In the Winter of 2019, two of my good friends- Seth Thomas and Vidhi Trivedi- got engaged at WC Harlan, a speakeasy almost entirely (and completely romantically) lit by candles in Baltimore City.
While Seth grew up in Towson Maryland for most of his life, Vidhi spent the first half of hers growing up in Nagpur, India before moving to the United States on her own to pursue a career in graphic design.
Not only did they decide to have an American style wedding in Pennsylvania, but they decided to also have a traditional Indian wedding in Nagpur- prompting them, their friends, and their family to plan a roughly two week long trip adventuring through several states in India in the weeks following the wedding.
On November 16th (a mere week following their full-sized American wedding at Wyndridge Farms!), we were packed and and en route to India.
Nagpur
Following a quick layover in Germany and a connection through Mumbai, we arrived in Nagpur and were on our way to our first of four different hotels we would be staying in over the course of our visit to India.
The first night was spent drinking with our friends on the hotel’s rooftop bar.
The following days leading up to the Wedding, we prepared by visiting a shop with designer kurtas- a traditional Indian garb worn by men- and a sprawling shopping mall to shop for the female version, know as a kurti. To immerse ourselves in the culture further, some of us even chose to travel the congested streets of Nagpur by rickshaw.
A Nagpur Wedding
Have you ever had the pleasure of attending a traditional Indian wedding in person? If not, the best way that I can describe it in words is that it is akin to that of an enormous multi-day party. The overarching theme of unity is celebrated with great joy and positive energy, food galore, and meaningful ceremonies abound.
Getting ready for Mehndi
Seth and Vidh’s wedding celebration started off with an intimate-style party, hosted at Vidhi’s childhood home. Traditionally, the bride’s Mehndi (or henna) is applied to the bride to wish her good luck and health as she moves forward towards the wedding.
While Seth and Vidhi got their henna done, their guests celebrated with a dance party (including an attempt by the Americans to learn a short Bollywood style dance), plenty of alcohol, and locally made samosas.
Wedding Hotel and Site Arrival
A day or two later we were on our way to the Wedding hotel, not only where the guests would be staying over the course of the next couple of days, but where all of the other wedding events would also be held- right in the center courtyard. We were greeted upon arrival by a couple of boys playing ceremonial drums to signal our Welcome.
Haldi
No more than a couple hours post- arrival at the hotel, it was time for the festivities to truly begin- starting with Haldi. Haldi is a traditional ceremony in which a turmeric-based paste is applied to the bride and groom by their family members and friends, before the guests are also applied and are free to apply it to others. The paste is believed to bless the bride and groom.
The ceremony also doubled as an enormous, joyful celebration accompanied by song and dance- for which none of us Americans were truly prepared for, effectively setting the tone for the entire rest of the Wedding.
Mehndi
An hour or two after Haldi ended, Mehndi began.
As mentioned previously, the Mehndi ceremony is meant to be centered around the bride and groom getting their ceremonial henna. Since Seth and Vidhi had already gotten theirs, it was their guest’s turn.
Accompanying the guests getting their henna was an Indian food buffet, a game of tug-of-war between the bride with her guests and the groom with his, dancing, and plenty of photo ops.
Baraat & Shaadi
The following day was the main Wedding ceremony day. As the boys (including Jenn) got dressed into their kurtas they had bought earlier that week, some of the girls gathered to get help with their saris while Vidhi’s family and friends from India helped her get ready in her red lehenga, entirely and ornately decorated with jewels, and her bridal jewelry.
Once it was time for the ceremony to begin, the groom’s guests gathered outside for the Baraat. The Baraat is a procession ceremony in which the groom enters the ceremonial space on a horse with his family and guests dancing and following close behind, parade-style, before being welcomed by the bride’s family.
Once we all arrived in the ceremonial space, it was time for the bride and groom to come together. Seth waited on a pedestal and Vidhi arrived like that of a royal, meeting him under a shower of rose petals.
The Shaadi ceremony was followed by an Indian food buffet lunch that wrapped around the entire perimeter of an indoor space the size of a large conference room, and one final dance party later that night.
Jaipur
Early the next morning, we gathered near the hotel check-out counter and waited for our shuttle to take us to the airport for our next leg of the trip- Jaipur, India.
Once we landed in Jaipur, we were taken immediately to our hotel, Shahpura House. Sprawling and decorated with elaborate architecture, Shaphura House is a palace hotel complete with an outdoor pool, delicious (and free!) breakfast each morning, and a rooftop restaurant– on which we spent our first night dining on authentic curries and tandoori-style grilled meats.
Hawa Mahal (Pink Palace)
Just as Jaipur is known as the Pink City due to the entirety of the city being colored in pink hues, Hawa Mahal is known as the Pink Palace due to being made of red and pink sandstone. It sits at the edge of the City Palace and is a popular tourist destination due to it’s stunning architecture which can be easily viewed from the streets of Jaipur. We quickly snapped a couple of pictures right out from before heading into City Palace.
City Palace
City Palace in Jaipur was established in 1732 at the same time that the city of Jaipur was established, and still houses the current ruling family in an area of the palace that is not open to the public. In the areas that are open to the public, we strolled through grand and elaborately decorated rooms indoors and courtyards outside, as well as a large art gallery where we met an artist in person and bought a piece of art from him on the spot.
Panna Meena Ka Kund
On our way up to Amber Fort, we stopped by Panna Meena Ka Kund- a historic stepwell made of symmetrical stairways built in the 16th century, which sits at the base of the town of Amer. According to Atlas Obscura, ‘it’s believed this room was used for religious ceremonies before weddings or on popular festival dates.’
Amber Fort
Located in the town of Amer, Amber fort sits at the top of a hillside and is an architecturally beautiful monument. It’s construction began all the way back in 1592 by Maharajah Man Signh.
In order to reach the fort at the top of the steep hill it sits on, we stood atop roofless jeeps that took us through the town of Amer and up to our destination.
Once within the wall of the palace, we explored the grand courtyard and took in views for miles, admired the elaborate garden, and walked through Sheesh Mahal- the ‘hall of mirrors’.
Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar houses several large astronomical instruments constructed by the founder of Jaipur in the early 18th century, including the world’s largest sundial. Jenn and I have a special interest in aspects of astrology, and we especially enjoyed the structures that represented our respective zodiac signs.
Memorable Food Destinations in Jaipur
Caffe Palladio
Tapri (The Tea House)
Goa
Home Away from Home
The last stretch of our adventure in India was spent in Goa, where we stayed in a stylishly modern Airbnb with a private outdoor pool.
Anjuna & Vagator Beach
Goa, a state on the southwestern coast of India, is known for its beaches and hip aesthetic.
So, naturally, most of our days in Goa were spent on the sand and in the ocean.
Chapora Fort
On an especially warm day, we decided to visit the Chapora Fort, which was built back in 1617. We also ventured out onto a path that led to a type of peninsula which provided stunning views of Vagator beach.
Memorable Food and Cafe Locations in Goa
Unlike when we stayed in Nagpur and Jaipur where we ate mostly traditional Indian cuisine, in Goa we enjoyed variations of Greek, Italian, and seafood- which many restaurants in Goa are known for.
As for brunch, we would often venture out to local cafes. Time here was spent sipping on coffee and fruit smoothies and chowing down on healthful breakfast foods among other cafe goers who, more often than not, sported dreads, tribal tattoos, and- every so often- a blunt.
Artjuna Cafe
Antares Restaurant & Beach Club
Thalassa
Gunpowder
An especially memorable eating experience in Goa was when we went for one of our last meals in India, on Thanksgiving day, at a popular and colorful eatery known as Gunpowder. Known for their South Indian style cuisine, Gunpowder’s fish curry is one I will never forget.
