Weddingbee Blog

Where we left off in the story, Mr.DD and I were engaged!

Well, sort of anyway. There was still another engagement to pull off. One that required a little more preparation on my part…

First up was a test run with the mehndi (henna) artist we’re planning on using for the wedding.

Didn’t she do a great job?

It’s a really good thing that I didn’t have anything else to do that Friday night. Because once you get mehndi applied on both sides of your hands and your feet, there’s really not much else you can do. First you need to be worried that the paste will smear and the design will be ruined. Then, once everything dries, you’re supposed to keep the mehndi on as long as possible to ensure the best color.

Basically, this meant that (a) my dinner was fed to me and (b) I ended up sleeping with plastic wrap on my hands and feet. No, it wasn’t the best way to get a good night’s sleep.

The next day my bridesmaid R (who is much better at these things than I am) took charge of my hair and makeup and helped me dress.

Although traditionally the groom’s parents buy the bride’s outfit for the mangni, we skipped this step. Mr. DD and I are worried about overwhelming his parents with unfamiliar customs, and this one was easy enough to do away with.

When everyone else had arrived, R escorted me downstairs.

Mr. DD was waiting, along with some family and close friends… and a very large bouquet of flowers!

Didn’t he do a good job matching the flowers to my sari?

Once we were seated, the ceremony began. Our parents and a few others greeted/congratulated us by placing a tika, or mark, on our foreheads, showering us with rice, and feeding us sweets and sherbet (a sugary pink drink). Gifts of gold jewelry were also involved.

Mr. DD’s dad feeding him sherbet

My mom putting gold bangles on me (with a curious onlooker)

Then Mr. DD gave me my ring for the second time. (He had taken it back earlier that day.)

And we were engaged for the second (and final!) time.

As I mentioned earlier, this second engagement was for my parents. So I was surprised at how meaningful an event this turned out to be for both Mr. DD and me—we really liked being able to have this celebration of our engagement with our family and close friends.

I guess tradition really does have its place…

Have you found yourself enjoying family or cultural wedding traditions more than you expected?