Weekend Wedding Extravaganza

And I'm not kidding about the Extravaganza.

Kevin and I drove to Long Island on Saturday for Anita and Chirag's wedding. Chirag is a friend from high school and probably one of the most jovial, social people you'll ever meet, so I knew there would be a lot of people and a lot of fun this weekend. But I must say, this wedding blew away any expectation I had. It was amazing!

Chirag and his bride, Anita, are Indian, so they had a traditional Indian wedding. The wedding was on Sunday but there were also events on Friday, the Mehndi, and Saturday, the Raas Garba. Anita and Chirag have a fab wedding website with explanations of all the events/ceremonies. Check it out here.

Many of my high school friends were there and it was so fun to see them and catch up. Everyone looked great and seems happy. It's so nice to reconnect as adults. There is a growing-up-together bond, but now we are all more established and confident as people. Before the wedding, I had a little bit of "high school reunion" type anxiety, but then I realized that we are all adults and removed from former high school angst. Now is the time to reconnect and just enjoy people for who they are. And that's what happened! It really was fun!

Being at this wedding was an amazing experience in and of itself. The Indian culture is full of tradition, ceremony, jubilance and great food. Chirag and Anita's families made every effort to welcome everyone into the celebration and festivities. During Garba night, we had a fabulous meal and danced traditional Indian dances. It was so fun! Chirag and Anita's families were so hospitable and welcoming and willing to teach the dances. So many of us talked about how we felt so much a part of everything, though there were times we were unsure of what to do or what was going on. The ongoing theme the entire weekend was "Share our joy and tradition and celebrate with us!"

That made Kevin and I think about our own lives and traditions. Sometimes we are hesitant to share our traditions, especially our Catholic traditions, with others in the name of political correctness or respect for "diversity". Experiencing Anita and Chirag's wedding inspired me to be more hospitable and generous with our own traditions and celebrations. There is no disrespect in inviting others to share in our joy!