garba raas Archives - My Inner Shakti

You guys, I pretty much danced my butt off this weekend at a family wedding in Orlando. This translates to pure exhaustion.

When I got into Orlando on Friday evening, I hung out with my parents for a few minutes before getting ready for the garba.

Me and my parents pre-garba

Prior to the wedding, my cousin Bijal and I decided that Friday was our cardio day and that in order to count the garba as a workout we had to go all out. We literally danced for 3 hours, only breaking for a quick dinner. The soles of my feet were hurting the next morning!

Me and my cousin Bijal (also known as Bijalben!) at the end of the night

The wedding started at 11:00 am on Saturday, so we were up nice and early. Although, I could’ve slept in all morning if my mom had let me.

The wedding was a traditional Gujarati one. And all the bells and whistles were there – a horse carriage, a full wedding procession from our side (the groom’s side), lots of loud music, traditional décor, etc.

The groom’s carriage

My parents and I were so exhausted after the wedding (when all was said and done it was a little past 4), so we decided to take a “quick” nap. Ha! We didn’t get up until 6:30, which is when the cocktail hour for the reception started. My dad got ready really quickly (men!), while my mom and I needed a little more time. We figured IST (Indian standard time) would apply, and we were right. When we made it downstairs at 7:15, most people were just beginning to get food and drinks. The reception starting a little late worked out in our favor.

Party time!

As with any reception, this one was one big party. Lots of dancing…with our family at the center of it all. My dad even did the Gangnam style dance! It was awesome.

All in all, it was a great weekend. I was so happy to see my parents and spend time with family. The only thing that would’ve made it better was having Vishnu there. I swear, after June 5th, I’m making him hang out with me ALL the time. Smile

How was your weekend? What are your family weddings like?

Hello hello! Phew…this past weekend was a fun whirlwind. I had been looking forward to my friend Purvi’s wedding for a very long time, and it came and went just like that. I wish I could say that I took pictures of everything, but I can’t. You see, I was one of Purvi’s bridesmaids, so I didn’t even think about taking pictures a lot of the time. I was just trying to enjoy every moment. Hence, I gave my camera to Vishnu, but based on the number of pictures he took, I think my fiancé was trying to do the same thing. Smile

Let me share what I can…

On Friday evening, I headed to Purvi’s mehndhi party. I got there a little early so I could spend some time with the bride and the other bridesmaids.

On Friday morning, I attended the traditional religious events that happen before most wedding ceremonies. The yellow stuff you’ll see in the pictures below is a mixture made of turmeric, sandalwood, and a few other things. Both the bride and the groom have the paste applied to their body to purify it before the wedding ceremony.

The garba (dance event) was on Friday night. The décor was absolutely gorgeous, but the bride and groom stole the show!

Giving my speech

And then on Saturday morning, we all got up early to get ready for the big day! In one word, everything was…perfect. The camera was in the car at this time, so I’ll share some of Vishnu’s iPhone pics when I get them. Sorry!

And finally, the weekend ended on a high note with a grand reception. There were funny speeches, dances, a love story video, and an embarrassing pictures slideshow. Too much fun!

Congratulations to Purvi and Bandish! I know your years together as husband and wife are going to be amazing!

*****

In other news, I found a job in South Florida!!! Well, it’s more like the job found me, but that story is for another day. If you remember, job stress was weighing me down quite a bit. However, on Saturday morning, I got my official job offer! Excited doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling. Yay!

Also, since being home, I’ve been cooking up a storm. Yesterday, I made my parents a warm salad with roasted vegetables and a slightly unique version of Mmmm Sauce. And tonight I made veggie and black bean quesadillas for dinner – filled with black beans, corn, zucchini, onion, and green bell pepper.

I also have quite a few wedding updates to share, but I’ll save al that for another post.

Have a great Wednesday!