On the morning of our last day in India, there was one regret I had—not seeing an Indian wedding. Chandrika, my professor’s mother, took the few remaining students and me on a walk to see Banganga Tank, a pilgrimage site where bathers submerge themselves in the sacred waters. While walking up to see a Hare Krishna Temple, we ran into a man in a white silk sherwani with silver thread. We inquired if the temple was open. Smiling, he said a wedding was about to take place. Chandrika jumped in—”These girls,” she said, motioning to the three of us, “are from America. They have been longing to see an Indian wedding.” “Come, come! Please join us. You are welcome to food, and the ceremony is about to start!”

“How exciting!” I squealed.

“Very”, he said, grinning. “I am the groom.”

And so the wedding festivities commenced. Chandrika told me that Hare Krishna weddings are not as elaborate as traditional Indian weddings. Yet it was still one of the most beautifully bedecked celebrations I have ever been to!

Hare Krishna followers worship Vishnu. The priest for Vishnu used a peacock fan to wave the idols, sounded a conch shell, lit a sacred fire, sprinkled holy water on us, and gave out jasmine flowers.

The bride was gorgeously bedecked, wearing red with silver inlay. Her hands were covered with delicately traced henna and laden with green and silver bangles. During the ceremony, the bride and groom held a coconut between them as an auspicious symbol.

I snacked on samosas, cheese toast (an influence of the British), and watermelon juice.

Later on, a piece of fabric of bright pink and gold was held between bride and groom, and much like the lifting the veil in America, the fabric was lifted. The bride and groom then exchanged flower wreaths, similar to the exchanging of rings in America.

This was the second time I attended a last-minute wedding mere hours before flying across continents. In 2012, I went to a wedding in Zimbabwe, and left straight from there to the airport!