Padma and I jumped out of bed at 7.30 as we were told a car would drop by at 9.30 to pick us up and take us to the wedding. Lots to do to get organised. But we must have been so exhausted that we had forgotten we were in India. It was more like 11 before we finally left the hotel. No one seemed concerned that the wedding was set to start at 10, so I just sat back and enjoyed watching the street scenes of Kakinada as we drove to the wedding hall.
On arrival there was no question of where the wedding was to be held as a billboard with a photo of the bride and groom marked the location.
The bride is Joseph and Xander’s second cousin Susan. The wedding marks the first time either of them have seen or met their Indian cousin.
We were greeted by the groom’s family on arrival and went through a bit of an assembly line. The first girl sprayed us with some water or something, the next handed us a rose and the last one the program.
We walked in the hall and I could see the wedding had started without us. The front row was assigned to us and I was seated on the aisle, which I think would be a seat of great honour for a western wedding. There were a bunch of pastors talking at quite length including this pastor who felt the need to wear sunglasses to offer protection against the glaring lights of the camera crews. The entire service was held in Telagu, the most common language of Andhra Pradesh, so the boys and I didn’t understand a single word of it.
The solemnisation ceremony. This was a Christian wedding which adopts both Christian and Indian traditions.
The long talks were just a bit too lengthy for this flower girl who sat next to the bride.
The wedding band.
‘Um, excuse me. We would like to see the wedding as well’. The ‘media’ dominated and controlled the event. They were everywhere and always seemed to be in the face of the wedding party. The setting of the wedding was beautiful only to be scarred by countless tripods, cameras, lights and photographers blocking the view of family and friends.
The groom places the thali on his bride. The thali is the bridal necklace which will remain around her neck forever. It is an Indian tradition and not exclusive to a Christian wedding.
Susan presents Boon with the wedding bracelet.
Susan preparing to present her groom, Boon, with a garland.
Everyone crowded around the front to get a photo of the bride and groom including this boy who was one of the flower children.
The bride and groom show off their garlands.
Everyone at the wedding joined in to give the blessing to the couple.
The bride and groom receive their blessing from family and clergy.
The sharing of the wedding cake.
At the lunch following the reception this young girl holding her infant sister kept staring at me. It was easy to understand why as I was the only white skin person at the wedding. In fact as I write this I realise I haven’t seen another European type since leaving the Hyderabad airport. Tourists don’t come here and it doesn’t appear that many whites have chose these areas as their homes. When I caught the girl staring, I motioned to my camera and she got all shy but still was happy to flash a big smile for me.
After finishing lunch, we went back into the hall and the bride and groom were still greeting people and posing for photos. In this photo the bride doesn’t appear as she sneaked away to change into a different sari.
Some nice looking young men took care of all our our needs at the wedding.
This young girl captivated me with her beautiful dark eyes. I motioned to the mother if I could take a photo and they were most willing. Unfortunately I couldn’t separate the girl for a proper portrait as everyone wanted to get in the photo.
The bride’s uncle, Kumar, places a toe ring which indicates she is now a married woman.
At some point in the ceremony the bride slipped away to change into a different sari.
Mercy’s nephews, grandsons and son-in-law pose for a photo.
Mercy had four siblings of which only John survives. The descendants of the five children remain very close. This was the first opportunity for Joseph and Xander to meet several of their uncles, aunts and second cousins.
In the evening after the wedding we went to John Uncle’s home, which was the wedding HQ. There’s no mistaking that there is a wedding in the family as the tradition is the add lights to the home and a billboard announcing the wedding.