Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Sorry, No Elephants Allowed.

We took a respite from the snow and spent the weekend at the end of January in sunny, humid Houston, Texas for a wedding of a college friend, Timir. It was a Hindu wedding and started at 10AM and pretty much lasted all day with a break in the middle.

I have never been to a Hindu wedding and wasn't sure what to expect. Luckily, Timir sent out a synopsis of the events of the wedding ceremony that was really informative. I only wish I had printed out and brought it with us! We began the day in the parking lot of the Stafford Civic Center where the Groom's family and friends processed him to the front door. Timir rode in the back of a convertible (much like in a parade) while people danced and walked in front of him. A good portion of the service did not include the bride. After everyone was seated in the ceremony hall, a snack was served. We were actually fed 4 times throughout the day. The ceremony lasted 2.5 hours and was spoken in Sanskrit. The decor was beautiful as were the women's traditional dresses.

After the ceremony, lunch was served in an adjacent room while the bride and groom took family pictures for a few hours. I don't actually know that it took that long, but they had a lot of family and friends! We had a 6 hour break before the evening festivities, so we went to lunch (yummy Mexican food...just can't get enough) with some friends.

Our 3rd Indian food meal of the day began at 6pm with yummy appetizers and socializing. Around 7, we mingled into the dinner hall where the bride and groom took their throne. The bride and groom's families thanked everyone for coming and gave little speeches. Then the sister of the bride gave a hilarious speech/slideshow of old photos. Several people/families had prepared dances that they performed for the couple. Around 9pm we had a fabulous dinner spread and wedding cake. We were exhausted by the end of the day!

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