an indian-jewish wedding

Monday was all about my blip of a trip to New York, and today is all about my cousin’s Indian-Jewish wedding in Philadelphia. For those that don’t know, Indian weddings are epic events that stretch over days. They have a tendency to go overboard, but my cousin, Akhila, and her now-husband, Will, – both doctors – managed to keep it intimate with a wedding that so perfectly captured their personalities. All of the events stayed true to what they’re passionate about: nature, healthy living and the arts.

We kicked things off with a girls’ manicure at Mi Cumbia, a super-cool Colombian-themed nail salon with organic nail polishes, and coffee and dark chocolate on tap before heading over to a mehndi party where Akhila had her hands and feet decked out in henna. The rest of us got a bit of our own, and I’m happy to report that mine is holding up nicely. (It usually doesn’t.)

Saturday was a joint family picnic in Philly followed by a song-and-dance night known as the sangeet held at an industrial-style space with a backyard garden. My cousins and I performed a Bollywood dance that I had choreographed and taught via YouTube, and despite our distances – me in San Diego, one in Hawaii, others in New Jersey and one who practiced at the airport en route to the wedding (!) – it was a hit. Though I must say, the groom’s surprise ukelele rendition of a famous Bollywood song was my favorite act.

And then came the ceremony at an arts center on Sunday. I’m always fascinated to see how people bring together two cultures at a wedding, and this one — mostly Jewish traditions mixed with a few Hindu rituals — was further evidence that there are so many similarities between cultures, a lesson I learned from my 13 months of backpacking. There’s the common act of a cloth separating the bride and groom until the first moment they see each other that day; the bride walks around her groom seven times in the Jewish tradition just as the couple walks around a fire seven times in the Hindu tradition; the ceremonial Jewish cloth the groom wraps around the bride is much like the Hindu ritual of tying the groom’s outfit to the bride’s. It was fun to see how seamlessly these two religions could work together.

We danced, we photo booth-ed, we ate flourless chocolate cake. Take a look: