This past wedding season, we were lucky enough to be introduced to a new set of traditions and culture when we planned an Indian wedding weekend full of festivities and traditional ceremonies. The groom, who is very well known in his profession, was the inspiration for a lot of the little details over the weekend, like the theme of the escort cards and small decorations. Because of this, though, they’ll be referred to by their aliases, Chahna and Daniel. It was an amazing experience and really opened our eyes to the beauty of the Indian culture. The two were married in September, in Colorado Springs, during 4 days of grand festivities, beginning with an engagement ceremony and a full dressing of henna for the bride and her family on day 1 of 4. The next day was completely centered around their Pithi. If you’re unfamiliar with Hindu wedding traditions, a Pithi is a ceremony in which a turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groom. This called for an entire night of festivities at the Garden of the Gods Club, that began with Daniel making a grand entrance, surrounded by an entire entourage of his family and friends, followed by Chahna entering under a gorgeous, silk canopy, carried by ladies in her family, and dressed in a flowing yellow sari.
After their entrance, traditional Sapta Padi rituals were performed and an all out dance party went long into the night. The entire party was on the floor dancing to traditional Indian music, spun by Ashish B, that no one wanted to walk away from! I was amazed at the gorgeous, brightly colored and jewel adorned saris and love for dancing that everyone had! As the night went on, a henna artist joined the party and adorned the hands and feet of almost every guest with henna tattoos and brightly colored floor pillows were filled with relaxing and mingling guests.Another tradition in the Indian culture is to cover the groom head to toe in everything from eggs and flour to shaving cream. It’s a ritual that’s seen as a sort of “bachelor party” and as you can see, Daniel’s case was just the same! He left for a quick clean up and returned to finish out the night on the dance floor. The Pithi was just the beginning of the elaborate weekend of events. The next two days were full of two separate wedding ceremonies, a casino night complete with another full dance floor, and a tradition filled luncheon. Watch out for the details of the other two days of events in future blogs! There is a ton to be seen.
