Every wedding day is unique to that couple, and at Grove
House and Parkstead House the specialist Events team are on hand to ensure that
your wedding day is as special and unique as you wish it to be. To celebrate the
most romantic month of the year we take a peek into
Natalie’s experience at her friend’s wonderful wedding in Mumbai!
The four-day wedding
extravaganza began on a Saturday with a pre-wedding religious celebration at
Bhavesh’s parent’s house to prepare him for the marriage. After the Hindu
priest blessed him at the most auspicious time of day (the early morning) the
family took over the celebrations. Bhavesh’s close family were in attendance
and the women led the festivities as we circled Bhavesh and attempted to rub
turmeric onto his face and hands as part of a cleansing ritual. This was followed by the Mehndi ceremony,
where all of the female members of the family had their hands beautifully
decorated with henna. As Michael and another friend, Rob, were in attendance,
they were given small Mehndi designs on their hands too, much to the amusement
and teasing of some of the groom’s male relatives!
On Sunday evening we attended the DJ Party, a rather more modern
part of the celebrations. The groom’s entire family and friends partied on the
roof terrace of their apartment block well into the night. We learned how to
dance like Bollywood superstars as well as some of the moves to the more
traditional songs that we would need to know for the wedding procession the
next day!
The day of the wedding began very early (which wasn’t such
great news for us after the party the night before!). We first went to
Bhavesh’s parent’s house, where his sister helped me and Rob’s girlfriend
Andrea into our sarees. We then had our hair styled and finished off our looks
with make-up and elaborate jewellery. The transformation was amazing, we felt
so glamorous! Next it was the boy’s turn to get ready. They looked marvellous
in their traditional wedding outfits. Now that we looked the part, it was time
for us to go to the meeting place where the groom’s family would start the
wedding procession from.
The wedding procession was the highlight of my entire trip.
The groom rode an elaborately decorated white horse through the streets of
Mumbai to the wedding venue where his bride and her family awaited him. There
was a live band playing and everyone was dancing as we followed Bhavesh on his
horse. We were greeted by smiles and cheers from everyone we met along the way,
with many of the local children joining in the dancing. The occasion was one of
sheer joy.
At the venue we met the bride’s family and the wedding service
began in earnest. The ceremony was approximately three hours long and involved
several symbolic rituals taking place, each one having a specific religious meaning.
These included a ceremony where the bride and groom take it in turns to lead
one another around the sacred fire lit by the priest, whish symbolises promises
made to one another. The final ceremony is where the bride and groom’s family
throw fresh flower petals over them, which represent their blessings for the
new couple.
After the reception party, we went back to Bhavesh’s
parent’s house, where a religious ceremony took place to welcome Binal into the
family. This ceremony included a game where the bride and groom have to try and
find a gold ring that is placed in a bowl of red water. Whoever finds the ring
first is said to be the most dominant person in the relationship. Much to
Bhavesh’s disappointment, Binal won! The very last ceremony is the puja, which
is conducted the morning after the wedding and is a blessing for the bride and
groom’s future life together.
Attending a Hindu wedding is an elaborate, exciting and
joyous experience. We learnt so much about Hindu culture through attending the
wedding. To us, one of the best things about the wedding, not to mention the
entire experience of visiting India, was how welcoming and generous everyone
was, and how inclusive and kind Bhavesh’s family and friends were. We will
always treasure our memories of our trip and can’t wait to go back!
Congratulations to the happy couple from all at Grove House
and Parkstead House. If your looking for a unique venue visit our webpages to learn more.
