Nothing like an Indian wedding !

Weddings ~ The very mention of one can send me reeling with excitement  especially when it's an Indian wedding with the promise of much fanfare, ceremonies and happy moments and more so when it's your sister who's getting married. Yes, my sister got married a month back and it was a much awaited wedding for all of us in the family and I was just longing to do a post on the event so that I could capture the very essence of the entire thing and keep coming back to it whenever I feel like re- visiting  and re-living those precious moments :) The entire family got together ( save a few who could'nt make it ) after a long, long time and the days were so exciting and filled with so much fun that we will surely remember it with a smile for a long time to come :)
         In earlier times, I am told that weddings used to be a long, never ending saga that began a few weeks before the main event and  family members and friends would get together for all the pre wedding events many weeks before the main day. What fun that would have been ! Thesedays, as times change , we see a change in wedding trends too. Getting away from work and other things is no longer possible for most of us but then too even a curtailed version of the a grand wedding takes at least three days of celebrations, rituals and enjoyment.
      We kicked off the wedding celebrations with the Haldi ceremony. Most of us know what it's all about but for those who are less aware, it's an Indian custom of applying a paste of turmeric, rosewater and sandalwood on the bride's face and hands which is said to enhance her radiance and give her a glowing skin for the main event. The bride was in yellow and so were the rest of the members present there. It is done mostly by female friends and  family members and often what starts with a gentle application of this paste often loses equilibrium somewhere in between and ends up with smearing the paste all over the body not just on the bride but on everybody else present there. So, lots of fun filled moments there :)

The evening saw some lovely dholak-sangeet at the residence itself and there was singing, dancing, lots of fun with family present there and some close friends which ended with a lovely dinner.

 There were bangles of every possible hue and shade for us to pick and choose according to the dresses we were to wear for the upcoming events.

Lovely...are'nt they ???

The next  day started with the mehendi ceremony and the entire verandah was decorated with strings of  marigold for this lovely event.

And the bride gets ready :)  

We were all dressed in green for this ceremony . The bride had to patiently be seated for a couple of  ( never ending ) hours for the mehendi application but it was all so worth it . Take a look :)

And soon it was D Day ! A very special day indeed. The bride and bride groom both seemed mighty thrilled and pleased about themselves and why not !! :D
They were going to embark upon a lovely journey together  called 'married life' and share the rest of their lives with each other.

The lovely little flower girls rejoice by flinging rose petals in the air to celebrate the moment :)






A beautifully  erected  'mandap' decorated with flowers, open to the auspicious stars awaits them at the residence .

   A shy, blushing bride ( ahem! ) waits for the ceremonies to start  ;)

 The sindoor :)

                                          And some rituals :)

By now I'm sure the bride and groom were too weary by the wedding, too exhausted by emotion, too softened by the Sanskrit shlokas, too cumbered by the congratulations and too overwrought to sit any longer so I end here with my favourite picture clicked by my brother which captures the whole wedding so well and wish this wonderful couple a beautiful road ahead called married life :)  May you always be happy in each other's company and enjoy holding hands till the end of times :)

Picture credits : Empalada,
my brother Kushal  and some are from our  personal collection .