Glossary-

Baarat- It is a groom's wedding procession to travel to the wedding venue on a horse, accompanied by his family members.

Sherwani- a knee-length coat buttoning to the neck worn by men. Similar to British frock coat, and
Churidar- tight trousers.

Varmala- is an Indian wedding garland symbolic of the popular marriage ceremony. It is made up of roses, carnations, marigolds, and orchids.

* * *

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God to unite Mister Vansh Baweja and Miss Ahana Mishra in holy matrimony. During their time together, they have seen their love grow and blossom, and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one. On this occasion we begin by asking God's blessing on this marriage service. Let us pray...”

Upon Priests request, the witnesses present in the church joined their hands together in prayer. Their friends Dhruv, Pragya and Lisa were one of them. As they closed their eyes to pray, they began to reminisce the events that led them here and wondered what the hell were they doing. Sure, they loved their two friends. They couldn't be more happier but did Ahana and Vansh have to pull all the dramatic stops in their own goddamn wedding. They glanced at them again and sighed. Who were they kidding to? Of course they would do this.

Few hours ago.

What would you do if you were friends with both the bride and the groom? Whose side would you be in?

It was a recurring pressing matter between his college friends, Dhruv, Pragya, Lisa, Tripti, Chad and Mark. They wanted to support both of but couldn't since they couldn't be at two different places at the same time. In the end, they took the easy way out with the boys heading over to the groom's side while the girls gathered at Ahana's house.

The following afternoon was a memorable chaos. Both Ahana and Vansh wouldn't stop blabbering their mouths. It was their way of dealing with excitement and nervousness. Dhruv wondered if anyone would believe if he said Ahana and Vansh hadn't contacted each other all week, forget meeting face to face. No, it wasn't a couple fight or an egoistic competition. It was their thing. They wanted to relish the old tradition of a bride and groom by not speaking to each other before marriage, just to make it twice as more exciting. If one of them wanted to convey a message regarding marriage preparations, they turned to their middle channel— Vansh's ex roommate, Piyush. For the past week Piyush's job, other than his actual job had been receiving and sending messages from one person to another as a digital postman. Dhruv almost felt sorry for the fella. Almost. Then again, Vansh and Piyush had gotten remarkably close the past year as roommates so he would be lying if it didn't make him jealous in the slightest.

Although, Dhruv didn't have to be insecure about it when he had been working in the same office as Vansh for the past five months. He finally plucked up the courage to shift in Delhi, to move away from his noisy joint family for the betterment of his career. Currently, he lived in PG with a roomate.

A few minutes later, Dhruv received a message from Pragya. It was a picture of her and the rest of the girls, getting their hair styled in the parlor. His gaze lingered on Lisanna and her blonde curls for seconds before showing the picture to other boys. A lot had changed for Lisa in the past few months. She was no longer Lisanna Harrington but Lisanna Westcott, wife of Hugo Westcott. Unsurprisingly, she was the first one amongst their group to get married, even if it was only three months ago. Theirs was a whirlwind romance. Hugo and Lisa started dating, a month after Vansh and Ahana's unofficial engagement. According to Pragya, things were so great between them that Lisa became convinced it was destiny. Like what were the chances that you crossed paths with a stranger, with whom you spent a non-sexual night in Las Vegas. Lisa did. From what Dhruv heard, Hugo was a nice person. He appeared to be stoic and disciplined from the outside but was a big softie inside. He was quite romantic, too. It was evident from the way he proposed to Lisa at a boat ride by the river, surrounded by autumn greenery. He was everything that Dhruv wasn't.

He was her soulmate.

Dhruv never attended her wedding. He made it clear when Lisa invited him. Lisa was quite understanding. She didn't force him, and told how she might have done the same if it were her. They had an honest conversation thereafter, discussing their lives. Dhruv even had a short Skype call with Hugo to congratulate them on their wedding.

Though it didn't made any less awkward when he met Lisa day before yesterday. He was still getting used to the fact that she was married— happily married. But something told him that he would get used to it one day.

Dhruv's iPhone vibrated, following by another message. He wasn't intending on checking out but the name of the sender made it an exception. It brought an instant smile on his face. There was no way he would ignore a message from a certain female colleague he had known ever since he had been working in Delhi. She was quiet, observant and a realist— something Lisa was not. Then again, she possessed a funny side that he discovered recently, so not  completely different either. What Dhruv liked was the immense comfort he felt around her, like he could tell her anything. They weren't a thing yet, but he wouldn't rule out that possibility in the future. For now, he was content in her friendship and company. Soon he engaged himself in the chat, the image of Lisa's photo burning out of his mind.

***

Gradually people started gathering up to the point where even a three bedroom apartment couldn't hold it in. It wasn't just Vansh's family and his college friends. His previous and current colleagues were there, too. Vansh's family decided to send everyone to the rooms they booked in the resort, so that everyone can get ready in their own space and be in time for the baarat. A special room was set up alongwith a make up artist for the groom.

The wedding venue was in a high-class resort. It was ten at night when the baarat stopped and the groom proceeded towards the altar. Even Pragya couldn't help but admire the handsome groom. Vansh was dressed in a traditional beige sherwani and churidar with an undercolor of maroon. His head was covered by a maroon sehra bordered by golden lace and a long maroon scarf hanging by his arm. His brown eyes were twinkling under the lights, his face was as clean shaved as it came, his lips were the brightest of light pink. She didn't think she had ever seen him this handsome before. But that's exactly what the Indian weddings intended. Apparently Vansh was ordering Irfan and Natasha to bring snacks for him. Suddenly Vansh caught her in his peripheral vision, waving his hand at her. She waved her hand back in response. He gestured, asking where Ahana was then, tapped his finger against the back of his wrist, wanting to know how much time she will take. Pragya simply shrugged in response, disappointing him. She ended their sign conversation by bidding him goodbye to which he gave an earnest smile.

Pragya tried not to swoon.

Ahana was quick to shoot Pragya down with questions as soon as Pragya returned to the Toyota car where Ahana was. Her eyes were practically gleaming with excitement “How is he looking? How is he?”

“Handsome enough to make me fall in love with him again.” was Pragya's apt reply. Before Ahana could possibly freak out, she added, “But if I was bi and was asked to pick one out of the two beauties, it would undoubtedly be you.”

“Not to be biased, but I always believe that the bride looks better. She's the powerhouse of the wedding.” Nisha commented while bringing a plate of paneer pakoda and chilly potatoes to Ahana. “Here's your order, Ma'am.”

“Thank you, babes and thank you, Pragya.” Ahana replied to both, while taking the plate from Nisha. A minute later, Lisa returned as well, carrying two different mocktails on a tray in one hand and a plate of chole kulche in another. “Hell damn, my mouth is watering. Now if you'll excuse me—”

“Beta, I know this is your wedding but you have to think about how much work has gone into that makeup of yours. Your lipstick will fade if you eat now.”

“I don't care, Mum. I can always put the lipstick back on, no issue. What I care is not having a single bite of every delicacy that's been prepared for the guests. Like, what the hell? We invested my wealth, health everything. Our investment. Our food!” Saying that, she took the bite of the chilly potato, successfully ruining her dark blood lipstick.

Mrs Neelu Mishra sighed, giving in. She always gave in. It had been like that since Ahana was a child. Always letting her have her way. She was their only child and a special one at that. She still remembered the time when Ahana was born. How her husband  distributed sweets to patients and nurses, not precisely for having a healthy child but for having a girl child. A myriad of memories came flooding in. Ahana learning to walk and talk, her first day at school, her first birthday, when she fell down the stairs, her teenage years, her farewell party, the time when she left for Toronto. It wasn't her first time remembering this, and yet everytime she did, the tears would follow suit.

“Mum, please don't start the waterworks,” Ahana said after noticing her. Mrs Mishra blinked, trying to hold back. Her daughter was right. They already had their equal shares of cries and sorrows before today. Even Mister Mishra cried on a few occasions. Ahana extended her hand to wipe a tear from her mother's eye. Mrs Mishra shot a kind smile in return, reassuring she was okay. And she really was. Whenever she felt distressed, she simply reminded herself that Ahana would be living in the same city, and not in Chandigarh.

In the midst of it, Vansh's family came to check on Ahana. They were appalled over her beauty. Mrs Sakshi Baweja couldn't stop herself from hugging her, saying that Ahana was the most beautiful bride she had ever laid eyes upon. Ahana merely blushed at her compliment. Her dress was a maroon wedding lehanga with its borders and ends heavily filled with intricate patterns in beige. Her hair was buried under a bun shaped wig, which was mostly covered by the veil bearing the same design as the dress. Like any other typical Indian bride, she was covered in heavy jewelry from top to bottom. Her face was adorned in bridal makeup, her blouse covered her bosom while her hands and legs were covered in Heena art. Seeing Ahana covered like that almost suffocated her friends. Moreover, there wasn't an ounce of fatigue or irritation on her face so far. Infact Ahana looked as energetic as ever, making her friends wonder if she was truly human inside.

“Is everything prepared, Papa?” Ahana asked, after she was done tasting the delicacies. Maitree who was also there with her, carefully applied lipstick and gave some last minute touches to her face. When Papa answered her question in a positive, Ahana's eyes twinkled with excitement. She fished out a pair of flashy pink sunglasses from a small bag to put it on. She pushed herself out of the car while Vansh's family watched her with curiosity.

“Adios, Mummyji and Papaji! Meet you soon,” Ahana winked, giving Vansh's parents a mock salute,  before turning to her biological father, “Lead the way.”

For a moment they were almost stunned into silence until Mrs Baweja spoke, “Um, Ahana was supposed to be escorted by us, no?”

Mrs Mishra appeared apologetic, “She has other plans. I'm sorry.”

“No problem,” Mrs Baweja said, trying not to sound disappointed. She personally wanted to escort her lovely daughter- in- law to the altar. Mister Baweja on the other hand, was laughing, proudly mumbling ‘my ideal daughter- in- law’.

“And my ideal sister- in- law,” Siddharth added along.

~

Dhruv was getting bored. Besides him, Vansh who was sitting in the groom chair was trying to delve into the conversation of his younger brother as he recited his past year in college. They were about to reach the brink of their patience when the host finally announced what everyone yearned to hear.

The bride was due to arrive soon. Dhruv noticed the gleam in Vansh's eyes as he heard. Poor man was going to see his woman at last. Dhruv patted his back.

Ahana managed to render everyone starstruck with her entry. Even Vansh was surprised even though he shouldn't be. He knew her better than everyone. He knew she wasn't the kind of bride to look down while slowly being escorted by her friends and family. No. She was the kind of bride to arrive, driving an ATV (All Terran vehicle) behind Vishal. Two other motorbikes followed suit driven by the rest of her precious street dogs Piyush, Aman and Xander, all sporting black sunglasses, looking like gangsters in their traditional suits. Vansh waved his hand at Ahana like an enthusiastic high school boy. Ahana waved right back, mirroring his contagious grin. Collective hoots bellowed from the audience, followed a 'Kala chasma' playing in the DJ.

Ahana was still bummed about not being able to ride the ATV as Pragya helped in stepping her down. Ahana's words however, died as her eyes fell on Vansh. Pragya couldn't blame them. They were seeing each other after ten days. In that moment, Pragya was sure that the food, the loud music and the two hundred people present in the venue had disappeared out of their sights. The world ceased to exist in their minds, until only the image of each other remained in their eyes.

Pragya ached for a love like that.

A moment passed in silence between them, followed by another until a loud whistle from Vansh broke the spell.

“Bring down the floor, Ahana!”

“Aye, aye, Captain!”

Like any other bride and groom, they made their way towards each other. Except they weren't walking. They were dance- walking.

Vansh and Ahana were dancing like no care in the world. Like it was their last day on earth. Their smiles were contagious enough to make Pragya and the whole crew of friends dance along as well. She switched over to the groom's side while the boys rushed to the bride. The whole venue was glowing with everyone's smiles. This continued on for a while until Vansh and Ahana's parents hugged them to stop from dancing. It was hilarious. Vansh offered his hand, which Ahana took willingly. Together they walked towards a circular stage in the middle of the garden where the varmala was to be held.

Lisa had never witnessed so many colors before. Be it the colors of women's sarees, the bright colors of the venue hall, the dark plush carpet beneath her or the extravagant flower vases lined at different locations. Not that her wedding wasn't colourful enough, but Indians took their wedding to a whole new level. She was loving every second of it.

“Sunshine,” A deep, familiar voice came behind her. A smile bloomed in Lisa's face before she could even look behind.

“Hugo.” Their hands came together for a brief squeeze. He was dressed in navy blue coat pant with white shirt, perfectly contrasting with his light brown skin and pale blue eyes. “I was looking for you.”

“Your heart called, I came. Here,” Hugo handed her his iPhone. Lisa opened it to see a video of Vansh and Ahana dancing from before, alongwith the rest of the group. “It was crowdy but I managed somehow.”

“That's so kind of you. Thank you, officer.”

Hugo grimaced, “I thought we had an agreement to not call me that. You're my wife, not a co-worker.”

“Alright then,” She pulled him down by his arm to bring her lips to his ear, “Thank you, Daddy.”

“Mrs Westcott!” His eyes pinned her down though he wasn't actually glaring at her. Finally, his lips broke into a small, mischevious smile. “It's not bedtime yet.”

They continued on with their little double meaning talk until the host announced something, diverting their attention. A comfortable silence fell between them until Hugo complimented on the colourful decorations and dresses, speaking Lisa's mind.

“Lisanna.”

“Hmm?”

“Let's spend the day tomorrow, just you and I. I wanna check out the city.”

“Sure, dear.” She grinned, linking arms with him.

He sighed in happiness, “Finally, a proper nickname.”

Moments later, the lights went off. Lisa could hear excited murmers but she couldn't figure out what was happening. Not until the lights came back and she saw it.

The circular stage in the garden was lit with pink and purple lights on its borders. There was another disc in the middle of the circle, and in that disc stood Ahana and Vansh in all their wedding glory, holding a long colourful garland between their hands. What's more was that circular disc was rising.

Lisa glanced at Hugo. He simply smiled at her, giving a silent reassurance that he would be fine. Lisa smiled right back with a blink before rushing to the large group of friends who were cheering on in the front. Amongst them were her mutual college friends while others were school friends, cousins and colleagues of the bride and groom. Vansh and Ahana indeed had a large group of friends. Pragya added, disagreeing. “No, it's an Indian thing to make weddings as extravagant as possible.”

The hooting noise was soaring high. Everyone watched in anticipation as the revolving stage rose higher and higher until it stopped at a height. The disc now resembled a cylinder.
Several nozzles emerged from the circular border, spilling water. It followed by another set of nozzles. The circular stage had now turned into a fountain. It was accompanied by the sight of several petals showering upon them amongst the hoots of the guests. A remarkable moment indeed.

Ahana lifted the garland on top of Vansh's head. The time had finally come. However when she tried to place it over his head, Vansh ducked away, earning snickers from the guests. Ahana tried a few more times but Vansh kept dodging her left and right. Ahana pouted in frustration. Vansh's family raised their voices to Vansh, telling him to give in but the notorious guy didn't comply.

“Stomp on his goddamn foot!” Someone tried to voice out amongst the crowd. Ahana didn't hear it but Pragya certainly did.

“Hey, that's a fantastic idea.” Pragya told Natasha.

“Well, I'd have told to kick his balls, but then he wouldn't be able to see the light of the day and Ahana wouldn't be carnally okay. Hey, that rhymed!” Natasha said. Lisa, Tripti, Pragya and Chad bursted out laughing while Irfan put his palm over his face.

“Natasha,” Irfan sighed, “atleast control your dirty tongue here.”

“How do you know I have a dirty tongue. You never tasted me.”

“You're impossible,” He facepalmed some more, almost smiling.

“I like you. Can I send you a friend request?” Pragya seized the opportunity to ask.

“Consider it accepted.” Natasha said and they shared a wicked smile. They nodded to each other, before shouting out, an octave higher.

“Stomp on his foot!!”

Their message was received as both Ahana and Vansh peered below. Taking advantage of Vansh's distraction, Ahana lifted her lehanga with one hand and stomped on his foot. It didn't hurt him much since he had his mojari shoes on, but it was enough distraction to make him flinch, and enough for Ahana to finally place the garland around his neck. The music stopped replaced by the loudest cheer that reverberated throughout the place. Vansh stopped playing around as well by completing the same deed as Ahana.  Thus marked the ending of a beautiful varmala ritual. The movable stage soon descended to the ground level.

“You were supposed to be on the groom's side, Nat!” Vansh said, disappointed, after he got to know the person who suggested Ahana to stomp on his foot earlier.

“Trust me, I know how it feels like to be on the other side of this man's horrible teasing ways. I was obliged to help.” Natasha replied, walking over to Ahana's side.

“I must say I'm glad to have you in this occasion, buttface.” Ahana  smiled.

Vansh and Ahana then danced to their heart's content with their somehow crazy friends, before proceeding to the stage to sit on the royal red chairs. It was time to get bathed in the flashes of cameras.

⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫

A u t h o r s    N o t e

End of part 1. What to say, this writer is famous in lengthening her chapters. It came out at 7k+ words so I had to divide. Hope you are liking their wedding chapter so far. I tried to bring out that Indian wedding feel, props to attending my friend's wedding last month. Also those pictures of their dresses are not 100% depiction of what they wore in but very close. The pictures above is the one of the jaimala ceremony at the fountain.

Vote and please comment your thoughts.

Until next time.