Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending one of our good friends son's wedding. It was a delightful moment to watch him grow up from an adorable child to be a confident young man finding a love of his life and commencing with a beautiful marriage ceremony. The groom's parents are immigrants from Punjab, India and the bride is a native to US. They both opted for an Indian wedding. As always, Indian wedding are made up of vibrant colors and rich traditions. The wedding took place in a beautiful woodland scene.
The mandap was under the canopy of beautiful oak trees native to Southern California.
The Baraat: It was a colorful and vibrant ceremony. The groom arrived to the mandap on a horse with all his fanfare dancing around, rejoicing the moment. Notice the groom's face is covered with a beaded screen as part of the Punjabi wedding tradition.
The groom's family and friends are escorting him to the mandap.
The groom reached the mandap and is waiting for the bride to arrive. Notice the beautiful oak trees are a backdrop for the mandap. I loved that natural and rustic setting.
The bride is arriving to the mandap with her four brothers and uncle holding a canopy of fabric over her.
The wedding: After vedic ceremony the bride and groom are exchanging garlands.
The bride and groom are taking seven symbolic steps together around the holy fire toward a long and happy married life. The sacred fire represents a divine witness that sanctifies the ceremony.
They are leaving mandap as Mr.& Mrs. Bajaj
After the wedding, there was a cocktail hour before the reception. Can you imagine this is just a part of the appetizers buffet?
Mehndi cake
I like this rustic table with a burlap runner with country flowers and lots of candles. Gold rimmed glass chargers against a rustic table looks very glamorous.
Detail: a sprig of lavender at each place setting. Nice touch, don't you think?
I liked the way the plates are arranged at the buffet.
For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes),,please check out my books, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen and Trader Joe's Simply Indian at
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So, so elegant, not-to-mention a cultural education. Thank you for posting this!
ReplyDeleteGail
Beautiful, loved learning more about traditional Indian weddings, and the oak trees.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteOh, how perfectly beautiful and elegant!! I can just see and feel that happy atmosphere, and smell the spices.
ReplyDeleteWe've attended the weddings of several friends, (the first time, I got so weepy over their feeding the parents the wedding cake, I had to sneak Chris' handkerchief), and it's always a glorious affair and wonderful, festive time. I was even pulled into the Raas, and loved it. Then for the Dandiya Raas, two little girls took me into an enormous adjoining room where we could hear the music, and I learned all the sways and swirls and turns for the next round. What great fun.
I
We LOVED the food, and since I'd been a caterer myself, the owner-behind-the-scenes showed me all around the hall and gave me several recipes and pointed out the variations of spices. How lovely and gracious, when he must have been so busy.
And though I'd been prepared for glorious fabrics and jewels and beautiful things, a Groom on an Elephant---now THERE was a grand sight!
rachel
super oh-so-beautiful! love ALL the flowers, even those in hanging bottle vases on the tree branches...quite adorable....mighty lovely wedding!
ReplyDeletewow! how beautiful and colorful.
ReplyDeleteb
This is great. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHello, Kamali!
ReplyDeleteWow!! And Wow again! What a beautiful and elegant wedding. Love to see the customs at weddings. So many ways to celebrate the joining of a couple. What a fun custom of arriving on a horse - Love it! Beautiful setting and lovely couple. Cheers, Catherine (latest follower of your blogging adventures!) :)
Fantastic!
ReplyDeleteOh wow that was a beautiful wedding. I am so glad I saw this and you shared it with us....such stunning colors and tables plus the lovely couple & food!
ReplyDeleteVibrant and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteErika
What a beautifully catered event! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all.. congrats to the couple.. They do make a lovely couple.. and its such a lovely wedding..
ReplyDeleteOh I love how the tables are set up.. .the mix of flowers, floating candles, and tea lights... The chairs are impressive too... I also am in love with how the plates were set up!! WOW!