And finally, the nuptials
Trip Start
Dec 26, 2008
1
7
27
Trip End
Feb 06, 2009
Baroda,
India
Thursday, January 1, 2009
But, to go back in time and pick up from where Ted left off.
The evening of 30th December found us at Tanvi's actually wedding ceremony which was on the scale to which we'd become accustomed - lavish, ostentatatious, friendly, full of food and completely and totally fabulous!!!! It was held at the same location as the Mehendi ceremony (Mahi Valley resort) but due to the numbers (450), it had to be held outside. As one of Tanvi's closest girlfriends, I was blessed enough to be identified as such (as there are no 'bridesmaids' in Indian weddings) and so sat for a spell on the dais where the ceremony was held; it was important to Tanvi that her girlfriends were recognised as such. The rest of the wedding events have been far from traditional, so I'm told, as the bride and groom are not traditional, so in this respect, having her 'bridesmaids' was the norm. There were 8 of us in total, sharing the stage over two shifts.
The ceremony itself was very elaborate but for those who didn't have the luxury to be in such close proximity, probably a bit of a blur as you couldn't really hear anything from the dais - there was no microphone. Plus, the thing about Indian weddings is that everyone talks. You are not in a church, where the sound carries, and you put 450 people together in one place for a ceremony that takes 1.5 hours, then it's bound to get a little chaotic. Completely different from anything I am used to, but all the more intriguing and enjoyable as a result. Ted managed to snooze for part of it, but that is only because he didn't have his traditional afternoon nap, so he assures us :-)
The groom made his entrance in the traditional manner, with much laughing, clapping, music and dancing when he was met by Tanvi's mum who formally accepted him into their family. They made their way to the dais to wait for Tanvi, who was escorted by her uncle to the dais. Her parents were on the dais for most of the ceremony and it's actually quite nice to see the family so completely involved.
Then, as has been a theme throughout the wedding so far, we were fed. And fed big. I thought you were supposed to lose weight in India - quite the contrary from what I've observed, and in fact, I have a pair of trousers that I can no longer do up. So much for the Delhi Belly!!!!! After the ceremony, we were escorted to another venue for the after party - and what a venue it was. I'm not sure the words available to me can do it justice, but it was completely candle lit, on the side of a hill, and was......simply breathtaking. If I could upload the photos, I would. But you'll just have to imagine. We have been so completely spoiled by this wedding, that I'm not sure anything else can ever live up to it.
And then the party began. Whereas the night before had been relatively calm & sedate, this evening - not so much. There were drinks flowing, dancing performed and we were there to the death. Believe me, the hangover the next day was a testament to the enjoyment of the night before. Without naming names, the next days travel did not bode well for the folks who had to be up to be on the 7.20 flight back to Mumbai. Those of us who were on the 11.45 flight fared a little better, but not much - and I include myself completely in that bracket. I suffered a hangover of Miami proportions that has really only just started to abate. A shambles, it truly was.
We finally said goodbye to Baroda, and made our way to Goa via two flights and a longer than expected cab ride.
