Our wedding... the Garland Ceremony on the 23rd and the Marriage on the morning of the 24th both exceeded our expectations. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers this week. We have truly felt the Lord's blessings and grace this week. We'll spend a couple days in Delhi, then go to Thailand for 2 weeks. I've begun to upload photos to my flickr site ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/94443103@N00/)... so you can see a few there. Mostly they are from the 23rd. More photos and hopefully video, will be available later.
Friday evening was the Garland Ceremony, or Jai Mala. Lijo arrived on a white horse in a procession with his family and friends. Meanwhile, Sarah was dressed up and waiting. As he arrived there were drums and fireworks. He was walked onto the decorated stage where he sat to wait. Sarah was then came out with female relatives and friends as attendants, bringing a 'mala' or garland and an oil lamp. We exchanged the garlands and sat down... then friends and relatives came and threw flower petals on us and gave blessings.
The next morning we all travelled to Matridam Ashram (a Catholic retreat center) for the actual ceremony. We sat under a flower canopy as the priests performed the ceremony. There were bhajans (worship songs) then readings from the scripture. The priest, Father Anil Dev, shared a short and very meaning message. Then, we exchanged vows and rings. Lijo then put the mangal sutra (a special gold necklace worn by married women, the meen (a small cross shaped gold pendant which married women have in South Indian), and sindoor (the red powder at the top of the forehead which is a sign of marriage in India). After that his mother placed a red saree over Sarah's head like a veil and we walked around a small fire (a symbol of God's presence).
And, that was it!! We were married! Both the ceremonies were more meaning and beautiful than we expected. We really sensed the Lord's blessings upon us.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Wedding Invitation
Dear Family and Friends,
Greetings from India! It is less than a month until our wedding on
November 23rd and 24th. I’m thinking a lot about family and friends in the U.S.. We had our official engagement ceremony on September 15th. The engagement was a small function, with typical Indian
traditions – flower garlands, exchanging of rings, and giving of gifts.
The wedding will also be done in Indian style. In an Indian marriage,
the Bride’s family hosts a party with food and music. The Groom’s family comes in a procession with drums. After the Groom arrives, he takes a seat on a decorated stage. The bride is then brought out to him, wearing red, accompanied by female relatives and friends. They then exchange flower garlands, which is called the “Jai Mal” (Garland Ceremony). Food is then served and there is music and dancing. Most of the guests leave after eating and family members stay for the actual marriage. Our wedding will also begin this way, but, rather than continuing late into the night with the wedding ceremony (vows, etc.), that will happen the next morning at another location (a Catholic retreat center). The ceremony will be a mixture of Indian and Western traditions and will happen in English.
We ask for your blessings and prayers for our wedding. We will miss all those who aren’t able to travel this great distance. We look forward to visiting the U.S. as soon as work and visas allow.
This photo shows the cover of our wedding invitation. For more photos visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/94443103@N00/. We'll try our best to update with wedding photos as soon as possible.
With Love,
Sarah and Lijo
Greetings from India! It is less than a month until our wedding on
November 23rd and 24th. I’m thinking a lot about family and friends in the U.S.. We had our official engagement ceremony on September 15th. The engagement was a small function, with typical Indian
traditions – flower garlands, exchanging of rings, and giving of gifts.
The wedding will also be done in Indian style. In an Indian marriage,
the Bride’s family hosts a party with food and music. The Groom’s family comes in a procession with drums. After the Groom arrives, he takes a seat on a decorated stage. The bride is then brought out to him, wearing red, accompanied by female relatives and friends. They then exchange flower garlands, which is called the “Jai Mal” (Garland Ceremony). Food is then served and there is music and dancing. Most of the guests leave after eating and family members stay for the actual marriage. Our wedding will also begin this way, but, rather than continuing late into the night with the wedding ceremony (vows, etc.), that will happen the next morning at another location (a Catholic retreat center). The ceremony will be a mixture of Indian and Western traditions and will happen in English.
We ask for your blessings and prayers for our wedding. We will miss all those who aren’t able to travel this great distance. We look forward to visiting the U.S. as soon as work and visas allow.
This photo shows the cover of our wedding invitation. For more photos visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/94443103@N00/. We'll try our best to update with wedding photos as soon as possible.
With Love,
Sarah and Lijo
