Lake County

12:30 pm - The festivities were to start at 10:30 am but were delayed due to the snow. Now waiting... The bride is ill; still in bed, I hear.

1 pm - Lunch was served. Delicious Indian cuisine. Over conversation, I learned that the bride's henna took 9 hours to complete, and there was equal drying time where she could not touch anything. Also, one is not to get it wet for 48 hours.

2:15 pm - The wedding is now to be at 5 pm. I'm taking a nap in the van.

5 pm - The bride is in the house! Everyone is assembled. The photographer and videographer lined all the guests up around and behind the groom and his family and had us walk towards the cameras, waving our hands in the air and dancing. Repeat x 5

The priest begins singing in Sanskrit while throwing small flowers over the groom and his family. The woman in front of me says, "Uh uh, they not doing that to me. I want to go to heaven." I couldn't help but laugh, but I don't think she was joking.

The first 30 minutes of the ceremony were cleansing and blessing the groom, as well as the parents of both the bride and groom and agreements between the groom and the bride's parents. There was some explanation in English, but mostly the ceremony was comprised of singing and chanting in Sanskrit, throwing flowers and holy water. At one point, the groom tilted his head to each side to crack his neck, and flowers went spilling out from his crown.

Then, the rest of the wedding party and the bride entered to Kenny G's saxophone playing from the Bluetooth speaker. The dresses, jewelry, and flowers were phenomenal. The bride came to the stage, and the ceremony continued. There was more singing, chanting, throwing of flowers and holy water. The bride and groom's hands were joined together. Their scarfs as well were tied together by the maid of honor. The father of the bride sang, and the bride and groom walked around and around the fire tied together. They asked each other to promise four things to each other. Then, they placed the rose wreaths around each other's necks.

Just after 7 pm - the ceremony ended. They continued with pictures while the buffet of Indian cuisine was set up. As we ate, there were toasts and greetings. The bride and groom entered the reception, wearing different attire. They spoke and had their first dance to "A Thousand Years".

At 9:20, the disco lights came on, and the dancing began. I took an early exit.

It was my first Hindu wedding, and it did not disappoint. Seeing my friends again was awesome, but watching them squirm in those outfits was the icing on the cake. I wish the bride and groom many years of happiness.Read more