Nikki and Abhay's Wedding

We had such a wonderful time in Philly for Nikki and Abhay's wedding. On Wednesday we flew out and went to Abhay's parents house in NJ for the Mehendi (henna) ceremony. It took about 6 hours for all of Nikki's henna to be drawn on. Each of the bridesmaids also got henna tattoos, but only on our palms.

On Thursday we were free for sightseeing. Tim and I grabbed a late breakfast and just walked around the empty streets. We thought the Liberty Bell would be closed, but surprisingly it was open and we got to see that as well as Independence Hall. That evening the "American" guests had dinner at Maggiano's.

9:30 Friday morning was the ceremony. The girls had to be ready at 7:30 to have time to have help putting our saris on. That took some time to get us all dressed.

The ceremony was about 2 hours and in sanskrit. Thank goodness there was an interpreter so we had some idea of what was going on!

After the ceremony, we had lunch and then a bit of downtime. Tim, Brian and Corey made their way to Gino's, the best place in Philly to get a cheesesteak sandwich. They waited in line for 30min. I laid on the bed, not moving in fear of messing up my sari, and dozed off while watching bits of a James Bond marathon.

The reception was at the National Constitution Center and was so much fun! The DJ was awesome, playing a mix of Indian and "American" music. There was a photo booth, too!

Overall, it was a wedding not to be missed!

Brandi, Nik (in her reception outfit) and me. The reception was held at the National Constitution Center. Everything was beautiful! The DJ was awesome, too. We had such a great time.
Nik after getting into her dress for the reception. Her skirt was so heavy from all that beadwork!
The ceremony stage (mandap)

Nikki's dad, Tom, escorting her to her place on the mundap.