Wedding in South Asia

Traditional Formal Wear

Bride and Groom

Groom arriving at the wedding ceremony on horseback

Elephant leading the procession to the wedding ceremony; followed by camels, wedding guests, men carrying lights, musicians and finally the groom on horseback.

Last night Aaron & I attended the wedding of a Hindu friend. It was the nicest wedding we've been to so far here in South Asia. The thing about weddings here is that they are long and very expensive. At 8:30 last night the groom mounted his horse and began the procession to the wedding. There was a large band and the grooms' family and friends danced their way to the garden. Although it was only a few kilometers away, it took an hour and a half for them to arrive. Also included in the wedding procession was one elephant and two camels.
The bride was, of course, beautiful in her beaded gown which can weigh between 5 and 10 pounds. She was adorned with all kinds of jewelry and glittery things.
There was a ton of good food and lots of people. We arrived at 9:45 and stayed until after midnight. The actual wedding ceremony had not even started yet when we left! The groom told us that he and his new bride would be performing all kinds of ceremonies and rituals with their families until 3:00 or 4:00 the next afternoon. Weddings are certainly one of the best cultural experiences here in South Asia...of course Aaron just likes the all you can eat buffet!!