The colours swirl in red tornadoes, orange too
And purple fabrics speckled through with gold,
The love on show burns right through like sun
That beats on desert sands, crisping leaves
And market roofs, selling spices; pungent
In a thicker air than I have ever known.
I wish I’d known this kind of love before,
Swathed in silk and smothered with
The hungry beat of drums.
I went to my first Indian wedding yesterday, and I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing the experience was. The colours, the music, the tastes and the sheer size and sensory overload was intoxicating.
How I wish that here in the West we could enjoy those colours in our own weddings. Suddenly, our rather plain white dresses seemed so boring.
If you ever get the chance to go to a wedding that celebrates another culture then I definitely urge you to go along. I will remember the beat of that drum and how it uncovered some emotions even I can’t understand, for the rest of my life.
Much Love
Rachel xx
Margot Kinberg
Thanks for sharing those ‘photos, Rachel. They’re lovely! It looks as though it really was a very beautiful wedding, and I know what you mean about the whole sensory overload thing, too. I can imagine it was such a rich experience. You were lucky to have it.
patientandkindlove
It was amazing. It has made me want to go out and buy a sari because the women were just so beautiful.
Vic Crain
I used to stay on occasion at a Marriott in Fairfax where several of these weddings took place. They are visually stunning. However, some of the marriages were arranged by parents and that inverts the process as we know it — get married first and then find a way to love your partner. Different.
patientandkindlove
It was sensory overload – and those dresses were too gorgeous. My dad knows the bride and the couple met at college and fell in love there, so this was definitely not arranged. Although, the families knew each other really well before they became a couple.
Vic Crain
I lived next to neighbors from India. One daughter went along with an arranged marriage, the other fled the home. So I know not all weddings are arranged, but they still exist. Regardless, the events are beautiful.