Andrew and Pavi’s Wedding

We recently took another trip to Banglaore, though this one was just for fun. We met a lovely couple while we were there last time and they invited us to their wedding. Their names are Andrew and Pavitri, but she just goes by Pavi. Despite being three westerners taking on the Indian railway system, everything went just fine. We got to the Bangalore station at around 6am and walked to the flat.

When we got in, Bruce Parker said that he had a message for me (Colton) from Linus. “Linus wants to know if you will help him with the ceremony. Here is a list of blessings and wisdom that he would like you to read. That’s all I have for now.” Certainly unexpected. I barely even knew the happy couple, and I was going to be part of the ceremony! Linus called me later in the afternoon after a nap to give me some details, but Bruce pretty much had it all.

The wedding was very different from what we expected. They told us they invited about 900 people (everyone they knew.) We got there a few minutes late, but were still some of the first to arrive. By the time the wedding started the 120-ish seats weren’t even close to full.

Side note: Colton bought a traditional Indian wedding suit to dress appropriately for the occasion (the girls had Saris) and he ended up being one of two men at the wedding not wearing a western suit and tie. The other one in Indian-wear was from England.

Back to the wedding… As the ceremony progressed in a fairly western style, Linus (the marriage celebrant) announced that because the couple knew each other, they had written their own vows. Most people in the audience had never seen two people that loved each other get married! Colton’s part in the wedding went smoothly enough, only a little bit of microphone trouble in the middle.

After the ceremony we finally saw evidence of the 900 invites. When the reception started people began pouring in to greet, take pictures with, and give presents to the bride and groom. Andrew and Pavi stood on the stage accepting these greetings, photos, and presents for almost six hours straight! (Did we mention that Indian tradition holds that all invitations within a reasonable distance are hand-delivered?) So much work! We left after we had dinner and our turn on stage. It was very different from what we were used to or even expecting, but it was great to see an Indian couple in love that got to be married.