We are so excited to share this wedding with you! It was a beautiful joining of two families, and two cultures, on a hot Summer day. A beautifully kind, and genuine couple-Mary and Aniket-became Mr. and Mrs. Alurwar before all of their family and friends.
We first shared their story in April, when we spent the day with them celebrating their engagement. And now they have become man and wife. We truly fell in love with these two on their journey, and have been eager to share their day so that everybody could see the love they have for each other, as it was captured in photos.
The day began at the Westin Hotel, in West Sacramento. Mary was getting ready in one room, and Aniket in another.
Both were in good hands with their large bridal party of 7 girls and 7 guys to help with the getting ready and calming of the nerves.
With Mary ready, it was time for the first reveal. A first look with dad was sure to relieve some nerves. =)
Just outside the hall, Aniket was having his last moments of reflection and moments alone with his father. He says he wasn't nervous, but at the same time was trying to reassure us that everything was going along smoothly and would be okay. I think there were some nerves hiding in there...
With everybody ready, it was time to begin the first ceremony for the day. In honor of both cultures, a Christian ceremony was scheduled to be held at 2:00 that day, and would be followed by a Hindu ceremony at about 4:30.
So ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats, and let's begin.
You may all now rise, as here comes the bride...
Family and friends took their seats to witness the two sharing prayer, combining unity sands, and exchanging vows.
With everything said and done, there was only one thing left to do...Aniket Alurwar, you may now kiss your bride!
Everybody celebrated and congratulated the newly married couple!
But there was still more to be done before these two were officially Mr. and Mrs. It was time to prepare for the second ceremony.
We headed back upstairs, and Aniket's mother presented Mary with her traditional dress to be worn for the ceremony. She also presented her with gifts to be adorned with and a coconut. In Hindu tradition, the coconut symbolizes gods blessings, and is to be carried into the wedding.
And again, Mary was helped with the getting ready...
And again, just down the hall, Aniket was getting ready...
Mary's father was escorted by Granil, and met at the door by Aniket. They were both taken to the ceremony where Mary's hand would be given to Aniket in marriage.
Mary also was escorted to the ceremony by all of the family and friends that helped her with the getting ready.
The ceremony was held in a beautiful tent, just in front of the river. The day was cooling down, and guests had just finished partaking in fruits, cheeses, and light refreshments as they awaited Aniket and Mary to arrive.
As the groom entered, and removed his shoes, a game that is commonly played called Joota Chupai ensued. It is the job of the grooms party to protect his shoes from the brides party. Look like the grooms side is doing a pretty good job at keeping the shoes secure...
The ceremony consisted of many traditions. These included a washing of the grooms feet, a rice/petal sprinkling of the couple, tying of gold necklaces (mangalaya), tying of flower garlands (mangal sutra), and the seven circles around the fire.
As the ceremony concluded, people moved inside to the reception. Everybody was ready to congratulate the couple, celebrate, and of course, have dinner.
They had a fantastic reception! It was so much fun! There was an awesome dance performance put on by both sides of the bridal party, followed by dancing all night for everybody. The dance floor stayed full, only to be interrupted by toasts, cake cutting, a bouquet toss, and of course to hit the photo booth. It was truly a night to be remembered by all.
We absolutely fell in love with this couple. And let it be known, that they were the perfect host and hostess, as throughout the evening, they even kept asking us if we were okay and having a good time. From the look of the photos, you can see that everybody there definitely had a good time, and we can see why Mary and Aniket are so well loved! Congratulations to the newlyweds! May you have a beautiful future as you walk through this life together!