On Sunday afternoon/evening before Memorial Day, we celebrated the marriage of Maya (a friend of Kelvin's from UCLA) and Ananth, who we met last year when we visited Seattle, where they met and both live. The wedding was at Zenith Vineyards north of Salem as Maya's family is from the Portland area.
The ceremony followed traditional Hindu customs and was conducted in Sanskrit by a priest from a Portland temple. While I have been to two other Indian weddings (one a Christian wedding, and the other a Sikh), this was completely different. I can't say that I really followed much of the ceremony, both due to the language and the distance/lack of view of the altar, but it included greetings of both families, rituals and pooja, "taking of seven steps," throwing ghee and rice into the fire, and blessings from other family members.
It was pretty informal-- many of the guests were wandering around the grass during the ceremony, getting refreshments, and carrying on conversations... I'd estimate that about 80% of the guests were Indian! My allergies were also incredibly bothersome during the (outdoor) ceremony, with one eye red and sore, so I was struggling a bit.
Pretty ladies in saris
The altar
Ananth rode in on a horse
Maya was accompanied by her sister
The bride and groom threw these garlands over each other's heads
Walking down the aisle with their families
Up front
The reception included an awesome slideshow engineered by Ananth, the engineer, an Indian buffet (including some non-veg options), a dessert bar, and plenty of dancing!
The happy couple
Kelvin stole a picture with the bride
Here is Kelvin with Louise, another UCLA bud
delicious desserts
Dancing!
Indian weddings are fun!
