So it began, the first day of Siya and Rob's wedding, the henna night. Having never attended an Indian wedding before, I wasnt quite sure of what to expect. I definitely made sure to do my reading ahead of time and things seemed pretty straight forward. I arrived right as the guests were starting to arrive and quickly found Siya upstairs covered in a turmeric paste. The paste is applied by the women in the family and is supposed to purify the bride. On top of this, it is also supposed to give the bride a radiant glow on her wedding day.
Siya could not leave the living room the entire day in order to avoid the "evil eye" as her mom would say so I was given a tour and was introduced to the guests by one of her brides maids.
All throughout the night we saw Siya's grandpa hand Rob's dad this drink which I though was some kind of soup. I only found out the next day that it was an alcoholic Fijian drink! Rob's dad must have downed at least 5 of these!
As the day progressed we moved into traditional ceremonies which were filled with joy and laughter. A home made dinner was also served at around the same time the ceremonies were happening.
Of course this couldnt have been a henna night without the henna! All of the ladies ended up joining Siya inside the home and lined up to get their henna done while bonding through conversation. It was great getting to know all of the main guests before the wedding day as familiarity is almost always a good thing. Stay tuned for the wedding day photos!