Hey! We are back as Mr. and Mrs. and we plan to fill you in on all that happened on the big day. I am going to try and be precise here or I will end up writing a novella. January 31st, 2015 was the day of the wedding reception and my, my what a day it was!
The stage where it all began
I totally felt like a princess with so many people fussing over me. There was a flurry of makeup artists, photographers and relatives hovering around me at all times. Though it seems like a distant dream now, I enjoyed every moment of being a blushing bride. I had two great makeup artists (Anu & Ridhi) to help me get ready on the d-day. When I finally looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t believe it was me. I thought I looked glamorous (if I could say so myself).
Thanks to Anu and Ridhi for dolling me up
As I stepped out of my room, I saw R looking dapper in a chambray suit with a maroon tie and pocket square to match my lehenga. A pretty unusual colour, but he pulled it off quite well. Post a quick photo session, R and I went up on the stage and it was a long and back- breaking two hours of meeting and greeting. By the end of it, I had visible laugh lines – I kid not.
Little did we know that we would end up standing for the next two hours 🙂
Receptions in India are a long and winding event where people come to shower you with blessings and gifts. Initially we felt there were very few people, but as time passed there were so many people that we didn’t get to sit down even for five minutes. It felt extremely surreal; I was in a daze as friends and relatives came up to wish us. At one point my cousin H asked me what was going through my mind and all I could say was, “I’m blank.” The only thing I vividly remember is R pointing out the number of people taking selfies. It definitely looked like everyone had dressed up just to take selfies. Though our legs were aching and we were tired, we felt a rush of happiness seeing everyone around us in such a joyous mood. Usually Indian weddings are a very stressful affair, but R and I completely enjoyed the two days of celebrations!
R praying seriously (is he?)
For R, it was like gaining a whole new family. He never enjoyed the luxury of having tons of cousins like I do. In fact my cousins dote and love me just as my own sibling would. He got along famously with them and they became extremely fond of him as well. Another beautiful part of our wedding was he got to experience love from his own cousins Deepti and Babloo – who are now a part of our big, crazy gang. Our wedding has certainly brought all of us closer.
Deepti and Babloo rocking it
February 1st was the day we were named man and wife. It was an extremely emotional day for both of us. The day started off with rituals like ‘Kashi Yatra’, ‘Padha Puja’ and ‘Kanyadan’.
Kashi Yatra – Where the brother of the bride welcomes the groom by washing his feet
And then came the big moment – I have goosebumps writing this – the moment where I became his forever. It is an inexplicable feeling; I can’t really say what I was going through as he was tying the knot. I felt a multitude of emotions and I couldn’t control my tears.
L looking sombre
It took a long time for me to sink in that I was married (I still pinch myself). Many of R’s friends scared him saying that he might be nervous and his hands might tremble when he’s tying the knot. But he tells me that none of that happened. In his words, “when it is with the right person, you just know.”
L in an ecstatic mood while R seems to be clueless
What followed was fun, fun and more fun! I beat R four times in finding the ring ritual; we had to find a ring in a pot filled with other objects. This is a ritual to guage who will be the dominant person in the relationship and I won four times. Ha! (Not that I am dominant).
R tells me that he let me win but the truth is he was bad at it
We had a lovely photographer to capture each and every moment, and you will get to know more about him in our next post.
R being his usual funny self and making me laugh
It was such a beautiful day that both of us would willingly want to relive it again and again.
The content bride and groom
Signing off as Mrs. R