Indian Princesses: Finallllllly! My first Indian wedding!!

Well, it actually wasn't the wedding ceremony, or "marriage" as it's referred to here. We went to the reception. It was for Suresh, the very sweet driver for Tom & Cherie, our American friends. Since we've arrived I've been super excited to attend a wedding because they are extremely grand and full of tradition. There are three major religions here, Hindu, Muslim and Christianity and the reception we attended was Hindu. Savannah had already attended one Hindu reception with some other friends of ours and told me that I was not going to love it. It would be loud and hot and the food would be rushed. So I prepared myself, but was still excited to wear my sari and immerse myself in the culture for the night. We started the preparations by having Lakshmi come early and help wrap us up. A sari is basically a blouse and a long piece of material. Savannah's ghagra dress is more of a half sari, with a long skirt, a blouse, and a shorter piece of material as a wrap. Since the reception was in the evening we paired our dresses with sparkling jewelry. After we were all wrapped up and wondering how the local Indian women do this daily, we set off toward the other side of the city with Cherie and picked up Tom from work on the way. Cherie and I shared a bottle of sparkling moscato en route (Bonus! We always have a DD in India!) and Savannah reminded us, once more, of what was to come. We made it and seated ourselves close to the stage. Oh, I should tell you this was a double-reception. Suresh, Tom & Cherie's driver, and his sister both got married this morning and celebrated this evening. So we were near Suresh and his bride's stage and sat visiting for a while. The music had not yet begun, but the live band was gearing up, testing echo-y mics and beginning to beat the drums a bit. We strategically placed ourselves between a few fans, since there was no AC and we are moving into the peak of summer here. When I checked the temp today it was 93 but felt like 102 Fahrenheit. So... yeah, pretty hot out. Shortly after 7 Suresh and his bride came and stopped to say hello. They walked from the front to the back and then back to the front, again, and finally, onto the stage. Immediately, one of the aunties came over and herded us up to the stage. It is traditional for the bride and groom to take photos with every guest. Actually, this is the majority of the reception. We were, fortunately, among the first group to take our pictures and then we were escorted upstairs to eat. We met Gideon and his family on the way to eat and they joined us. Wedding meals are served on a banana leaf and generally include at least a rice, some chutneys, a bread (such as naan or chapatti) and some gravies. Tonight we had white rice, veg biryani, chapatti, a couple chutneys, gravies, ice cream, rice curd and another sweet I could not figure out. We were well taken care of, with servers coming by frequently to make sure we had everything we needed. As we ate, we watched a steady flow of guests coming, eating and leaving as quickly as they could so others could make their way. We were slow, apparently. And it was H O T upstairs. Like, dripping sweat hot. Like, how in the WORLD do these ladies wear all this material when it's 100+ outside and no fans and few windows on this second floor? Like, OMG finish your food, Savannah, so we can go back downstairs! So, we finally finished and wondered what was next. We went downstairs and sat ourselves in a somewhat less crowded area of the hall. This reception was expecting between 1,000-1,200 guests but since we arrived pretty early it wasn't quite that crowded yet. We sat for a while but did not see anything else going on. The band was in full swing and it was loud, so loud that we couldn't chat, so we just people-watched. In just a few minutes, Gideon made his way to us and told us Suresh's sister wanted us in a photo with her. Ummm, OK. I mean, we don't know her or the groom, but sure. So we walked on her stage, smiled and took a few pictures. Then Gideon said it was OK to leave and that was about all. No dancing, no cake-cutting, no toast, no bouquet toss, no bridesmaids and groomsmen. Pictures, food, sweating, music, and more pictures. Interesting evening and really appreciate Suresh and his family's hospitality for inviting us to join on this special occasion.
In other news, Savannah will be 16 on Saturday. That makes me feel really old, because it sure does make me sound like a young mom since I am only 29. And holding... She's feeling a little blue being away from her friends she grew up and not able to celebrate her "Sweet 16" as she thought she would. This year will be low-key. I will try to work a little early on Friday so I can wake up at a normal time Saturday for brunch and then a facial (her first!) and gel nails at the spa, then a dinner with Tom & Cherie - Tom will be 61 on May 4 as well. They think it's pretty cool - 16 and 61. And this year, my sweet girl has asked that gifts are made to the Home of Hope either in the form of monetary donations or supplies she can use for teaching English to the boys. She would like to bring in enough to buy a TV and DVD player so she can get some English movies and lessons for the boys to watch when she's not around to speak fluently. After her Indian birthday celebrations, my parents and Michael will come in (YAYYYY!!) and we'll head to Singapore and Malaysia for a week of sight-seeing and relaxation. We are pretty excited about it and CAN NOT WAIT to see everyone!
Here are some pics of our night out & dinner. Hope everyone is doing well. We love and miss you!