Trip to India: The Big Day (Part II)

So this is the wedding day right. Well weddings here in India, starts at 8 pm and it goes until 5 in the morning. I don’t think there’s any day wedding...I asked Vaibhav that and I think he said that the only time they would consider wedding during the day is when a place is really dangerous for women or anyone to go out at night or Punjab wedding which I believe happens during the day...otherwise all the weddings happen at night and runs into the wee hours. But not everyone will stay until 5 in the morning. Only the side of the bride’s will stay for the entire thing. There were roughly 20 or fewer ppl from the groom side that stayed for the entire thing. They started out with about 150 ppl...and it dwindled down to like 10-15.

We started preparing for the wedding since it was happening at 8 pm at the hotel. I put on my kurta-pajama...but you know what...everyone was expecting me to wear a dhoti. So I kinda let them down...next time for sure, I’ll wear a dhoti. I just didn’t have a special dhoti for the occasion. We headed to the hotel at 6:30 or so...and I noticed that the bride’s father brought a bag with four stacks of 1000 rupee notes. Vaibhav told me later that it was 400,000 rupees...which is $10,000 and he also paid an advancement earlier.

Abhinash told me earlier when I met him that the wedding costs around 50 lakhs...1 lakh is $2500...so you guys do the math. I mean it was a freaking lavish wedding...that is suitable for any upper-middle class Indians. The average wedding costs about 6-15 lakhs, and usually the parents of the bride started saving so that when she hits 25 they would presumably have about 15 lakhs. The bride had an incredible dress on which costs about 1-2 lakhs but I swear it looks more expensive than the actual price. The groom also had on a very nice outfit which costs about $500 (according to Vaibhav)

Vaibhav with mom and dad.

Priyanka with her beautiful dress.

The wedding procession was freaking crazy but fun too. So the bride arrived at the hotel first and then there were about 150-200 ppl from the groom side in a ceremonial procession. The groom was on a white horse, and there was loud music, also followed by fireworks. They were singing and dancing in a procession as they were heading to the hotel. They really took their time walking that 200 yards. Everyone from the groom side was singing and dancing around him while he was sitting and dancing on the horse. Vaibhav told me that to watch carefully when they are about to enter the entrance to the hotel. He said that when they reached the entrance, they will sing and dance outside the entrance for like half an hour before coming in. He said they’re just gonna savor the moment....which was exactly what they did.

the ppl from the groom's side singing and dancing...it was quite a spectacle.

he's sitting on a white horse with white clothes.

He stood on a little podium while women mark his forehead with red ink.

Afterwards, he got off his horse, and the ladies from the bride’s side put a red mark on his forehead...each woman from old to young. Once that was finished, he went inside the reception while the bride was sitting in a beautiful silver sedan chair waiting for us to carry her to the hotel. I mean the bride’s probably weighs about 110 lbs but that sedan chair must have weighed a ton. Man it was hella heavy when we had to lift her on our shoulders...it took like 4 guys...2 front, 2 back...and I also helped so about 5 guys. We carried her to the stage where she got down and sat right next to her future husband. Lots of pictures were taken. There were one or two ceremonies but this was mainly for picture opportunity for friends and relatives and to wish them future happiness. The fire ceremony was much later when a lot of ppl have already left.

The picture-op lasted for like two and a half hours with 2 photographers and 2 ppl filming the entire event. Afterwards, a lot of ppl went and had dinner and I also did the same with some of the relatives. At about 11:00 a lot of ppl had left and the preparation for the fire-ceremony begun where the bride and groom took turns walking slowly around the fire with a brahman priest reciting some sanskrit texts...maybe from the Jain religion or the Vedas...not sure. This ceremony lasted for another 2 hours. Some of the relatives asked if I understand anything that the priest was saying and I told them that I could only pick out a few words...but that’s about it.

the bride will always sit looking downwards and shy.


The prelude before the fire ceremony.

But when 1 to 2 o’clock hit, I was pretty dead tired....The party was pretty much over for me...and fortunately the wedding didn’t last until 5 in the morning but 3. There was some kind of altercation between one of the bride’s cousin and the priest. The cousin accused the priest of rushing through the ceremony because he said that he had to go and do another wedding for a family that was wealthier than the bride’s. That led to a lot of back and forth I’m not sure if that was accurate...but if it was...I’m not sure who in their right mind would have a fire ceremony at 2 or 3 in the morning.

After the fire ceremony, there was a really late dinner for groom and bride...but I found myself a corner and close my eyes.