Charleston Wedding

My first Indian American wedding experience was actually really cool. When I saw that there were so many events, and especially how long the day was going to be on Saturday, I was a little nervous, but it turned out to be such a cool and fun experience!

On Friday night from 7-10:30 was a celebration for everyone who was in town. Basically it was like a mini reception and there was a ton of Indian food, Indian music, and lots of dancing! And the saris that the women were wearing were so so pretty!
We got to do this dance with two metal sticks (I don't know the name of it), but it was a lot of fun and the groom's family had a fun time teaching us, and we had fun trying to keep up!
(I had more videos than I did still pictures)
Poor me and my gestational diabetes diet where I had to watch carbs went out the window for dinner when my options were various breads (which I so wanted but stayed away from), potatoes, buttered chicken (my fave) and lentil soup. Needless to say, I did not test my blood sugars that night, but all of the food was really yummy!
We all liked the trays so that we could get a taste of all the different things, but without the different flavors blending and getting mixed together
Saturday the festivities started at 1:15 in the hotel parking lot where the groom got lead to the ceremony with a processional. They had music playing (a mix of Indian music and some traditional hip hop music which was a ton of fun), and we lead the way around the side of the hotel, waving colorful handkerchiefs while the groom got pulled along on a carriage behind us (apparently they had wanted to do a white horse but that didn't work out for whatever reason). Lucky for us it was a gorgeous day out!
We proceeded to the Indian ceremony. I won't lie, we didn't understand any of what was being said, but we followed along with what was happening based on the information in the program. It was a really neat ceremony to watch and the bride looked stunning in her attire!
I loved that the groom was hidden behind a sheet while the bride walked in, and they had to wait to see each other until the sheet was lowered--the anticipation was really fun!

We had cocktail hour after the Indian ceremony out on the terrace of the hotel which overlooked the water, and the weather was so nice so we took advantage of the photo op!
Following that was the Christian ceremony which was really quick, and once again the bride looked stunning in her dress!
After the ceremony we got ourselves together to head to the reception, but caught a glimpse of the married couple darting off into the sunset in their gorgeous wedding car
We headed out to The Cedar Room in Charleston on 1960's white buses which was a trip. The Cedar Room used to be an old cigar factory(?), and it had such a cool industrial/loft feel--it was beautiful!
Unfortunately, there weren't enough tables to sit down at, so our group ended up eating dinner at a standing table, but the delicious southern food made up for it (another carb-buster of a night for me).
And then there was dancing. The music was really good (the DJ's transitions could have used a lot of work), and we all had such a good time tearing up the dance floor. Preggo mama over here even did the limbo (MG asked the guys to raise it for me and then the effers lowered it while I was going under....mean!)
 The whole weekend was awesome and it was so much fun to get to experience another culture's wedding festivities and customs. Lots of blessings to the newlyweds!
I do know that Baby G enjoyed all of the dancing :)
And that wraps up MG's and my last airplane trip anywhere before we become parents! 

20 comments:

  1. So fun! I've seen pictures of Indian wedding ceremonies and they all look so colorful and fun! Love that you did the limbo haha!
    Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts

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  2. ah that looks like the best time! how cute are you two! and i love the dual ceremony - that reception too, what a cool space! carbs be damned - i'm sure it was totally worth it!

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  3. I love that you used the word effers, I always say that LOL!! What a fun experience this wedding was!!

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  4. What a beautiful and busy wedding weekend. You look lovely - I especially love that red dress.

    Elizabeth | The Lovely Latte

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  5. So fun! Both ceremonies looks very special! And you look amazing!

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  6. Indian weddings are so beautiful and full of tradition. I also love butter chicken! What a fun experience.

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  7. What an amazing wedding!! It looks like you all had a great time and you looked beautiful.

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  8. I love wedding attire from Indian weddings, so rich and colorful. Looks like you had a great weekend! :)

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  9. Love the blending of the different cultures!!! How fun! And good for you for not testing your sugars after that feast... one night won't do a lick of harm! XOXO, R

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  10. Sounds like such a fun wedding to be at! Those trays are such lifesavers especially because Indian weddings have no shortage of food and most people will fill those bad boys up! That butter chicken looks absolutely delicious along with just about everything else. Our priest was nice enough to do our ceremony using both our traditional language and kind of recapping what was going on in English which was nice for all the folks that had no idea what was going on. Glad you guys had a fun trip before you become parents!!

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  11. What a fun wedding! I have never been to an Indian wedding before, but I bet they are just so neat. I love how they stick to their traditions. And you look beautiful in that red dress!

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  12. Really fun, I love the two cultures coming together.

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  13. I love that the reception was in the Cedar Room!! The Cigar Factory is one of my favorite complexes in town. They just remodeled the whole thing over the last few years, and there's a bar and adorable mercantile downstairs. What a fantastic weekend of wedding fun!

    Meg, Borrowed Heaven

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  14. So cool to get to experience this type of wedding!! You look so cute in all your pretty dresses too :)

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  15. What a fun celebration! Loved seeing all the details and sorry about your food restrictions. I was borderline during my pregnancy and had to monitor my food/blood pressure. Not the most fun thing ever, but it was short lived. Hope you're feeling good!

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  16. How fun! I love Indian weddings with the beautiful saris and of course the food... even though I feel for you on trying to control the diet. Love that they did an Indian and then traditional "western" ceremony. That's the beauty of two cultures combining.

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  17. How fun to experience another culture! And look at your sweet bump!! Baby is going to be here before you know it.

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  18. That's awesome that you got to experience another culture's wedding!

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  19. I love when they do two types of wedding celebrations and the bride gets to wear two dresses. I think they were both pretty. Love the idea of the Indian food at the wedding. LOVE Indian food. You look great in your dresses for the wedding. Hope your feet held up well.

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