5: The Wedding

The village as we drive through looks really interesting, cobbled streets and crumbling buildings sporting faded but still beautiful frescoes. We would like to explore but there won’t be time, we’ve got a full schedule!

The wedding venue, the Samode Palace is nestled in the hills, about 45km away from the hustle and bustle of Jaipur.

The palace is steeped in history, it began life as a fort over five hundred years ago, was subsequently converted into a Royal Palace and is now a luxury, heritage hotel.

What a place this is!

We are deposited at the foot of the sweeping staircase that leads to the palace doors.

Once inside we are greeted by two horn-blowing gentlemen and a man spinning at speed, wearing a horse outfit and impressive skirt!

Our room is located over the main palace entrance and it’s wonderful. We feel like royalty ourselves. There’s no time to be hanging about or exploring the palace though - we’ll leave that until later. The first event begins in ninety minutes and we have to get outfits pressed and have a full wash and brush up - better get our skates on.

Following a quick lesson on how to fold a dupatta, we’re ready to go!

The first function is the Mahendi which takes place in the garden of a nearby sister hotel of the Palace - the Samode Bagh.

Jen and Janet have already had the most beautiful and intricate henna designs applied at the Samode Palace the night before.

The rest of us have the opportunity for getting ‘henna’d up’ at this event.

Unlike the stuff you get in tourist locations, this is the real McCoy, intricate designs expertly drawn, we look great.

Nick somehow gets talked into donning a colourful horse costume and is given lessons on various dance moves to (hopefully!) impress the arriving guests!

The gardens are a beautiful oasis of green and flowers. Guests dressed in brightly coloured outfits drift about the lawns in the sunshine; music is playing…

drinks are flowing…

and the smells, colours and different tastes of the massive spread of food is just mind blowing - absolutely delicious!

Jen looks beautiful in a golden outfit and PK looks very handsome, they make a very striking couple. It’s lovely to see them looking so happy on this special occasion.

It must be said that Indian people really know how to party and we, the usually reserved Brits take our cue from them, soon everyone is on the dance floor having a ball.

The Mahendi finishes and it’s back to the Samode Palace to rest for a couple of hours and to take the opportunity to explore this beautiful building.

A huge open air courtyard edged with balconies at two levels - off which are some of the bedrooms. There is another grand marble staircase leading to another courtyard. That’s to say nothing of the spa and two pools, one of which is on the roof!

It’s the kind of place where you wander around in a daze and it’s impossible to get your bearings…

Grand halls lead to more staircases, which lead to mirrored galleries which in turn lead to banqueting halls graced by huge, glittering chandeliers.

Now it’s time for the evening’s big event, the cocktail party. 

This event takes place in the gardens at the front of the Palace. There are fairy lights glittering everywhere and it looks magical.

Guests are issued with something we can only describe as akin to flare guns, they are directed to line the way and when Jen and PK make their entrance, they pull the triggers releasing silver showers of fireworks, it’s really impressive.

This event is where not only the bride and groom perform a dance but also friends and family members.

We’re with the ‘least proficient dancers from the UK’ group and we live up to our name, it’s a bit of a shambles but we’ve thrown ourselves into it and that’s what really matters. Plus we’ve all had great fun!

Jen and PK perform a very slick routine as do various other groups of guests…

…we can only hope that it’s those performances people remember rather than ours!

Lots of people wear western clothes for this function including Jen and PK; once again Jen looks superb in a gorgeous black evening dress.

Janette opts for Indian clothes and Nick has decided on wearing his wedding waistcoat from 24 years ago! It’s really good fun wearing all these different outfits as we rarely get dressed up at home.

Once again there is dancing, plentiful and delicious food and we discover that Indian sparkling wine is excellent! …perhaps a bit too excellent as we keep on partying till 3 a.m. and wake up feeling pretty jaded to say the least!

The following day, a couple of Asprin and a cooked breakfast later we’re suitably restored and ready for the Haldi ceremony.

Like the Mahendi, this is a ceremony typical to traditional Indian weddings and involves family and friends applying turmeric paste (haldi) to the faces and bodies of the bride and groom.

One of the hotel’s courtyards is decorated with yellow and orange and the guests wear yellow.

Drummers arrive and the party really gets started! They beat out a loud, intense and speedy rhythm. It’s deafening!

Soon everyone is on their feet and the atmosphere is amazing!

There is a yellow gazebo housing two seats for Jen and PK and we all take it in turns to smear turmeric paste on them - what fun!

The groom has his shirt removed and is unceremoniously covered in beer, petals and more turmeric.

It is customary for people to sit on the drums as they are being played and PK, Chris and Jen’s brother Matt, oblige. Matt’s girlfriend Em, even has a go at playing the drums and very successful she is too!

The couple go to shower and change and return for a particularly Kashmiri part of the proceedings - PK’s family is from Kashmir - PK’s mum Anita, presents Jen with some beautiful pieces of jewellery which are family heirlooms, it’s a deeply personal and very touching moment, one we’re honoured to have witnessed.

Lunch is served, one thing we can be sure of at this wedding is that we won’t go hungry!

We then need a rest and time to prepare for the main event, the wedding itself.

First things first and all male guests go to get their turbans fitted, cerise for the brides’s side and cream for the groom’s. They all look great.

Everyone assembles dressed in their very finest and we can only stare in open mouthed admiration at the wonderful outfits. Not only are the colours rich and bright but the workmanship in the various fabrics is top-notch, it’s a real joy to see.

The guests gather to witness PK arriving on an elephant no less!

Drummers and dancers pave the way.

Tradition dictates that the bride’s family and friends await the arrival of the groom inside the hotel. Jen and PK generously bend the rules as they know their British guests will want to see this spectacle and so we join the groom’s family outside the hotel grounds.

A heavily decorated elephant with PK on board makes its way slowly towards the hotel accompanied by the guests. As PK nears the steps up to the hotel, the bride’s family position themselves at the top to welcome him into their family.

PK comes into the hotel and meets Jen at the top of the second flight of stairs above the guests gathered below.

Jen looks stunning in a truly beautiful, bridal dress in traditional red.  They exchange garlands and together descend to greet their family and friends.

We then head off to another beautiful space in the hotel, part open air terrace and part enclosed banqueting suite. A stage has been set from which the marriage will take place and we take our seats.

This ceremony is very different from the traditional church or registry office event and some people are seated at the dining tables and are already tucking into dinner. For those of us watching the ceremony, a waiter comes round with some cashew nuts part way through incase we’re peckish!

The ceremony is fascinating if a bit difficult to follow but it is nonetheless a profound and moving event.

Afterwards it’s more delicious food and then a brief rest before the after party starts!

This is a pretty casual affair around the rooftop pool. Dancing, drinking and ultimately swimming (in underwear for those without swimsuits!). It feels good to let our hair down but also a bit sad that this represents the end of a much anticipated and greatly enjoyed occasion.

Tomorrow we’ll go our separate ways but one thing’s for sure, we’ve all had the time of our lives and we’ll never forget this truly amazing experience.

Our next stop is Pushkar and its world famous camel fair…….tune in next time to find out how we get on.