Aarti and Mehesh's Wedding

The wedding ceremonies and parties started officially on the 5th with a small, intimate engagement party for the families. I was still soaking up my alone time in Anjuna, so I didn't attend.
The afternoon of the 6th was the official arrival time of Aarti's family from all over the world. The family spent the day preparing for all the guests (around 100 from her side) at the Hotel Fidalgo in Panjim, Goa (main city in the center of the state). After everyone got settled, the Mahboobani family hosted a wonderful, and simple welcome dinner at a really fun restaurant - Sweet Chilli. The casual atmosphere was a great way for members of both sides of her family to meet and greet while enjoying great Goan food and watching some local entertainers on the outdoor stage.
On the 7th, there were two events - Mendhi and Sangeet. The Mendhi (henna tattoo time) was for the women only and started around 5pm. I was fortunate enough to borrow an Indian pants suit from Geeter, Aarti's cousin from the US. The low key event was held outdoors on one of the lawns of the Taj Fort Aguada Resort. There were four mendhi artists and all the women sat for at least a little bit of the ancient Indian art to be applied to their hands (both top and bottom). Traditionally the darker the mendhi, the more the groom will love the bride. Aarti had her's applied earlier in the day and was keeping the thicker layer on as long as she could. I only had mine applied to the tops of my hands so that I could enjoy all the wonderful snacks that were available.
At about 8:30pm the men arrived which signaled the end of the mendhi party and the beginning of the sangeet. As far as I could gather, the purpose of the sangeet was a night of entertainment and fun performed by the bride's side of the family and friends, but Mehesh's family and friends were present as well. Vineeta and the three other bridesmaids (Anjana, Vandana and Vibha) spent hours preparing a wonderful skit/dances telling the story of Aarti and Mehesh's courtship. Members of Aarti's family also performed dances to popular Bollywood movie tunes from the past year or so. The show lasted about 1 hour and afterwards, of course, there was more food and drink for everyone to enjoy.
The 8th was a pretty relaxing day. I went to the beauty salon and got my hair cut, finally, and had a manicure and pedicure; all done for about $30. I came back to the hotel and relaxed for a while before preparing for the Puja - Aarti's hindu blessing/prayer ceremony. The Puja signifies the last night the woman will be a part of her family so traditionally it is a very sad occasion. The clothing she wears during this event is either thrown in the ocean or donated to charity. This event was held at the Hotel Fidalgo, and of course, included a large Indian dinner and dancing afterwards. It didn't run too late as the wedding ceremony started at 11am the next morning.
Coaches from Panjim to the hotel in Fort Aguada started shuttling over guests around 12pm the following day. Unlike any other wedding I've been too, the ceremony started without the guests. Mehesh's family is Maharastran, so there was a simple ceremony from that sect first before the Sindhi ceremony began. It lasted about 3 hours total. The bride and groom's families are all seated on a rised platform/tent. The Hindu priest performs a varity of rituals signifying the giving and taking of the bride, blessing of the marriage, and so forth. During the ceremony, the guests chatter about, eat snacks (of course) and take photos from the ground of the couple and the families. This was located outside on another one of the lawns at the Fort Aguada Resort. I borrowed one of Vineeta's lengha's which happened to be a dark maroon silk, and was sweating like a pig from beginning to end. As I watched the rituals, I was quick to stand next to someone I knew to have them translate what was going on. It was really beautiful. Rich in tradition and emotion. Again, I was incredibly lucky to be able to take part.
At around 9pm, the family hosted a reception. Dinner, dancing and well wishes to the couple were all a part of this event. I went back to the hotel around midnight, but Vineeta and the girls stayed into the late hours of the night to say their final goodbyes to Aarti before she left to spend some time with her in-laws and go on her honeymoon in Europe.