The whole reason for the SFO portion of this trip: attending our friend's wedding!

This was no ordinary wedding, but an Indian wedding! We felt so honored to be invited and be included in such a beautiful celebration of love and commitment.

9 am - Baraat

The marathon day began at 9 am with the Baraat, which was maybe my favorite part of the day. Traditionally, the baraat was a festive parade where the groom traveled to the wedding venue on a horse or elephant (or car, today) accompanied by dancing family and friends. When the groom arrives, he's greeted by the bride's parents who offer him gifts as they welcome him and his family.

To kick things off, everyone from the groom's side gathered to watch Sunil be blessed by various family members.

Then it was time for the procession. But due to the weather, we had to slightly pivot and instead of following Sunil around the parking lot, we all gathered under the front awning of the hotel for the most uproarious and joyful musical parade! It was high-energy and a fun blend of tradition and modern music. What an absolutely wonderful way to begin a wedding!!!

10 am - Wedding Ceremony followed by lunch

Following the baraat was the traditional Hindu ceremony. Everyone gathered for the ceremony, which included many cultural rituals involving many different people. We couldn't always hear what was being said nor understand the Hindi parts, but the program included descriptions of each ritual to help folks understand where we were in the agenda. It lasted well over 2 hours, and despite the formality of the rituals and dress, the atmosphere was quite casual. Unlike a typical American ceremony, you could get up, grab water, go to the bathroom, chat to your neighbor, chase your child down the aisle (there were several young children in attendance, so parents had to do their thing whether there was a wedding going on or not).

Immediately following the ceremony, they opened up the lunch buffet and started the process of taking group photos and photos with every single person who attended the wedding. They must've been starving by the time it was all said and done!

After eating and taking our formal photos with the bride and groom, we had a 3 hour break, during which Justin and I vegged out and brain rotted in our hotel room. It was lovely, lol.

5 pm - Cocktail Hour

A photo booth, open bars, and lots of yummy appetizers to keep us full until dinner, which wasnt served until close to 9 pm! During this time, we also found our table assignment for the reception.

7 pm - Reception

The doors to the reception room finally opened and we found our table. This was a BIG wedding. Over 300 people were there! A 6 person photo/video team! Wedding coordinators with headsets! A real production. And this is when the show began. After introducing all of the major family and wedding party players, the DJ introduced the bride and groom (featured in the video below), followed by almost 2 hours of speeches, and several choreographed group dances, performances (songs, poems).

After all of the speeches and performances were done, they began dismissing tables to go get their food at the buffet and the bars reopened, lol.

10 pm - Dance floor opens and partying begins!

At this point, I was dead tired and the music was just too darn loud. If we werent at the tail end of a long week, and maybe if were a little younger, we would have rallied and danced for a while. But my hip was killing me by that point and I just wanted to lie down. So we were party poopers and went to bed, so we could get some sleep before our morning flight on Sunday.

This was probably the most unique wedding Ive ever attended. It was rooted deeply in cultural tradition while still remaining true to the couple's sense of humor and personal preferences. What an amazing day. We are so grateful to have been part of it. <3