Whirlwind Weekend

Sometimes there are events that I am priviledged to be a part of. This weekend was one of those events. We went to Valley Forge, PA and we attended the wedding of one of Nick's old co-workers, Sandip. He is Indian, and his wife is American, and they had decided that they wanted to do a dual heritage wedding. They had the Quaker ceremony early in the week, and we were able to attend the Indian Ceremony on Saturday. I don't really know how to explain it other than it was probably the single best wedding that I have ever attended. The Indian people really know how to party. I think weddings are a time of intense celebration and this was no different than that.

We got to PA at about 12 noon on Saturday, knowing that we wanted the comfortable for the ride in and therefore would need to change our clothes once we got to the hotel where the wedding would be held and where we would also be staying thankfully. We changed and were ready for the events which started at 2pm. The whole process started with the groom riding in to greet the guests and the family of the bride. He rode in on a very decorated white horse, and was surrounded by family and friends who danced in celebration of the wedding to come. We then moved inside and the ceremony began. It was entirely in Sanscrit so I had no idea what the man was saying, but he tried to explain to us what he was doing to keep us involved. The whole time people were getting up, moving around, and eating. It was like the ceremony was really for the bride and groom and people were allowed to do whatever they wanted. We found out at this point that there would be a lot of Indian food, and possibly not too much American food. My favorite part of the ceremony was the way that the altar and aisle were decorated, and how they incorporated music into everything. Everything was upbeat, happy and gorgeous.

The Ceremony ended at about 4pm and we had some time to kill since the festivities of the night did not start till 6pm. Cocktail hour started at 6pm and we got ready to drink, eat and be merry. There was a ton of Indian food, which was all very spicy and very good. There was a small corner of cheese and veggies which I think a lot of the guests who were hesitant on eating Indian food indulged in, however I found that a lot of people were willing to take the risk of spice and try something new. Cocktail hour ended at about 7pm and it was time to move into the main banquet hall for the meal. They introduced the bride and grooms families as well as the bride and groom, but did not start the meal till everyone was dancing and burning off the incoming calories. It was fun to watch and even more fun to join in.

The meal was great as well and I think I would love to attempt making something, but would refrain simply because I don't know if I could get anything right. After dinner, it was as if we were back at a normal wedding. There was after dinner dancing and fun. Nick was really glad to see some of his old co-workers, and I was happy to meet them as well. It was really nice to enjoy something so different and have it be such a great experience. I think this sort of opened my eyes to an entirely new culture. It also may have given me some new ideas on what I want to do for my wedding. Their decor was a little out there, but I know some of it could be used to make something interesting and different for mine. Here are some pictures that I took that give you a taste of what we experienced.

Below, in order: Sandip (the groom) waving to the crowd as he rode in on the white horse. Sandip on the horse that was fully decorated. The altar. One of the many elephants and half arches that surrounded the aisle that led to the altar. Nick and some of his old co-workers from SIG in Bala Cynwood, PA.