A few weeks ago, we had the privilege of attending a dear friend’s wedding. Seema planned the most beautiful, three day, wedding event–I thought planning a one day event was stressful…I cannot imagine three!
She and Colin took so much time and care to explain the intricate pieces of their semi-traditional Indian wedding. {Did you know a typical Hindu wedding ceremony can last up to 8 hours? I sure didn’t!} Every aspect was personalized and thought out. Every bite of food was ridiculously good, and every decoration and favor was impeccable.
Seema and Andy have been good friends for a while, and when Andy and I started dating, Seema became a dear friend as well. She is one of Harlow’s adopted Aunties and they share a severe love for cupcakes. And robots. :)
I thought it would be fun to share some of the photos I snagged of their incredible event!
Thursday Evening: Mehndi
On Thursday evening, we attended Mehndi, which is when Seema’s hands and feet are meticulously covered in henna. It was absolutely gorgeous–Harlow kept calling her a princess as we watched the artist work. One little fact I learned is that Colin’s name is hidden in the design, and he must find his name or initials prior to walking down the aisle! There were so many neat traditions throughout the entire weekend!
They served some of the most delicious Indian food, including what I keep calling “vegetable balls” for lack of a better term. They were so good. I honestly can’t quite explain just how good they were. I need to find out who catered the food this evening, so I can go order some!
(I didn’t snag a photo of Seema’s hands or feet, so Peter, all credit goes to you for this photo!)
I sure didn’t plan it this way, but I ended up wearing all weekend! I even wore some “vintage” StitchFix that I got almost a year ago! This dress was from a recent fix!
I just recently signed up for , and I love it! I’m not sure what took me so long….but I’m happy that I finally did it! I’ve found my favorite eye cream and BB Cream through samples I’ve received, and as a recent lipstick lover.. I love when I get a new lipstick in my box! This one is from my — I love it!
Friday Evening: Raas Garba
On Friday evening, Harlow stayed up way too late, so that we could attend their robot dance party! I think this was the evening I was most looking forward to, because Quasi–“daddy’s robot,” as we call him in this house— would be emceeing the event! Andy went early to get him set up, and Harlow and I joined him as everyone else began arriving as well.
I captured this photo of Harlow as we were heading out to the car and it stopped me dead in my tracks: when did she turn into such a little girl? I never want to be too hard on myself for not slowing down to capture moments, but I do want to do a better job of documenting little moments like these. Too often I tell myself that I’ll remember, only to find myself remembering that I would remember something, not remembering what that something was! <– Wow, that is confusing!
Harlow was so enamored with Quasi and with Seema, the princess! (Can you tell we are all about princesses these days!?)
The evening was so great! They held it at the Carnegie Science Center, so of course Harlow wanted to explore. But she was perfectly content as soon as she saw, you guessed it: CUPCAKES. I honestly don’t even know how she loves them so much because I don’t think she’s ever really had them, but girls loves her cupcakes! After sharing a few cupcakes and other goodies, we watched Seema and her cousins teach everyone how to do the “stick dance”–Dandiya Raas– you can read more about it here. Harlow definitely tried to join in, but then began to melt quickly, so we scurried home for bedtime.
A recommended that I use rollers in the summer to curl my hair when the humidity is C-R-A-Z-Y. I’ve been super happy with the way my hair keeps the curl when I use them versus using a curling iron!
Harls informed me that she was hiding….um……
{Both dress and sweater are !}
I don’t know about you, but this girl is ready for some dancing. We take it seriously, folks.
My loves.
She was SO proud to see Quasi there. We had a different version of Quasi in our basement for a while as Andy was working to fix him, and Harlow’s favorite activity was to “work with Daddy to fix the robot.” She still talks on her phone with who knows who about “fixin the robot. mm hmm. Daddy and Harlow fix it.”
Saturday Afternoon and Evening: Ceremony & Reception
A few days prior to the wedding, I happened to mention to my friend, Dorna, that I would be attending this incredible wedding. She insisted on bringing over her Sari for me to wear. I was a bit nervous, and I know I didn’t wear it perfectly, but I was so happy that I was able to wear it to the ceremony. I seriously felt like a princess–I know that is cheesy, but it’s true! Seema’s sari’s throughout the entire weekend were absolutely stunning. For many of them, she purchased the fabric and then had the sari’s custom made just for her. They fit her perfectly, down to every last detail.
The wedding ceremony wasn’t quite 8 hours, but it did last about 2-3 hours, so we spent most of our time listening from the back as we let Harlow run around with other kids attending. Seema and Colin put together an incredible program explaining each step and tradition–almost the entire wedding was done in Sanskrit, so the explanations were so helpful! One of my favorite traditions was that when Colin removed his shoes, Seema’s cousins ran quickly to grab them and hold them ransom. At the end of the wedding, Colin had to get money from his friends and wedding party to buy the shoes back! Although Seema’s cousins wanted $500 for them, they settled at around $250, I believe. After the ceremony we were treated to even more incredible Indian food–so tasty, and I was so full!
Curlers day two.
Trying on the sari before we head out the door!
My dearest and most favorite two people ever.
{Harlow’s headband: Lou and Lee}
I absolutely ADORE the flower girls’ dresses!
Seema was absolutely stunning.
Their getaway vehicle! So perfectly Colin and Seema!
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After the ceremony, we ran home quickly so that I could change into a dress for the reception and drop Harlow off at “JoJo’s house!” She had been talking about seeing JoJo all day, so even thought she was falling asleep on the way to their house, Ashley assured me that Harlow got a quick burst of crazy energy before hitting the hay at the Lee home. (Thank you, Dustin, Ashley and JoJo!)
We made our way to Market Square and waited for Seema and Colin to arrive at Perlé for the reception. They arrived in Colin’s El Camino with their vintage scooter strapped onto the back — it was perfect. They made their way out to the outdoor balcony where they welcomed us all and then began throwing down custom mardi gras beads that they had made for the event. Colin is from New Orleans, so they wanted to incorporate his traditions as well as Seema’s. We were seated and had the most amazing dinner with some new and old friends–I was stuffed to begin with and felt like I needed to be rolled out of the restaurant when we left! The evening continued on with dancing and an after party after we left, but clearly we are old and boring because we didn’t make it that late!
“Vintage” StitchFix! I love this dress! And it was so humid and hot, I needed to get my hair up!
I seriously love this guy.
Thank you Seema and Colin for an absolutely gorgeous event. We can’t wait to come visit you in San Francisco–Pittsburgh misses you like crazy!
xo.
