Family, Weddings, and Quirky Traditions

Just an FYI – this is a picture-heavy post!

I wasn’t able to upload the pictures by the day so now you get the last week of wedding events all in one big post. Yes, you heard right. A WEEK of wedding events. Indians go big. Our 5 days in Pittsburgh were packed with different events ranging from baseball games and picnics to the sangeet (a music evening organized before the wedding ceremony) and a lavish reception.

We got to Pittsburgh in the late afternoon on July 3rd. We had about 30 minutes to get ready and rush to India Garden where the first dinner was held (although we still managed to be 2 hours late). I have no pictures from that first night because, since it’s been YEARS since I’ve seen some of these relatives, I was busy answering the usual, “Tell us what you do now” and “Why aren’t you married yet?” questions. 

We woke up early on the 4th of July and went to a baseball game: Pirates vs. Phillies. I’ve never sat through an entire baseball game before – pretty sure I deserve a medal for that.

Although it was a little easier to sit through because the view was absolutely GORGEOUS and I was bribed with beer and peanuts and the promise that I’d get Subway after the game.

Our big group parted ways for dinner since no restaurant could hold a group that large (Sister and I kept it classy and went to Subway) and we met back up at 8PM to board the ship!

The fireworks on the river were gorgeous.

After being up and out in the humidity all day, we were pretty exhausted to say the least.

But you’re pretty much not allowed to be tired at an Indian wedding so we stayed out late and woke up early again the next morning for breakfast and mehndi (where the bride and family get their henna done)

I didn’t get any done because I wanted to play badminton at the picnic later that day. Obviously more important. So, instead, I made a new best friend and participated in other activities…..

…..Like this:

The grooms side of the family organized an amazing picnic for the wedding guests. The only problem is that it’s basically impossible to buy alcohol in Pennsylvania. I had no idea that the alcohol laws were so restrictive. Luckily, we hunted down a beer distributor and all was right with the world.

I’m clearly really spoiled in California – that was an interesting experience.

We got to the picnic and headed straight toward the food. There were wraps, pastas, burgers, desserts, and beer. Lots of beer. Thank you, distributors.

Sister and I both indulged in our favorite things.

Can you guess which indulgence is mine?

Pictures just don’t do justice to the amount of greenery there is in Pittsburgh. It was gorgeous.

After the picnic, we rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the Ladies Sangeet. Luckily the sangeet was in our hotel so we literally just took the elevator down and were there. We took over the entire lobby and their massive ballroom.

The rest of the night was spent dancing to everything from Gangnam Style to the Cupid Shuffle to, naturally, Bhangra music. We were all a bit sweaty and blister-y by the end of the night.

But don’t worry – Indians don’t mess around. We were up and ready to go the next morning for the shaadi (wedding).

How cute are my parents?

The mandap (structure in which the ceremony happens) was decorated SO beautifully.

And the sisters successfully stole the grooms shoes. The groom, being Italian, didn’t really understand why we would want to steal his $15 shoes that he would never wear again.

But it’s tradition. The groom’s family is supposed to try and protect the shoes from being stolen. Usually the sisters successfully steal the shoes (as it is a matter of our pride and honor, obviously). Typically, once the ceremony is over, the groom needs his shoes back (mainly for pictures. Nobody wants memories of a barefoot groom). The sisters will then try to strike up a deal and ask for a huge sum of money which the groom pays them and gets his shoes back.

So we were successful at stealing the shoes. But not so successful at claiming our money. Oh well. He’s part of the family now so he can’t run away from us! Well he can, but we’ll probably end up stealing his shoes again and it’s pretty difficult to run barefoot.

SO, after the wedding ceremony, there was a cocktail hour (ended up being more like 3 hours since they had to completely redecorate the ballroom from wedding mode to reception mode).

So we ate. And ate. And ate some more.

Because Indian people love their food.

And these were just the appetizers, my friends. During the reception, there was an entire buffet of Indian food on one end and an entire buffet of Italian food on the other end.

It was such a great week of events but I am very ready to sleep early, sleep in, and spend a week in my PJs and gym clothes.

 Congrats to Anku and Nick! =)

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What are some fun traditions that your family does during weddings?