Today, as is tradition in Hinduism, the ceremonies begin with what is called Mehendi - this is the ceremony where the bride is adorned with very elaborate henna designs on her hands, her arms, her feet and ankles, up to about mid-calf. Some of the bride's friends also have their hands and arms decorated, including Heather. The designs often contain a paisley design, as well as flowers and birds.
Early in the evening, guests began to arrive at the hotel where the ceremonies, including blessing by a Hindu priest, as well as various skits and performances by both the families of the bride and groom are shared with a few hundred guests. Special dances and songs with lyrics especially written to honor the bride and to poke fun at the groom make the evening very festive. The venue at the hotel was very elaborately decorated, with hundreds of flowers, as well as fabrics draped around the room. Over in the far corner of the room, there was a sort of lawn swing, also adorned with hundreds of traditional flowers, where the bride sat and had many photographs taken with the family and other guests.
Following dinner, a DJ played recordings well into the morning, and we finally left the party at about 1:30 a.m. Both Heather and J.T. truly enjoyed themselves on the dance floor. We were too tired for me to sit down at the computer and write anything. We will share some photos very soon.
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