To delve into my multicultural lifestyle, I will be having both an Indian and a Romanian style wedding. Organizing two weddings in two different locations whilst living in an entirely different country is a challenge all on its own!
My most recent trip was back to New Delhi, India (and so is fresh in my mind). After nearly six long years I was able to go back and spend time with my extended family. There was a another purpose to my trip however, the planning of my wedding!
This is the first of many blogs that will give you a glimpse into a modern Indian wedding. Everything from the hotel to the clothes and decorations were sorted out on this trip.If you are also having an Indian themed wedding and are not particularly sure about the customs, I hope this blog helps!
Wedding dress shopping
For someone who has grown up in Europe, the life in New Delhi is worlds apart. Firstly, with the amount of traffic there is, it takes an entire day to do one task! So you can imagine, when I set out on my journey to find the perfect wedding dress, there were a few disappointments along the way.
If you want something high-end, you’ll have to pay a high end price for it! I was always used to things being relatively less pricey in India than in Ireland, but this time around there was not much of a difference. If anything, India can be pricier depending on where you look.
I had a hard time to come to terms with this as the dress I had fallen in love with was wayyyy out of my budget. The colours and combinations were endless which added to my confusion! I was not after a traditional red Indian wedding dress so I had my options open. I spent a good few days in finding my dream dress. In Indian weddings, the theme of the wedding is usually in contrast to the dress as well as the groom’s clothes, so finalizing my dress was a must on this trip. 
Red bangles (Chooda) & Henna(Mehndi)
In Indian custom the bride wears red and white bangles (chooda) for a minimum of 40 days from the day of her wedding. The trend is now changing with brides wearing a colour that matches with their wedding dress, which doesn’t necessarily have to be red! These bangles are the symbol of a newly married woman. It is usually bought and chosen for by the uncle of the bride ( Mom’s brother ), in my case I got to pick exactly what I wanted! I can’t post a picture of mine however. Once they are picked and wrapped, it’s considered an omen for the bride to see them before her wedding day, a bit like the groom not seeing the wedding dress in Christian weddings!
As for Henna, I tested the waters a bit and got a typical bridal design… which faded in about a week unfortunately 😦
Traditionally, if both partners are Indian, there are numerous ceremonies prior to the wedding. In my case, with a Romanian fiancé, we will be having the main wedding and one henna function in India. The henna night is basically a night where all the women get their henna done while the closest friends and family party, like a pre-wedding celebration.
The trip was entirely taken up with planning the wedding that I had little time for anything else. There is a lot more to be revealed as time goes on.. so stay tuned! Romania is also on the cards next month, planning wedding number 2!
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