The most beautiful wedding was held at Zuri White Sands resort&casino hotel in Goa and it truly was an experience of a lifetime.
The backpackers Gang.
Indian weddings are generally huge. Like Ria was joking, what seems like an enormous amount of people for us, for some of her relatives sounds like a reasonable not-that-big of a wedding. She had also invited people from her travels and we got on really well.
When we first arrived to Varca we went to meet up with the bride and entertain her a bit when excessive henna paintings were going on. We also met her family, some of the Berlin hen's party crew and other travellers.
Zuri is a large, beautiful resort right on the beach at Varca, Goa, featuring bars, restaurants,two pools and different venues and lawns for events.
Indian weddings are grand affairs with the multiple rituals that take place on days before and after the actual wedding ceremony.
At 4pm it was time for high tea (and cookies and samosas). After what we enjoyed a "Kingfisher" with the travellers crew on the hotel 'Tangerine' bar terrace and headed to the first official ceremony then: 'Ganesh Pooja', and the first official dinner after that. Like much else in India, even weddings go not start in time. We Europeans were exactly on time for the first ceremony, worrying maybe it had started already, but there was not a single person there. We learned soon, an hour later from what it is scheduled to start, is the actual start.
It was mainly a religious ceremony and we did not understand much, but the setting was beautiful and the bride and groom looked amazing in their colourful outfits. After a superb veggie dinner we had a funny dance practice for the following night's performance with the ladies and finished the night with a couple drinks in the bar.
Did You know, that Mehendi is a ceremonial art form which originated in the ancient Indian subcontinent. It is typically applied during weddings. (Later in Delhi everybody knew instantly we are coming from a wedding because of our painted hands).
The next morning it was time for 'Mandap Ropan' and 'Pithi' ceremonies at Unicorn Lawns.
'Mandap' ceremony is performed under a canopy supported on four pillars. This is called Mandap. It is usually made of bamboo and decorated with red and silver colors. The four pillars signify the parents on both sides. All the rituals during the mandap ceremony are performed in front of the sacred fire and hymns recited by the priest. During 'Pithi'- a fragrant paste made out of turmeric powder, curds, sandal-wood, scented water etc was massaged all over bride and groom's face and body. Well, at some point groom's best men decided massaging takes too long and poured the remainder all over them on the lawns. The mixture helps tone the skin and muscles and clears out the pores and brings eternal love and happiness.
All our gorgeous costumes (except western clothes) come from Ria's closet. Thank You! I truly wanna wear them back home.
'Mehendi' and 'Sangeet' ceremonies: aka getting our hennas done and trying not to ruin them while socialising and having a few cocktails when they were drying up. Also, our epic dance performance, a few beautiful dances and a night full of colours, music and dancing.
Traditionally, henna is known for its cooling properties and is supposed to calm the bride’s nerves when applied to her hands and feet.
Sangeet ceremony offers respite from all the hectic seriousness of the wedding preparations. Singing songs and dancing dances. That is where we performed our choreography as well.
It was such a colourful, fun and cheerful night!
There are no words really to describe that pool party on the afternoon of the second day of events.
Also, this is where I accidentally got blue hair (for a couple of days anyway). Everybody thought I dyed my hair and that it looked great. Agree to disagree here, and the colour came from a flower chain we were wearing at the pool party. I guess they don't expect you to have white hair there. And if you do, do not dance in the rain while wearing blue flowers in your hair!
The decor was amazing. Not only at the pool party, but at all the different ceremonies in different locations. Also, how quickly the sets were put up and taken down later. Apparently Zuri is number one wedding destination, as there are weddings happening one after another.
The "danger man" aka everybody's favourite barman and his dangerous creations.
This is also where the groom's best men performed their choreography and started a Bollywood movie'like dance arena under fake pouring rain. Soon we all danced in the "rain", I guess this is the closest I get to "being" in a Bollywood movie, but that felt pretty damn great!
What do you do after hours and hours of pool party.. run to the beach of course, for another swim but this time in the beautiful Arabian Sea of Indian Ocean. Contradictory to other beaches we witnessed near Mumbai and such beach in Varca was quite clean and taken care of. I wish acts like what Carlos was promoting in Peru, that every day you gather a group of people (friends, family, backpackers, hostel people, co-workers whoever) and you go and pick up the trash from your nearby beach, park etc. for just 5-10 minutes. If this would become a tradition in many places we would live in a lot better (healthier) world.
The actual getting married part!
We, like many others, had booked a hair&make-up with sari draping for before the final day. That was a full-on indian-like chaos. They had way overbooked and the competence was somewhat questionable as well.
Before we got to the beach, where the stage for the final ceremonies was set up, it was a long way of drums, music and traditional shenanigans like the shoe stealing from the groom. The groom's men have to ransom the shoe back from the bride's side. Also, the groom has to be let into the wedding area by the bride's family.
The groom is arriving on a horse.
The most beautiful bride!
coconut for cooling off! Goa was quite unbearably hot during the day.
The wedding concicted of 9 different ceremonies and took quite some hours! 'Baraat' was the groom's arriving ceremony, 'Kanyadaan' aka giving away the bride. Followed by 'Varmala', 'Hasta Melap' and 'Mangalphera' - all different religious ceremonies. 'Saptapadi' consisted of the couple's first seven steps together representing the vows and promises. Then 'Mangal Sutra'- the ring exchange. And finally 'Ashirvaad' and farewell 'Vidaai'.
The reception and final after party.
Fireworks before dinner. Not only that during cake cut, but full on fireworks in the sky after fire dancers and the married couple's first dance together!
The wedding was recorded by several photographers, videographers and a drone, I truly can't wait for the official footage!
After the wedding we still stayed for a few days in Goa. Visited Carnival and the Food and Arts festival in North-Goa and enjoyed some beach time.
Carnival in Goa is one of the smaller celebrations of the carnival festival worldwide, but is the largest in India and one of the few happening across Asia. It takes place in February each year.
The carnival parade.
The Carnival is set to motion on the first day-Fat Saturday evening with a colossal procession headed by King Momo. Balloons bobbed up in the air with multicolored trails and a colorful procession featuring horse-drawn carriages, decorated bullock carts and gorgeously bedecked floats are the highlights of the parade.
Valentine's day at Mike's bar. Mike is James's (owner of another bar who we befriended on our first day in Goa) brother.
Last lunch on the beach before heading back to Delhi. Calamari rings and chicken drumsticks!
Thank You Ria and Mitul for an experience of a lifetime, and have the best, most adventurous, fun and loving married life! xx
#riawedsmitul
Until next time, India!
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