Indian Wedding: Part III, Before the Ceremony

Indian Wedding Photo

Here is Part III in the story my brother wrote about his trip to India for a wedding. Part I HERE and Part II HERE.

After I wandered off alone, it didn’t take long for one of the guests to spot me. He was pretty excited to talk to me-  I’m not sure why he didn’t get that I can’t speak Hindi, but he kept rambling.  Needless to say, I never really got it.  To further explain his story, he took out a carved shell or horn, and blew it really loudly in my face.  Then he looks at me as if now I should understand what he was saying.  Then he holds out his hand so I could pay him.  After another exchange of Hindi and a slightly awkward stare-down he left.  Satya later told me that one of his sisters thought I looked confused during much of the event.  It would be an understatement to say she was 100% correct.  He later explained to me that the man was one of the priests, but in name only.  He has the credentials to be a priest but not the work ethic.  

The “priest” spends most of his time doing small craft projects to give to people and expects them to pay him money.  His claim to fame was winning the shell/horn blowing contest in Delhi which is pretty impressive but limited in growth potential.  He was a nice guy, but he hounded me the rest of the wedding for money.

By the time I wandered back, Anu was about to make her presence at the wedding.  I am not sure how much time had gone by but I had probably been at the wedding at least two hours before she made her appearance.  Anu came in with a large group of the women in her and Satya’s family.  They surrounded her so you could not see her as she made her way to the stage.  When she was finally made it up to her throne, they photographers/videographers took hundreds of photos with Satya.  It was pretty comical because they literally blocked the stage for 10 minutes so they could get their photos.  It was like Barack Obama showed up at the ceremony.  When we could finally see her, she was dressed in an elaborate gown with traditional rings and accessories.  She was covered in brilliant gold jewelry on her wrists and arms, and one loop earring from her ear to her nose.  It must have taken her hours to get prepared, it really was a spectacular site.

The next phase consisted of Satya and Anu on stage which consisted of several ceremonies and rituals with the priests.  They each put a large necklace of flowers around the other ones neck.  It looked like a Hawaiian lei, but the flowers were a lot bigger and heavier.  Satya’s knees nearly buckled when Anu put it over his head, but he recovered and did not fall down.  There was even a horn blowing presentation by my favorite pundit.  My family and friends made their way up to the stage to greet Satya and Anu and get their photo taken.  Once again, it was like the paparazzi decided this was the wedding to be at.  This was the only time I got to meet Anu during the full event.

These ceremonies on stage lasted until around midnight, and then Satya and Anu were allowed to eat with their family.  I  Satya’s cousins, Vivek, and I walked in after they were done.  Once again, there was an onslaught of food.  This time it was from Satya’s dad so I couldn’t refuse.  This portion of the event was pretty casual and we were able to take some photos with Satya, and rest in a room until the wedding ceremony was ready.