When my best friend Alicia first invited me to go with her to her cousin's wedding in India, I leapt at the chance.0:28
A wedding is very important to Hindus because it signifies the marriage of two families, not just a couple.0:36
It sounded so exotic, and I wanted to see it for myself.0:43
When we walked out of the airport into the steaming hot day, a large group of Alicia's relatives were waiting excitedly to greet us.0:48
After having greeted grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, from the oldest to the youngest, according to tradition, we caught a taxi, and I got my first taste of the hustle and bustle of Jaipur.0:57
Bicycle rickshaws bumped along beside us as I admired the architecture of the Pink City, Jaipur's nickname from the color of its buildings.1:10
That night was the Sangeet, the first night of the wedding celebrations.1:20
The garden at the bride's house was full of brightly coloured decorations and women wearing beautiful multi-coloured sarees.1:25
One of Alicia's aunts soon pulled me up to dance.1:33
Everyone seemed to know the steps, apart from me, that is.1:37
I really enjoyed watching the modern Bollywood dances.1:41
My favourite of all was the dandidas, a traditional dance using sticks.1:46
In the past, this party used to last for about 10 days.1:51
The following afternoon, it was the Mehndi party.1:55
Mehndi is the decoration of the hands and feet with a dye called henna.1:58
All of the women sat under a big tent, and some artists drew amazing designs on our hands.2:03
The designs last for weeks and are a symbol of future prosperity and happiness.2:09
Later, Alicia and her relatives taught me some dance steps for the wedding ceremony the following day.2:15
On the morning of the wedding, Alicia surprised me with a gift, a green and gold silk saree, and helped me to put it on.2:22
At first I felt a bit awkward, but soon I realized it was very comfortable to wear.2:30
The groom arrived wearing white and riding a white horse with a marching band closely following him.2:36
It was a spectacular entrance, but it was nothing compared to the bride.2:43
She was wearing a magnificent saree of red and gold velvet with stunning gold jewellery.2:48
Then, the bride and groom sat under a mandap, a decorated tent with a small fire in the middle.2:55
During the ceremony, they seemed to be doing lots of different symbolic things, like walking around the fire, or exchanging flower garlands.3:02
After the ceremony, we ate lots of traditional Indian dishes.3:11
The ones inside banana leaves were my favorite.3:17
Then, it was time for more dancing.3:20
Thankfully, this time I didn't seem to embarrass myself so much.3:23
I feel lucky to have met such warm people and have experienced a traditional Indian wedding.3:28
It was like being at the fairytale wedding of an Indian prince and princess.3:34
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