Here Comes the Bride
Day Three of our Family Road Trip: The Wedding!
We had a very leisurely morning today, rolling out of bed around 7am, having a delicious south asian breakfast -- idly, dosa, chapathi, sambhar -- taking warm showers, getting 'dressed up', and heading out the door on the way to the ceremony. Our hotel was so comfortable that it made our entire morning delightful and a true pleasure.
We arrived at the 'function hall' where the wedding was to be held, only to be greeted by a bright spotlight held by the videographer's assistant. Kevin made his way up to the platform where he would sit for the entire service, awaiting his turn to give 'felicitations' at the end of the ceremony. The most notable thing about his time sitting on the 'dias' as they call it here, was the fact that it was excruciatingly hot up there. There were more hot spotlights and not a single fan. The cool breezes that made their way to the seats in the main part of the hall did not make their way anywhere near the stage. Kevin and about ten other speakers sweated it out for the 3-hour-long service.
The heat was noticed by everyone, and so about half-way through the ceremony, our friends quickly russeled up some kind of orange/lemon juice and passed it out to everyone. I think everyone was pleased and refreshed.
Instead of carrying a beautiful and fragrant bouquet of flowers down the aisle, the bride carried her Bible... as did the groom. Being an arranged marriage, the couple was quite uncomfortable around each other and it seemed that they clutched their Bibles with all their might. So much so that when it was time for them to say their vows, the minister told them to stand up and had to forceably remove their Bibles from their hands and make them hold hands -- more like an extended handshake. Thankfully, once the ceremony was over, the newlyweds lightened up quite a bit and were seen smiling and holding hands of their own free will. We were pleased to see that!
The reception was actually only a fast meal served on paper replicas of banana leaves. Usually the meal is served on actual banana leaves... and Kerala, being famous for its bananas, has lots of banana trees, etc., so I wondered why they didn't use the 'real' thing. The paper replicas were clean, uniform and easy to distribute. There was no cake, no speeches, no throwing of the bouquet. We ate and left! Quick and easy.
The afternoon was spent napping and making plans for our departure tomorrow afternoon. Back on the road again! Hopefully with just as much 'success' as the onward journey.
Wedding... successful!
~lk
We had a very leisurely morning today, rolling out of bed around 7am, having a delicious south asian breakfast -- idly, dosa, chapathi, sambhar -- taking warm showers, getting 'dressed up', and heading out the door on the way to the ceremony. Our hotel was so comfortable that it made our entire morning delightful and a true pleasure.
We arrived at the 'function hall' where the wedding was to be held, only to be greeted by a bright spotlight held by the videographer's assistant. Kevin made his way up to the platform where he would sit for the entire service, awaiting his turn to give 'felicitations' at the end of the ceremony. The most notable thing about his time sitting on the 'dias' as they call it here, was the fact that it was excruciatingly hot up there. There were more hot spotlights and not a single fan. The cool breezes that made their way to the seats in the main part of the hall did not make their way anywhere near the stage. Kevin and about ten other speakers sweated it out for the 3-hour-long service.
The heat was noticed by everyone, and so about half-way through the ceremony, our friends quickly russeled up some kind of orange/lemon juice and passed it out to everyone. I think everyone was pleased and refreshed.
Instead of carrying a beautiful and fragrant bouquet of flowers down the aisle, the bride carried her Bible... as did the groom. Being an arranged marriage, the couple was quite uncomfortable around each other and it seemed that they clutched their Bibles with all their might. So much so that when it was time for them to say their vows, the minister told them to stand up and had to forceably remove their Bibles from their hands and make them hold hands -- more like an extended handshake. Thankfully, once the ceremony was over, the newlyweds lightened up quite a bit and were seen smiling and holding hands of their own free will. We were pleased to see that!
The reception was actually only a fast meal served on paper replicas of banana leaves. Usually the meal is served on actual banana leaves... and Kerala, being famous for its bananas, has lots of banana trees, etc., so I wondered why they didn't use the 'real' thing. The paper replicas were clean, uniform and easy to distribute. There was no cake, no speeches, no throwing of the bouquet. We ate and left! Quick and easy.
The afternoon was spent napping and making plans for our departure tomorrow afternoon. Back on the road again! Hopefully with just as much 'success' as the onward journey.
Wedding... successful!
~lk
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