Rita+Rabin… Indian Wedding Extras

One thing we’ve learned from doing Rita and Rabin’s wedding (our first Indian wedding) is that A LOT goes into the whole thing. Planning, planning, planning. Mad respect to Rita for pulling off a truly remarkable week of events, and being one of the most beautiful brides I’ve ever seen. Oh yes, did I mention a WEEK of events? That might be a slight exaggeration… the parties officially started on Wednesday night, and went well into early, early Sunday morning. Not back to back of course, but pretty darn well close to it. The festivities were a total blast. Seriously, at times I forgot I was technically “working”.

Rita and Rabin’s short film was a compilation of the main wedding day (Saturday, 01/21/12). What you don’t see there are all the small details and events that lead up to the big day. While we began creating the couple’s blu-ray menu, we added all these different traditional parties, festivities, toasts, dances, etc. Three of these “extras” we’ve decided to host on the site, and share with you all. Hope you enjoy!

“The Sangeet”

While traditions may vary in Indian culture, Rabin’s parents hosted their Sangeet. Many times the actual wedding day can be overwhelming, and a prominently religious ceremony. These festivals before hand are full of entertainment, and allow the bride and groom to spend more time with their close family and friends, eating, drinking, dancing. After their friends and a few family members performed choreographed dances for them, Rita and Rabin got up and performed their own dance they had prepared for their guests!

“The Mehndi”

Mehndi, or “Henna”, is a beautiful tradition in both Indian and Arabic cultures. Thursday night, Rita and her bridesmaids and close family members underwent the mehndi application. The mehndi dries on the skin a dark brown color, and later falls off, leaving a beautiful red/brown stain in whatever design the artist drew. Not only does it look awesome… I love the smell of it!

“Dance Performance”

This is another wedding day tradition. Scattered through all the various events, dancing is an integral part of the marriage ceremonies in Indian culture. Even at the sangeet, many people choreographed and prepared dances for the bride and groom’s entertainment. On the actual wedding day, a select group of friends performed a very intricate dance for all of the guests, in honor of Rita and Rabin. This was quite possibly one of my favorite parts of the entire reception. (Not including the amaaaaazing food.) Kudos to the dancers, I’ve no doubt this performance took a bit of time and effort to put together!