Tuesday, February 23. The day our last baby turned one year, the day my only sister was officially married.
This particular tale really begins on Monday...when Ashish went to do the preliminary paperwork at the courthouse, and needed Anna's passport. Well...said passport was sitting on her desk in Jammu, an overnight train ride away! Many phone calls, pleads with the boss, and alternate arrangements later, a worker from the ICRC in Jammu boarded a plane and took his first-ever plane ride to hand deliver the passport by Monday night, so the wedding could go on. Phew...disaster averted!
So Tuesday...The court appointment was for 11 a.m. and thankfully was only a short walk down the street.
The "courthouse" itself was a grouping of buildings, rather nondescript. Those of us attending lurked out front...
With my dad:
...until some signal (still don't know what that was) that sent us all scurrying after the bride- and groom-to-be. We traipsed up these scary wooden stairs in a rather decrepit building which reminded me of something from the Soviet 50s...and ended up outside a room with this sign:
The Americans in the bunch got a kick out of number four, of course.
We crammed into this wood-paneled room with a couple desks and beat up file cabinets, and watched as Anna, Ashish and their three witnesses signed some paperwork:
Meanwhile, we non-Hindi speakers weren't really sure what we were seeing - was this "the moment"? Was there any announcement? Nope...suddenly we all turned and filed back out of this room, down the stairs, and over to another building, where we stood around confused until finally getting the message that the judge who had to sign the official document was in THIS room. Can anyone say... bureaucracy?
Waiting for the judge:
He looks...
Another official stamps...
...and the happy couple is declared husband and wife!
No, there is no kissing the bride in polite company. There is handing out of sweets, however:
...and bindi-fication:
...and feeding sweets to each other!
The couple emerged from the crowded chamber to a flurry of rose petals, and a lei bedecking:
4/1: editing to add more information from Anna on what I called leis:
"The leis that they put on us outside the courthouse are called 'jaimala,' and are actually an integral part of the Hindu wedding ceremony. The bride and groom have to garland each other (I think this signifies the marriage as being accepted or final??) before walking around the fire."
Bride, Groom, Witnesses and The Paper!
Now the parties begin!
Luncheon followed at the Embassy...followed by relaxing briefly in preparation for the night.
I think that was enough pictures for one post, so party coming up in the next :)
