand entry.  The happy couple walked down a runway decorated with marigold petals, showered by more marigold petals strewn by guests from trays.

The morning session concluded by a buffet lunch, as always, delicious and tasty.

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Wedding reception

The wedding day concluded with a reception for about 800 guests, I was told.  The groom arrived on a white horse.  The couple later walked up to a stage, flanked by fireworks.

The buffet was ongoing.  While some ate before the happy couple’s arrival, I ate later on with the other overseas guests.

The wedding and the lead-up to it has been an amazing and colourful experience.  I’m very grateful to my hosts for having invited me.