Marriage season has begun, and let's just say that I am going to have to get a lot better at wrapping a sari. Veni, one of the girls on my team, and her fiancee, Suhel tied the knot last Sunday, to much fanfare, photo-taking, and bell-ringing. Theirs was the first in a pretty busy wedding season for my team. We have no less than four couples getting married this month and next. My Indian-couture-related stress has skyrocketed, but it is so much fun to be included in these family events. I am honored, truly.
My maiden sari voyage was ruled a qualified success by the ladies. I apparently need to work on my pleats some an the tightness of the wrap, but not too bad for a foreigner on a first outing. In typical Mackh fashion, I was running horribly late, and so only had time for 2 false starts before I had to pin it all up and just go with it. Sari's are surprisingly comfortable and warm. I have a lot of work to do before I make it look as elegant as it should, but I'm motivated to try, for sure.
Veni was a beautiful bride in a traditional lehenga and Punjabi wedding trim. We stayed through the first few hours of ceremonies and dinner, but the actual formalities did not occur until the wee hours of the morning. This type of wedding is more a marathon than a sprint, and not for the faint-hearted. Veni and Suhel seemed to take it all in stride, which I'm sure bodes well for the future. It was an honor to be included - "Shadee mubharak ho!"