Day Three of an Indian Wedding: It’s Official!

“You need more jewelery.”

That was the consensus of the aunts as they evaluated my final look. Draped in a brilliant, blue sari with golden trim and already wearing two bangles, a necklace, a hair accessory, and earrings, I felt overdressed. However, my look was apparently not quite fancy enough for an Indian wedding.

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Today was the third and final day of the wedding. After a breakfast of toast and leftovers, we ventured out into the clothing and jewelery market of Pune.

Before this trip to India, I had never been jewelery shopping before. I do not think I had even stepped inside of a jewelery store. So when we walked into this shop, I was instantly overwhelmed. So many sparkly things!

Rows upon rows of gold, silver, pearls, and jewels of every color lined each wall of the two-story shop. If a customer did not see anything she liked on the shelves, the attendants pulled out boxes upon boxes of bracelets, necklaces, hair accessories, rings, earrings, and anklets until she found what she was looking for.

Every wall was lined with jewelery.

As the girls began their hunt for the perfect necklaces to match their saris, I selected some small jewelery to purchase for souvenirs – two thin bangles with faux diamond leaves and faux diamond earrings. I reasoned that I could wear the jewelery to the wedding and then take it home to remember my trip.

Meanwhile, the rest of the wedding party had selected impressive earrings with matching bangles and ornate necklaces. When they were satisfied with their purchases, we hurried to the salon for our makeovers.

The ladies at the salon helped me properly drape my bulky, six-yard sari before sitting me in a chair surrounded by all sorts of beauty products. I brought my own foundation because I knew that they would not have my pale color. The beautician quickly did my makeup in typical Indian fashion, finishing with a glittering, blue bindi on my forehead.

With impressive speed, she twisted and pinned and adjusted my hair until I had a beautiful, curled bun. After all of that work, I thought I was ready for the wedding.

The finished hair

However, the aunts determined that I did not have enough jewelery. So the jewelery boxes came out again and I added a pearl necklace and two more bangles to my outfit. In addition, I had to trade my small silver earrings for larger, dangling earrings.

The final wedding look

At the hotel, people were beginning to gather in the wedding hall. We arrived more than a half an hour after the event was supposed to start, but no one seemed to mind. Because this was a court wedding, the ceremony was simple, but beautiful.

In a striking orange sari, the bride glowed as she signed the documents. After the groom added his signature, everyone applauded and the couple were officially married.

The bride and groom

Next, the family preformed a traditional Hindu ceremony of blessing the couple before the photos began. For the next few hours, the bride and groom posed for photo after photo with every guest.

A full buffet, a phemoninal chocolate cake, and multiple sweets were served throughout the entire evening. Everyone was so thrilled to see each other, which made conversations continue late into the evening. After 11:00 P.M., my host family and I decided to go home, but I have no idea how late the bride and groom stayed.

Overall, this wedding has been my favorite Indian event because I experienced so much of rich, Indian culture. I learned how precious family is to the Indian people; I tasted a plethora of Indian cuisine; I even enjoyed dressing in traditional clothing. Without a doubt, I will carry the memories of these three days with me long after my internship is over.