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- The make-up artist puts the last touches on the bride for her big day.
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- In traditional Indian culture, men never proposed with a diamond ring. They proposed with a dowry. Here in this photo is a cross between American culture and Indian culture; the engagement ring and the henna tattoo.
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- The groom has chosen to wear the traditional wedding attire and is fixing himself up.
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- Jessie and Nick are Americans embracing Indian cultures on their big day in the middle of NYC.
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- Bypassers are in awe as they see two different cultures merge into one
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- Both the bride and groom have henna tattoos on their hands.
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- A portrait shot of Nick’s family. Everyone is wearing a formal attire except his sister that is wearing a gorgeous sari.
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- Indian weddings are typically very colorful and very decorative down the little details such as the color of the turban and leis.
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- The four bridesmaids each carry a corner of the fabric to cover the bride as they walk towards the mandap.
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- Nick along with his parents are anxiously waiting for Jessie to come out. Here, Nick has a special veil covering his face that will be revealed when he and Jessie are up on the mandap.
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- This is a traditional setup for a mandap. The round plate in the middle is supposed to create a ring of fire and that when it is lit, the ceremony begins.
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- The mandap is supposed to be a sacred place where the bride’s parents and the groom’s parents facilitate the sacredness of the wedding between their daughter and son.
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- After the mandap ceremony, the party begins. Here, if you can see, the groom changes into his suit.
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- Indian dancers perform for the diverse crowd.
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- Everyone wants a piece of this.
Background on Indian Weddings…
Traditional Hindu wedding ceremonies can last for days and involve much ritual in which may be understood only by the priest conducting the service. This ceremony is considerably shorter and is intended to be understandable even to a non-Indian audience, making it suitable for intercultural or mixed Hindu/non-Hindu marriages.
Hindu weddings are supposed to take place outside, on the earth, under a canopy known as a mandap. If that’s not possible, you can build a mandap inside and pretend you’re outdoors. Seating under the mandap can be on the ground (carpets or mats would be a good idea) or on chairs.
Front and center under the mandap is the sacred fire. The fire can be small and confined to a brazier or dish for safety.
Traditionally, the bride wears a red or red and white sari. The sari should be draped modestly over her hair. The groom wears a kafni (long shirt extending to the knees) with pijamo (leggings) or dhoti (sort of an overgrown loincloth). The groom might also wear a turban.
Of course, in an adapted ceremony like this one great liberties can be taken with wardrobe. One rule which shouldn’t be broken is that anyone who enters the mandap or wedding canopy must have on sandals or slip-on shoes which can be easily removed (no shoes in the mandap!). In addition, it’s a good idea to avoid much black.
One feature of the bride’s wardrobe which has become popular abroad is the use of henna or mehndi to decorate her hands and feet. It’s said that you can tell how well a new bride is being treated by her in-laws from how long it takes for the mehndi to wear off. Mehndi treatments are increasingly available in salons.
Brief background on Jessie & Nick…
Jessie and Nick are both Americans, with Indian heritage and Scottish heritage, respectively. They met each other while they were attending Columbia University’s Medical School back in 2006. Jessie is a doctor at NYU Langone Medical Center and Nick is a dentist with his own office in the Upper West Side.
Some of these photos are really strong. It is interesting to see how multi-cultural couples integrate their traditions into a wedding ceremony. I would have liked to see more of the details and integration. Overall I think this is a strong piece.