Amrita & Izi - A Worlds Worth Of Love

I really don't know where to start with this wedding. It was only the other night on August 22nd. So fresh in my mind. It is difficult to put into words how meaningful this wedding was for me. Not only is every wedding meaningful to me. These past brides I write about will never be forgotten. I guess because this was my first Indian/Jewish wedding. My husband is Jewish and we had a Jewish ceremony. We had the same elements during our ceremony. Could that be it. Not sure. But, something about this one really had me crying the entire weekend. Everyone knows that I am an easy crier. But, when I tell you the front of my dress had big bloppy tears all over it - trust me, this one struck a nerve. Kind of like when the Grinches heart grew three sizes too big and it burst at the end. Yeah, I was there. So, let's start at the beginning. Such a sweet, soft spoken couple. He from Turkey and she from India. There was a bit of an accent barrier and she spoke so quickly, I did have them repeat themselves - often. But, something about them. They would look at each other and giggle. Not flirty eyes, just shy eyes almost. It was very endearing. We met on several occasions to go over the details and every time I did, I could envision their wedding and it would be more and more clear that it was about just the two of them. Nothing showboat, just special. We always assist the bride & groom with their rehearsal and that is where I met their bridal party. People from the other side of the world. Here for Izi and Amrita. It was fantastic to learn about their cultures and hear all about where they met each other. I happened to look down and noticed Amritas beautiful Mendhi designs on her arms. I have never seen real Mendhi on a person, only photos or on TV. When she turned her hands over - I cried. It was so special. Obviously, she was treated like a princess because the amount that was on her hands, she would have had to sit there for hours. Who fed her, who helped her in the little girls room, etc. Just the fact that she was treated like a princess told me a lot about how this culture treats their brides - with absolute respect and adoration. What's more, Izi invited me to their Seder that night. I never go to the rehearsal dinner but something made me feel like part of the family. His family sang the blessings and we enjoyed a delicious meal melting both cultures in that small moment. The next night, I was invited to be a guest at Amritas Sangeet celebration. This was where I was a blubbering idiot. So, there is a stage with an oppulant bench for two. It had a lush backdrop of two indian towers in pink and gold. Before our bride made her entrance, groups of women would come in performing dances - announcing the brides arrival. Then, surrounded by her bridal party (who were holding a red cloth high above her head) they walked her to the stage. Yeah, like royalty - I was overcome and could barely see through the tears. I was so happy for her. Something about the amazing music being played and the way they walked - overtook me. It's those moments when I just get it. I understand why I do this. My husband even got it. I tried to show him a piece of what I do by asking him to accompany me to the Sangeet and he really understood that what I experience with every wedding is special. So, then later, after a delicious Indian meal, our groom arrives in his stoic turban! The crowd was cheering him and surrounding him - dancing for him. A true celebration of the couple. the next morning, I am exhausted, but, I have a big day ahead. And, it's raining. I keep thinking positively - it's New England and anything can happen, right? So, off to the brides home for hair and make-up. I expect Amrita to be lounging after a night of celebration but she's on the floor working on a slideshow. I think she had 5 hours of sleep but still looked fantastic. I, on the other hand, needed another large regular. Hair and make-up are going well and Amrita sits to start her beauty treatment and I am off to the hotel to check in with vendors. The Cambridge Marriott was working fantastically getting evrything done in time. Jen & Salem were my contact there and anything I needed to be handled, was handled already - love that! Unfortunately, it was still raining. My bride arrived a bit behind schedule (but arrived) and we began the Ketubah signing. Our groom was in one room and our bride in the other. Five signatures and photos later - we are walking to the ceremony. Working carefully to obscure the bride, we lined everyone into position and reminded them where to stand. Piano (played by Yuval - fantastic) starts and they process. Thirty minutes later - I swear it was a gunshot outside but no - it was the glass being stomped by my really proud groom! It was so loud!! A smiling couple headed to the rooftop garden for photos with the bridal party - yes, it stopped raining for just that amount of time to get them done - another miracle. The hitch here was that they were supposed too head over to the Charles River Bridge but timing was against us so we switched to plan B. Once photos were done, Amrita came to change into her Lehenga gown. Can I just say - way better than a wedding gown. So many details and a long time to put on. After dressing, she had her make-up touched up (even though she still looked beyond fab) and we head back down for introductions. Her pink and gold reception was dressed with pomander ball centerpiece highs and lows from Dogwood floral (which looked incredible). The gold chiavari chairs with pink sashes made the look complete while the walls were splashed with incredible colors and designs by CJC Event Lighting. The entrees were salmon or vegetarian to satisfy their multicultural guest list and lots of clean plates were made. A delicious cake, adorned with photos the bride provided of their travels (Montillios) was enjoyed by all! It was a tower of travel and decadence! But the best was watching them, on a large screen. Photos of their childhood and and family then photos of the two of them during their travels together. I was actually jealous of their travel, the love from their family, the way they were celebrated. I wished that our culture, celebrated and adored my brides & grooms the way these two were. We have a lot to learn about other cultures and how they treat each other and strangers like me. I was blessed to be a part of this wedding weekend. A stranger to the culture, a family member made, an evening never to be forgotten.