I woke up to a knocking on the door. Ramesh wanted to know if we were ready and was surprised to find out we were still asleep. It was after 9 AM. We woke up and Sheila went for a shower. By the time I went for my shower, I found that the Inn was completely out of water. They had ordered another truck of water, but it would be ten minutes before it got here. I waited. And waited. On inquiring of the status of our water, I was told it would be an hour or so before it arrived. They finally got me a 20-liter drinking water bottle just so I can shower. I showered with a bucket full of cold drinking water. No sooner had I finished my shower than the water truck arrived. Oh well!
By the time we were ready and out, it was almost noon and we decided to have a small bite of lunch at the Inn. The guy made steaming hot rotis and rajma, which both Sheila and I ate with relish. We then headed to Rohini's place for more conversation and mangoes. Of course, since lunch was ready there, we had a full, multi-course catered lunch there too. Sheila and some of the other girls at Rohini's place decided to head to a salon for a manicure, pedicure, and hair adjustments. It was around 3 PM that I got back to the Inn and was told that someone would pick me up at 5 to head to the location of the wedding reception and ceremony - Lutyens (a fancy hotel). I had changed into slacks and a shirt and was ready about 4:30 after a short nap.
As would be expected, my ride only materialized close to 6 PM and we headed to the location. As I entered, this gorgeous woman in a sari waved to me and it took me a moment to realize that it was Sheila. All the women looked fantastic and a few of the guys looked good too. We waited around for things to start hopping and it was closer to 8 PM when the baraat arrived with all the drums and dancing and hoopla that surrounds a typical north Indian "groom arrival" ceremony. The reception was in this beautiful hall. There were two connected large halls with food lining the walls of both halls. While the food service did not start till later, there were servers walking around with appetizers. I tried them all. Dinner started around 9 PM and consisted of way too many dishes to even name. The crispy jalebis at the end were my favorite.
I met my cousins (Jayanthi and Suresh) after quite a long time and it was again so good to catch up with several relatives. The bride arrived in a dazzling outfit and took her place on a stage to join her husband (actually, since the actual wedding ceremony was not until later that night, it was technically her fiance). A long greeting line soon formed and I just mingled with the crowd and ate any appetizer that happened to walk by me. Spicy crispy cheese puffs, vegetable mini-pizzas, mini-samosas, chilli and honey fries, egg rolls, and more. The bar opened and I started on some beer. While the halls were air-conditioned, the bar and several chairs were set up on the lawns outside. It was incredibly warm, but not too terribly uncomfortable. It's amazing how quickly we adapt to even extreme temperatures. It wasn't "nice" temps by any means, but nothing worth really complaining about.
After dinner, the wedding ceremony started outdoors. I took several photographs and impressed a few people with my 3D camera. The ceremony was relatively long and we were all outdoors in the heat for the entire duration. The beer helped, but you could see people fading after 1 AM. It ended only about 2:30 AM and we quickly made our way back to the Inn and fell fast asleep.
By the time we were ready and out, it was almost noon and we decided to have a small bite of lunch at the Inn. The guy made steaming hot rotis and rajma, which both Sheila and I ate with relish. We then headed to Rohini's place for more conversation and mangoes. Of course, since lunch was ready there, we had a full, multi-course catered lunch there too. Sheila and some of the other girls at Rohini's place decided to head to a salon for a manicure, pedicure, and hair adjustments. It was around 3 PM that I got back to the Inn and was told that someone would pick me up at 5 to head to the location of the wedding reception and ceremony - Lutyens (a fancy hotel). I had changed into slacks and a shirt and was ready about 4:30 after a short nap.
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| Sheila and the ladies ready for the reception |
I met my cousins (Jayanthi and Suresh) after quite a long time and it was again so good to catch up with several relatives. The bride arrived in a dazzling outfit and took her place on a stage to join her husband (actually, since the actual wedding ceremony was not until later that night, it was technically her fiance). A long greeting line soon formed and I just mingled with the crowd and ate any appetizer that happened to walk by me. Spicy crispy cheese puffs, vegetable mini-pizzas, mini-samosas, chilli and honey fries, egg rolls, and more. The bar opened and I started on some beer. While the halls were air-conditioned, the bar and several chairs were set up on the lawns outside. It was incredibly warm, but not too terribly uncomfortable. It's amazing how quickly we adapt to even extreme temperatures. It wasn't "nice" temps by any means, but nothing worth really complaining about.
After dinner, the wedding ceremony started outdoors. I took several photographs and impressed a few people with my 3D camera. The ceremony was relatively long and we were all outdoors in the heat for the entire duration. The beer helped, but you could see people fading after 1 AM. It ended only about 2:30 AM and we quickly made our way back to the Inn and fell fast asleep.
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