My 1st Indian Occasion!

6 June 2011

Yes! My 1st visit to an Indian temple, my 1st time attending an Indian engagement, and my 1st saree!! =D

It all started when I was out with Nalin a few months ago, walking aimlessly around Bangsar, when we bumped into a 3 of her family friends. They asked us to join them for a drink, and they started chatting while I tried to get Nalin in some awkward conversation spots, because i love her so much (muahahaha). So the conversation turned to marriage, and Malanee said she's getting engaged in a few months. I told them I'd never been to an Indian wedding. let alone an engagement, and Malanee said she'd invite me to hers! =)

To be honest, I did think that that was gonna be it, and didnt think about it until about a week ago, when I got a call from Nalin asking whether I'd be free Sunday evening. Yes! The theme was traditional Indian, in any shade of red, and as Nalin didnt have an extra red saree, we promptly arranged to meet in Masjid India to get me one!! (Keep in mind this was my 1st time in Masjid India too, so I was a very excited child.. ;p)

When we got there we were both starved, so to fully Indianize me we had Indian snacks at a coffee shop nearby.. I like how they always use a lot of potatoes! Nyehehe.. Then on with our search!

The 1st piece of info I received was that the thicker, silk cloth was mainly worn by older women, and younger women usually used softer cloth, as it shows off the silhouette more.Silk sarees, photo courtesy of swayamwara.com

A lot of the styles were very typical, lots of colour, lots of bling. They were all so pretty! I kind of liked a few emerald green ones, but wanting to stick to the theme, we looked for red and maroon ones. We both agreed red suited me better than maroon, and at our 3rd shop, found the perfect one:
I love that the flowers are black and gold!

So pretty riiiigghhhhttt?? =D And damn cheap too! RM39!! I asked Nalin about this too, as I'd previously heard that sarees cost a few hundred. She told me those were the fancier ones, for weddings etc, or designer sarees.

We also bought some Indian bangles (I still want glass ones!!) and earrings, with Nalin providing me the bindi.

On the day I went to Nalin's place a couple of hours before the ceremony, which was held at a temple near her place. She helped me tie the saree (quite complicated, but she said it'll get easier as I practice. She must not realise my middle name is butter-fingers. ;p), and her own, which is this retro-looking white-with-black-polka-dots-and-stripes-and-big-red-flowers saree:Do not underestimate this rock chick! She can tie her own saree ok?! =D

Her friend Sara picked us up, and after going to the wrong temple (haha) we finally reached the location. I didnt really know what was going on, and couldnt get close enough to get too many photos, so here's what I did get:
The future bride and I!Wedged between Nalin & Sara!Sara & a friend's husband (sorry, I forgot your name.. =/ *peeks out from behind Nalin*)
Decoration outside the temple hall =)
The groom coming in with the procession.The bride being blessed..
The groom being blessed..The obvious joy! =)Family portrait =)
The trays that were exchanged. Nalin explained that this is seen as an 'agreement' between the two families of the union of the two.

After the ceremony, we all went outside to eat. the caterers were Little Caterer, who according to Nalin are the most popular caterers for weddings etc. As it was in a temple, it was all vegetarian food, but very nice! Looking at this now, I realise I forgot that I wanted to get a tosai after the rice though.. =/

So to end this post, I'd like to say a very big CONGRATULATIONS to MALANEE & NAVIN!!! =D I wish you a blissful marriage, and happiness, health and wealth always.. =) Thank you for inviting me to be part of your special day!

xxxxx

3 comments

  1. Images of
    Indian Designer Saree's
    are nice and suitable.Seeing the images look we are Indians....


    Very Nice

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1 issue I have with indian weddings is they are awfully early. Once or twice is ok but as a photographer that shoots weddings, LOL, sometimes it does get taxing especially if there was no sleep in between from the partying the night away then heading over to the wedding.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kent: Your images are very nice.. =)

    Mike: Well this one was an engagement, so it wasnt too long.. =)But a lot of weddings take up the whole day and night.. Haha.. I can imagine how tired you must be after.. =)

    ReplyDelete