June 25,26,27...

An Indian Extravaganza!

eema and Nat's wedding, a three day affair, was held in Detroit  last weekend. A hundred percent Indian wedding with all the bells and whistles. It's funny that even though attended by nearly 500 people, somehow Seema and Nat's wedding seemed very intimate to me. Perhaps it was just that we were with them for almost four days and got to know people a little better than usual, or maybe there was just that much joy and celebration around us. No matter what it was, in so many ways it was one of the most relaxed and fun loving weddings I have ever photographed. Before I get into more details regarding this event, let me tell you a little about Seema and Nat.

eema, as you can see by the photos, is very elegant and beautiful. Beyond the exterior beauty there is an underlying calmness and inner light that is immediately apparent to anyone who comes in contact with her. She is highly educated, motivated and well loved. She comes from a very large family whose love and support was immediately felt. All throughout the three day ritual and festivities I never noticed anything but self assuredness and serene confidence.

Nat...well, Nat is Nat. He seems to draw people to him in his quiet way. One feels almost immediately, an intimacy and kinship with him without even realizing it. The next thing you know you discover that he has been teasing you, drawing you along with a tale about something and by the time you find out that you have been taken, well...there's a sort of smirk on his face which is the only clue that you've been had.

For those of you who are not familiar with an Indian wedding or have never attended one, they are large and long. Nat's mom told me that she attended a wedding in India that had 3,500 guests! Can you imagine that? Indian weddings couldn't be more different that what we do here in the West. They can last up to four days! The ceremony itself can take up a full day, though most Indian weddings in the West last about 3 hours.

Mehndhi Party

he festivities start with a mendhi party, the mehndi or henna motif is not only the adoration of the bride rather it epitomizes her transformation from a virgin girl to a temptress for her husband. As per The Kama Sutra, henna is one of the sixty four arts of women. Popular motifs of the bridal mehndhi are conchshells, flowers, kalash, peacock, doli and baraat patterns. The intricate motifs of the bridal henna also hide the husband’s name. It is said that the husband’s name in the intricate henna motifs is made for the groom who has to find out his name in his bride’s mehndhi as an evidence of his sharp eyes and active brain to impress his girl.

Puja

he next morning we met at Seema's parents house for the puja. Puja is the act of showing reverence to a god, as spirit or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs and rituals. All family members attend as well as a priest. As a Westerner, I really couldn't tell you what went on in detail, all I could tell you is that the puja was very moving, colorful and a visual treat indeed!

Sangeet

hat evening we all met at the Roostertail, Motown's original supper club situated on the Detroit River. Some of the entertainers appearing over the years at the Roostertail have been The Four Tops, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and on and on, and Friday Night was our night.

The event Friday night was the Sangeet. The sangeet party mainly involves traditional dance, which is known as garba and dandia raas, which is dancing with sticks. The raas garba usually ends with a light supper for all those attending. In Punjabis, the giddha nad bhangra are the popular dance forms for the sangeet night ceremony.

Baraat

Saturday was the final and main event. It begins in the morning with the baraat. The baraat is the arrival of the groom on the day of the wedding, at the venue, usually on a horse. The groom's family members, relatives and friends accompany him to the wedding venue, in a marriage procession called 'baraat'. Groom's friends and relatives are called the 'baraati'. Nat's horse turned out to be an elephant! Over the years I've photographed dozens of Indian weddings but this was the first elephant I've seen in a baraat! Directly after the baraat was the wedding ceremony which is beyond description. I guess that's why we take photos.

After a few  hours break, we began the evening celebration dinner dance with food and dance a plenty. To see more of Seema and Nat's wedding photos click here.