I was absolutely beside myself to be invited by Rajat & Vibha Kerjwal to their daughter Tanvi’s wedding In Jaipur. They own Sreepriya Exports, an well-known textile company that make embroidered clothes for the top designers such as Dries Van Noten, and who used to print my silk douppion and scarves for me many years ago. I had heard that Indians go in for incredible nuptials that take place over several days, and when I received the invitation and saw that 5 outfits were required I knew I was in for something quite spectacular. But nothing could quite have prepared me for the Bollywood movie epic that I was about to experience!
As I walked into the hotel where the various events were taking place, rose petals were tossed over me by a man sitting on the roof, and drummers serenaded us. Then in the hotel lobby, we were followed by a man playing what I swear was “Frère Jaques’ on the sitar. The first event was a Bridgeton Brunch (dress code- pastels with a colour pop!) Walking into the venue which was decorated with hanging garlands of flowers and pastel coloured candles we were serenaded by the Bridgerton theme tune, which was slightly surreal.
Left: Tanvi the Bride makes an entrance! Right: A vintage Indian gown fitting the Bridgerton theme perfectly
Vibha (left) the bride's glamorous mother and my friend Megan. Plus exquisite embroidery details! (top)
A flock of young girls were in one corner decorating guests' hands with mehndi (henna) next to a tarot card reader. Of course I couldn’t resist either - so after I had my hands decorated (you can’t touch anything for an hour while it dries) I queued up to have my fortune told. It turned out that the tarot reader didn't speak English so I had to enlist a fellow guest to translate for me. It proved quite challenging having to summarise questions about the future of me and my family’s life in a few easily translatable sentences, but it certainly made us get to the nub of it all! Apparently the future is looking very rosy, and my business will flourish, especially with all the connections I would make in India. I certainly hope this comes true so I can return as soon as possible!
Left: The intricate mehndi of the bride's mother. Right: The fortune teller.
I floated about admiring the guests' gorgeous outfits, and striking up conversation with many interesting people. The ‘brunch’ buffet was incredible, with row upon row of different regional curries, plus a stir fry bar, pasta and even a chocolate fountain! (No meat in sight as both sides of the wedding are from the Marwari cast which is strictly vegetarian)
Of course the clothes were just to die for. Hand embroidered saris and sherwani (long coats) with intricate bead work was virtually on every back, neck and shoulder. I went into a state of meltdown, asking everyone if I could take their picture - here are just a few!
Left: More beautiful hand embroidered outfits. Right: I met up with my dear friend the fashion designer Megan Park, who I hadn't seen for years, as she lives in Melbourne.
After we had eaten and danced, guests all repaired to their rooms (they had rented out an entire hotel) to rest and change into our party outfits. I had bought the most maximalist sequinned dress I have ever owned for this party, but it turns out I was underdressed! The women were in skirts encrusted with jewels and sequins to the floor and all looked impossibly glamorous. We milled about drinking cocktails and waiting for the bride and groom who arrived to a blizzard of photographers pyrotechnics and music.
The Sangeet ceremony that followed quite blew my socks off, The Hindi word 'sangeet' translates to "sung together" and represents the song- and dance-filled prewedding event where the festivities truly begin. The goal of the sangeet is to revel in the joy and happiness of the occasion. There was two hours of Bollywood style dancing performed by all the guests kicked off with the groom's parents (and I think their friends?) doing a pre-rehearsed dance, followed by the groom’s sister, then the bride’s parents etc etc for around 2 hours. I laughed to myself comparing it to my own wedding and imagining my in-laws opening with a funky Banghra dance with some TikTok moves thrown in.
I LOVED this dress worn by the mother of the bride Vibha - it is made from tiny pieces of metallic leather!
After we had eaten (this buffet seemed even bigger and better than brunch) a very popular band came on, and the groom’s father took the mic and serenaded the audience with a few songs that the guests knew and sang along to. Everyone danced until around 4am!
Me in outfit number 2! (I thought I would be overdressed!)
The next day, feeling a little worse for wear I arrived dressed head to foot in yellow for the Pholoon Ki Haldi. This will be the subject of my next post ... so stay tuned!
Guess which Sari I bought for the actual wedding ceremony?
