Randy And Anusha's Wedding, Part 3: "Whoever I Am, Whatever I Am, Please Take Me".

...Continued from yesterday:

     Randy and Anusha's Hindu wedding, the first of their two weddings on Sunday July 3, 2016, was scheduled to begin at 8:30 am, though by the time we arrived at around 7:45 am the area outside the Makoy Center was filled with family and friends,

                                            Callie, Theresa, Tommy, me, Claire and Miguel

...including the groom, who was out and about greeting his guests and looking good.

     Parents of the groom

      Friends Re and Pat

     As I was admiring Re's pretty bindi,  the little decorative dot or jewel worn on the forehead,

...she offered me an extra one that she had from a pack of bindis that had been given to her by an Indian friend, so I got to wear a bindi too.

       The  groom and and his guests mingled outside, or wandered inside, where we were greeted by a statue of Lord Ganesha, Lord of success and remover of evil and obstacles,

...before entering the beautifully set up hall,  the stage of which was being prepared by the priests and the bride's family for the wedding.

     Mother and sisters of the groom

​    When it was time for the wedding to begin we family members and friends of the groom all went back outside, which is where the ceremony begins.

   In a traditional Hindu wedding the groom arrives at the hall riding an elephant.    But if no elephant is available (and we did discuss the possibility, but alas...)  then it's permissible for the groom to ride in on the shoulders of his buddies.

   But before that moment the groom starts out from a distance and approaches the hall dancing  until the last few yards when he is carried.
     Randy invited (read that pleaded with) his family and friends to dance the distance with him and of course we all agreed, though we were feeling a little sheepish, wondering what moves to do.
    But no problem - one of the groomsmen  switched on a boombox playing a rockin' Justin Timberlake tune and that got us all dancing.

   When the groom arrived at the hall he was anointed by the bride's mother and led inside by the bride's father.

      The groom was led up onto the stage to join his parents, the bride's parents, two priests, one  (seated on the floor here) who conducted the rituals and another who held a microphone and narrated the ceremony,

...and several assistants.

     When we guests were all seated the priest welcomed us all and told us that we were free to chat quietly and use our cell phones, though also quietly, and that we should feel free to move about the hall.
      Hindu weddings are typically five hours long.  Part of the reason, as Anusha explained to me, is that most Indian marriages are arranged, and the wedding ceremony is in part a "getting to know you" ceremony for the young couple.  However, as Anusha and Randy already knew each other - quite well - this ceremony was to be only  two and a half hours. 
      And it was delightful. As one priest led Randy through the prayers and rituals,

....the other priest, who served as a sort of narrator and master of ceremonies, kept the tone light-hearted, joyful, and humorous.
     "Now you are a loser," he joked to Randy at one point as a garland was placed around Randy's neck.  "Once you get married you lose the game.  Your wife is always right.  So you lose your life, but happily.  Your wife brainwashes you, but happily.  Whatever she says, you say, 'Okay'.  This garland symbolizes losing.  But happily."
     The priest spoke of marriage as not only the union of the couple but of their families as well,  and spoke of family and good relationships as a necessity for good living.  He also emphasized often during the ceremony the importance in life of seeking health and wealth, and prayed for many blessings for the bride and groom.    

​   On several occasions after Randy had completed a particularly difficult-to-enunciate prayer in Hindu the priest stopped and cried, "Look how well he is doing!" and led us in a round of applause for Randy.

       Another time the priest said, "See, he's smiling now, you can get a very good picture!"
         After about an hour the bride arrived amid much excitement. 

          The bride and groom were hoisted onto the shoulders of their attendants and from this high position they place garlands around each others' necks.

    Then each said to the other the most beautiful words of the ceremony:  "Whoever I am, whatever I am, please take me."

    Soon afterwards there was an intermission, and we were invited to have refreshments from the bar or the coffee machine.

    After the break the atmosphere was even more casual, with more socializing among the guests,

...while the wedding continued on the stage, a hive of activity and photographers.

​      A one point, about two hours into the ceremony, the attendants held up a sheet between the bride and groom.

   When the sheet came down the priest cried out joyfully, "And now they are finally married!"

   There followed a few more ceremonies, some fun, as a game between the bride and groom that involved competing for a gold ring in a vase,

...and another in which the bride and groom showered each other with handfuls of rice, the rice symbolizing prosperity,

​...and left the stage quite ricey afterwards.

      Other of the rituals were very beautiful:  when the bride and groom  linked pinkies - a pinky promise to each other - and said, "together we will acquire energy"; when they were tied together with a long cord;  and when they touched each other's heart and said, "My heart is your heart."
     And then, for the benefit of those of us who didn't understand, Anusha looked out to the audience and chuckled, "We're done, by the way."
      The wedding was followed by a lunch, a buffet of delicious Indian dishes.

     During lunch Randy was informed that his shoes, which he had taken off at one point during the ceremony, had been stolen by Anusha's sister Alekhya, 

...and that Randy would have to negotiate with Anusha to get his shoes back.
     At first Anusha wanted $500 for the shoes, but Randy managed to bargain her down to a price they both agreed upon.
     But as Randy didn't have any cash on him, his mom had to write a check for him which he gave to Anusha who then gave the check to her sister, who then returned Randy's shoes.

    The guests greatly enjoyed watching the game, which was a wedding tradition and all in good fun.

​   In any case the bride and groom still looked as happy as any newly-tied-together young couple couple could be.

     To be continued...