Colombo District

Please note - We did not stay up until the wee hours of the morning writing this particular blog. Sleep seemed like the better option. I hope you enjoy our recollection of the wedding as much as we enjoyed attending.

All we had been instructed to do was to arrive at the family compound around 5pm to get changed for the ceremony. Yesterday and today’s celebrations we were told were the responsibility of the bride’s family, whereas the next 2 days are being organised by the groom’s family. So while we previously thought we were attending the ritzy formal celebration, we were actually attending the marriage ceremony held at the family home. We didn’t mind at all - in fact, it felt right that way, since we had been invited by the bride’s family in the first place!

Yesterday, I had tried on the dress that Kareema had organised for me - it was way too long so overnight she had it shortened to accomodate my short stature! It was also quite gapey for my size in the torso but I didn’t dare comment as she had way too much on her plate already! The dress was dark blue in colour and in keeping with the wedding theme, had gold detailing. It was very heavy as it had two layers and came with a shawl, but Kareema did such a great job considering she had never met me before and I was beyond grateful. She also let me borrow a pair of sparkly heeled slippers, and some very ritzy looking gold jewellery. She jokingly told me not to leave without finding her at the end of the night!
Suwadi had picked out a shirt for Anthony - a nice cotton “gold coloured” material that was to match my dress (Anthony said it was more beige than gold). Paired with a traditional sarong and white cap with a simple trim (symbolising that he was from this village). Ant looked the part and all the other men were huge fans! He was #2 on the VIP list that night, coming in close to the bridal couple!

What can we say about the night....
- Right up until after 7pm (when the bride was due to arrive), people were getting changed and arriving to the house in droves, food was being prepared in HUGE quantities outside under cover, fairy lights were being switched on and kids were still running riot (in slightly smarter wear this time!).
- For 90% of the evening, men and women were seperate into two different areas. The women were positioned in the main common area where the bridal party would be for the night, on chairs and crammed on the floor wherever they found room (and boy did that make for a steamy hot environment)! The men were outside and then in various rooms to eat a communal meal together in groups of 6, either sitting on the floor or at a table. As Ant and myself were visitors, Suwadi had arranged for us to eat with him at a table, as it was a bit complicated for me to eat alongside all the other ladies.
- Dinner was delicious, again! Tonight we enjoyed a beef biryani with several accompanying dishes, plus Wattalapan for dessert! I have been trying to find this so Ant could try it and it did not disappoint. We were introduced to the kitchen crew earlier, including the head chef who is one of the most popular in the area and has been doing this for over 40 years! We were in absolute awe at the setup - a dozen or more vats holding various curries and pickles, plus others cooking the biryanis that were sealed with a dough to help trap the steam. The cow that had been slaughtered at 1am that morning certainly made its way into everyone’s bellies with ease!
- The bride’s family colour was pink so when we saw a lady or a man wearing a pink dress or shirt we knew it was a relative of Suwadi and Kareema.
- This was an arranged marriage by two Tamil Muslim families; the bride was around 18 and the groom was 5 or 6 years older. So the marriage ceremony was the first time that they had laid eyes on one another. For the record, they both looked equally as nervous beforehand, and equally as relieved and happy (albeit tired) afterwards!
- The bride arrived at the house first and a couple of hours later, the groom and some of his relations joined the festivities. As they walked into the compound all the men were singing various chants and songs which we found incredibly moving.
- The bride’s family prepare a room for the happy couple to stay in for the remainder of the wedding period; this was upstairs at her parents house (part of an informal dowry) and was complete with two HUGE cupboards (contributed by Suwadi and Kareema) full to the brim with presents. Their contents were donated by various family members and included clothing and shoes, gold jewellery, makeup, bags, towels, toiletries, everything one could desire at that point in time! It was slightly intimidating...
- They don’t stop eating. The entire time. The dinner was served in waves due to the sheer amount of people eating, but even after the main dinner was eaten, sweets alongside hot tea and coffee was pushed gently into our hands/mouths. A few people laughed at “how little” we eat.
- This group of people have been some of the nicest, most generous, hospitable and welcoming people that we have had the pleasure of spending time with. They immediately opened their home to us, despite how busy they all were, and continued to go out of their way to talk to us and to introduce us to more people.

Suwadi’s driver, Dean, drove us back to the Villa just after midnight, where we had to wake up our poor housekeeper to let us in! We did pre warn him, but we did feel slightly guilty...
What a night - we are still exhausted due to being so switched on the whole time but it was an honour to be part of such an exciting occasion!Read more