The daughter of a friend of mine,who is Tamizh, married a Punjabi young man in a ceremony which lasted from Sunday through Monday.

Here she is…I leave it to you to decide if you have seen a more beautiful bride…

Here are the bride's hands... Here are her feet: The ceremony incorporated both north Indian and south Indian rituals, and to me, it was a wise and mature amalgamation where both families were satisfied. Typical of my friend G I... Here's the bride in her south Indian bridal attire: Later, in her north Indian bridal finery: The couple in the south Indian "oonjal" or swing ceremony: The sacred fire of the hOmam, which is the ultimate witness (agni sAkshi) to the wedding: The groom, quite literally, accepts the bride's hand in marriage (pANi grahaNam): He then ties the mAngalyam or the thAli around her neck in the south Indian rite:

They then complete the ceremony of the sAth phErAs (saptha padi) in the north Indian style, with the lAja hOmam, where the bride’s brother gives them puffed rice to offer to the fire, and they circumabulate the fire seven times, taking various marriage vows:

The wedding must have been a major handling of logistics, different cultures, customs and rituals, and family expectations and emotions…everything was handled so well, and with consummate skill!

Here’s wishing D and G a long and happy married life! They live in the USA, and the parents in Kuwait..truly an international wedding!

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