Rice & Roti

Nom Nom Nom

2010-09-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

Our very awesome "sister" blog Ho Yummy did an in depth analysis of the reception dinner at La Terrazza....check it out:

http://www.hoyummy.com/2010/08/04/grick-snoopys-wedding-at-la-terrazza/

Grick and I will have to go back to actually try the meal! Sounds like it was great :o)

The Beginning of Happily Ever After...

2010-09-13T09:46:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since we've posted anything. Don't worry, we actually really did get married! We didn't chicken out and run away to elope :p

The wedding day, was unbelievable. It was at times slow and enjoyable, and at other times a whirlwind. Everyone always says that it zips by and you never have time to eat or enjoy. I have to say that it did whip by for us, and although we did not have enough time to eat, we did enjoy! Thoroughly! :)

We wanted to offer our warmest thanks to everyone who helped put this together! From all our lovely family, to our dear friends, and of course our fabulous vendors - this wedding was a community effort! It was a day that we'll never forget and it's all due to the enthusiasm, passion and joie de vivre that all of you brought :)

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! :)

grick + snoopy

A Wonderful Maaaaagical Animal!

2010-05-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

What's the most magical animal you can think of? Some may think it's something like a Unicorn. But if you really think about it, it's just a weird horse with an odd growth on it's head. For me (and others), the pig is arguably the most magical animal. We can obtain bacon, pork chops, ribs, all from this one very generous creature. So, if having pieces of it is so awesome, combining it all must be even awesomer :) That's right, roast the sucker whole. For Chinese people and those living in Vancouver it's not really something new since it is a common sight to see them hanging from the windows of Chinese BBQ places. Porky is on the right.

So what does this have to do with the wedding? Traditionally, before the wedding, the groom's family sends the bride's family a roast pig accompanied by other gifts such as pastries and money. The deliverer is a relative who has been selected based on various criteria such as the number of boys they have and if their parents are still living. My awesome Uncle Jack and Auntie Doreen will be our pig standard bearers since they have Boo. Once they have delivered the gifts and taken everything inside, Tank will cut the off the head and tail. Snoopy's mom will package that up, along with a couple of the pastries for Boo's parents to take it back to my house. Should prove to be an exciting event since Tank has been practicing his sword technique for weeks!

What happens next you ask? You eat! Eat, enjoy, eat some more and pass out from sheer porky awesomeness :)

The Big Day(s) - UPDATED!

2010-05-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

Hi All! I recently realized that I never posted an updated schedule post-fire. Here it is! Please read and commit to memory!

Date: June 3, 2010
When: 7 pm
What: Ladies Party
Where: The Grand Taj
Who: Snoopy's friends & family, and women of Grick's family
Details: There will be buffet style dinner and dancing. I have no idea of any entertainment or the program since this is a party being thrown "for" me. For details, see P & A.
Date: June 4, 2010
When: TBA
What: Bachelorette
Where: TBA
Who: Please check your email for invites!
Details: P is organizing and has sent evite!
Date: June 6, 2010
When: 4 pm
What: Maiyan
Where: My uncle's house (Avtar Johal)
Who: Snoopy's family
Details: My uncle wanted to host a wedding function for me at his house so we'll be doing the first official maiyan there on Sunday afternoon! Thanks to my awesome Thari Chacha! :)
Date: June 8, 2010
When: 6 pm
What: Mehndi
Where: Snoopy's house
Who: Snoopy's family and friends, Girls of Grick's family
Details: This is going to be a small and very low-key function with no required attendance :) If you want to have mehndi done or just want to see what it's all about, come on by!
Date: June 9, 2010
When: 6 pm
What: Maiyan/Pig Party
Where: Snoopy's House
Who: Snoopy's family and friends
Details: This will be the official maiyan at my house. This will also be the day of the pig party, which Grick will explain in the next post. :)
Date: June 10, 2010
When: 6 pm
What: Choorah
Where: Snoopy's House
Who: Snoopy's immediate friends & family
Details: The night before the wedding will be the choorah at Snoopy's house.
Date: June 11, 2010
When: 9 am
What: Sikh Wedding Ceremony
Where: Guru Nanak Niwas Gurdwara
Who: All invitees
Details: Breakfast and lunch provided - be on time! :)
Date: June 11, 2010
When: 2 pm
What: Chinese Tea Ceremony
Where: Grick's House
Who: Grick's family and Snoopy's immediate family
Details: Grick will explain tea ceremony in another post.
Date: June 11, 2010
When: 7 pm
What: Reception
Where:La Terrazza Restaurant
Who: All invitees
Details: Cocktail hour begins at 7pm - be on time if you don't want to miss out! :)

Well, that's it! Your typical Indo-Chinese Wedding! :)

The Bridal Gallery Review

2010-05-17T11:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone is aware of this iconic store located on Columbia Street in New Westminster. Although they are billed as being the largest gown shop in Western Canada, a great deal of the real estate is taken up by the tuxedo rental and prom/bridesmaid dress sides of the business. The wedding dress area is not as massive as advertised and I was disappointed by the number of gowns that I actually got to try on. Their dress samples are organized by size. So by the time you get to the racks that hold your sizes, the choices are pretty limited. However, I do recognize that my disappointment was more a case of false advertising on their part since I did try on many dresses - just not as many as I expected!

The Bridal Gallery is an everything store; they do not seem to have a cohesive "vision" for their stock. However, their variety is also a plus. Are you looking for ballgown? Check. Mermaid? Check. Beading? Lace? Check and check. Also, their vast range of sizes makes them more accessible to everyone. However, that being said, there were not many gowns in this store that appealed to me. Their stock is fairly traditional while I was looking for something a bit cleaner and more modern. This is a great place to go if you have no idea what you want and you just need to explore and define your personal aesthetic. However, if you're like me and already know kind of what you want or you know you don't want something super-traditional, you may find this place overwhelming. Despite this, I did enjoy myself here. My sales associate was very bubbly and friendly, which can be incredibly necessary and welcome during a grueling day of dress shopping :)

ABC

2010-04-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Weddings are not businesses! They're all about flowers and ribbons and lace! Why the need for all this legal mumbo jumbo? You're in the middle of a fairy tale; enacting out your childhood dreams...you don't want to be bothered with the fine print. You want to examine the various Pantone shades of green and leave the icky little papers to sit in the bottom of your wedding file. Or do you??

Contracts. They're the basis and foundation of any wedding. A good contract will protect not only your vendor, but you as well. We should not treat them as an annoyance. Embrace them. Many people get too excited about signing their favourite photographer or that glorious french pastry chef and don't examine the fine print. What will happen to you and your wedding in the event of a cancellation......or illness......or fire??

Clearly, I've had some experience in the matter and wanted to share some thoughts. I did make the effort to read all my contracts before signing and knew what I was getting into. So when some vendors refused to return deposits due to the change in our situation, I had little recourse - I had agreed to that deal. Which is fine. But that's the point - know what you're signing and know your rights. Vendors use contracts to define their relationship to you, but it works both ways. It also defines your relationship with them. So if vendors become difficult or try to implement new charges or change the terms, always go back to your contract. It is your ally and should help to resolve any disputes. Also, look for vendors with strong and well written contracts. A long contract does not mean the vendor is difficult, it means they're trying to clarify your relationship as much as possible. Ambiguity is not good in a wedding, trust me. A flimsy two line contract protects no one and will only lead to much confusion and heartache.

Bottom line...contracts are your friend. Read them. Learn them. Love them.

P.S.
Thanks to Tank for my free legal advice! I love having a lawyer in the family :)

Some Very Yummy Lemonade

2010-04-12T12:39:00.000-07:00

So Grick and I have busily been making lemonade out of the lemons that some random arsonist handed us. All of your kind words, good vibes and hard work all coalesced into an awesome new venue - La Terrazza Restaurant in Yaletown!

I was surprised that they were able to fit our wedding size. When we were first looking at venues months ago, La Terrazza was on the list but we obtained some incorrect information as to it's capacity so we never checked it out. Goes to show....always ask and go to the source! It's a gorgeous and unique place with some truly excellent food. We are both very excited and keep joking that this fire may have been the best thing that could have happened :) We are now able to cut some things that we didn't really want and are able to condense everything into one day! So the new wedding schedule will be as follows:

Sikh Wedding - June 11th morning
Tea Ceremony - June 11th afternoon
Reception - June 11th evening

You will all have the whole weekend to recover so make sure you are raring to go!

Ciao :)

Sigh

2010-03-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

So I hadn't posted in a while because things were so crazy with the Olympics. I thought I would return and show off our fabulous invites. However, they are perfectly useless now.....our venue burned down. To the ground.
We just found out today and were told that it's going to take them six months to rebuild. However, the wedding is three months away - the math just doesn't add up. So we - along with sixty other couples - are now scrambling to find alternate locations. It's incredibly frustrating to have to go through this whole process again, especially since we may have to rearrange or scrap parts of the wedding altogether.

Sigh. This is the last thing we needed at this point amidst last minute details and home renovations. But who knows....maybe we'll wind up with an even more fabulous wedding! One can only hope.

I'll keep you all posted!

UPDATE: One thing I would like to add, thanks to the army of people trying to help us find new venues. I know emails are flying left right and centre, phones are dialing and ringing off the hook, favours are being called in, all for us, so thanks. :) Snoopy and I really appreciate it. -G

Ladies Night

2010-02-05T12:06:00.001-08:00

What is a Ladies Party?
I can't tell you how many times I have been asked that question. What do we do there? Do I bring anything? Do I do anything? What's with the funny name? :)

A Ladies Party is a party thrown by the bride's side of the family for close female relatives and friends. It is usually held in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Traditionally, for most Indian weddings, there are only a limited number of people who go to the reception from the bride's side. Receptions are generally thrown by and for the groom's side of the family. The ladies party tradition grew out of a desire to have some sort of a party for the bride's side. It is basically another opportunity to eat and dance......and to add to the pre-wedding extravaganzas known as Punjabi Weddings :)

What to Expect?
Food. Entertainment. Food. Dancing. That's pretty much the gist of it. The evening starts with appetizers and is followed by some sort of entertainment. Either the family would do a dance or they would hire a "dance team." I have no idea what is going to happen although I have heard "whispers" of a surprise. Yeah - my family cannot keep a secret :) The party would also feature the Jago Ceremony. This would kick off the dance party portion of the night. Once the dancing begins, dinner is served. Leaving the guests with a difficult dilemma - butter chicken or boogie down? What would you choose? :)

What Do I Wear?
It's a party - wear party clothes. This is not a religious event so you don't need to worry about covering your head or making sure your skirt length is just so. Just come festively attired - it's an Indian party, so blinginess is not frowned upon. And no, you do not have to wear Indian clothes. You can if you want, but there is no requirement or expectation of that!

What Do I Bring?
Just yourself, a smile and a desire to partay!

Hope to see you all there!

P.S. - Apologies to all the male guests, including Grick. This event is the only one where butter chicken will be served throughout the entire wedding.

Blush Bridal Review

2010-01-20T14:41:00.000-08:00

Blush Bridal is a gorgeous boutique wedding shop, located in West Vancouver. It is by far the most luxe wedding dress shop in the Lower Mainland. Not only do they carry Vera Wang, but also Amsale, Christos, Ramona Keveza, and Melissa Sweet - basically everything you've heard of on "Say Yes to the Dress!"

The shop is divided into evening and bridal wear - with bridal hidden in the back. They have a cute little sitting area for your peeps, where they can flip through magazines and enjoy a beverage while you try on clothes on a little stage in front of them. And the fitting rooms! Wow! This is perhaps the best setup I have seen. The adjoining rooms are separated by a curtain. This way you can take off a dress in one, and hop into the other room where the next dress is waiting. You continue to discreetly jump back and forth between curtains to try on subsequent gowns. It's fabulous because you are not being suffocated by all your gowns in one room. Trust me, after you have tried on a few dresses in a tiny fitting room - you will appreciate this truly brilliant setup much more!

Like Bisou Bridal, this shop caters to a certain style and price point. Clearly, if you carry Vera Wang, you're not going to find anything under $1K here, or even under $2k. Also, I would say that these guys have an even narrower aesthetic than Bisou - very chic, modern and fashion forward. If you're a sophisticated bride that is looking for something unique, this is the place for you.

Where this store falters, is their customer service. I do not have outrageous expectations when it comes to service, but I do expect it to be on par with the price point of a store. Similar to restaurants - I do not expect white linen service from a greasy diner but I do from a fine dining establishment. There is nothing wrong with the service at Blush, but it did not meet my expectations of what I would receive from a boutique such as this. I did not find my sales associate to be engaged in my appointment at all. She made very few comments or suggestions of her own. I picked out and tried on everything with very little feedback from any of the Blush associates. It was quite possibly the "quietest" experience I had at a bridal store. Perhaps if I had found some contenders there, I could overlook the slightly cold service. But I didn't and that is all I remember.

In the end, it is a gorgeous little jewel box of a shop with some very stunning and exclusive gowns. I wish they paid more attention to the customer service angle as I would expect that to be necessary in such a competitive industry. But if you're looking for something show-stopping, this would be a good place to start. For me, it was a nice if forgettable experience. :)

Hip Hop Is Dead

2010-01-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

In real life maybe....but not at our reception! If you are lucky enough to be able to attend our bumpin' party, expect to hear some booty shaking, soul quaking, and earth shattering beats. As mentioned in previous posts, my family likes to party. They are not the crazy, insane, get drunk of your ass and pass out kind of party animal. But young and old - they just like get down. This usually makes me quite happy because I get to join in the raucous fun. It doesn't matter whose party we're at, we always manage to have an awesome time. However, this is slightly worrisome for my wedding because I worry they may be dance floor hogs. Seriously. They don't even notice that they're doing it. So here's a tip - if you're at the party and want to dance...just elbow your way in. Trust me, it's fine. They won't even notice and will be happy you joined them :)

At any party, it's the music that makes it or breaks it. Fortunately, we have hired a pretty good DJ to oversee this. I've been to a few functions they've worked and I was quite impressed, so I am not too worried about this aspect of the party. However, being the democratic kinda gal that I am, I thought I would open the floor to suggestions :) If there are any songs that you think that the DJ absolutely must play, leave it in the comments below. They have asked me for a list of must plays and I will pass along your suggestions as well. I find this to be a better system than people harassing the DJ at the party :)

Grick and I have also been going over the various elements of the wedding and picking the appropriate music to for them - entrance, first dance, slideshow etc. I think that we have made some great choices; however to keep some of the suspense, I don't think I will post them here. You will just have to attend to hear our "soundtrack." Incidentally, Tank, who helped us out with some of the choices, summed them up perfectly:

"... it's a good eclectic mix that captures the mood of each unit and comes together to form a beautiful musical whole..."

I didn't know lawyers could be such wordsmiths! :)

Cheers!

Bisou Bridal Review

2010-01-06T09:50:00.001-08:00

Bisou Bridal was the first bridal store that I went to :) It is a small boutique wedding shop that carries some of the most gorgeous gowns in the city (Monique Lhuillier!). What they lack in huge inventory, they make up for in quality gowns and friendly, knowledgeable service. I had been here before with other friends and had an idea of what to expect. Previously, we worked with Colleen, the shop owner. I found her to be a great help - she knows her stock inside and out and provided some very insightful advice and guidance. On my visit, I encountered some of their other staff. While there are varying levels of knowledge, all are super friendly and competent.

You should make an appointment before you go and not just drop in. They only have a few fitting rooms and if it's a busy day, you may not get to try anything on. With an appointment, the sales associate can focus on you and pay attention to what you respond to and what you don't like. Based on my reactions, my sales associate made some selections of her own for me to try on, which ended up being my favourites from that store. I am no expert in bridal fashion - that's why knowledgeable service is so important!

Since they do not carry a ton of stock, you are limited in your options. They tend to lean towards a more modern look and aesthetic. If that doesn't appeal to you, then you are out of luck. Also since they do carry designer works, you need to be aware of the price points. They do carry lower priced gowns (although I don't think I saw much under 2K), however, those are very simple with little embellishment and the pricey ones are...well...pricey. This is mainly due to the fact that the designer gowns use higher quality materials and of course, the designer name!

I had loads of fun here! It's a cute and friendly shop with some seriously gorgeous gowns. Although I do wish their fitting rooms were a little bigger, it's a minor complaint. I very much enjoyed my visit and would highly recommend it to anyone. In the end, I did not buy my gown here and I was a little sad about it. I would have enjoyed dealing with them further :)

Training Day - Update #1

2009-12-28T09:54:00.000-08:00

I neglected to provide a progress report in the last post. Here it is:

Date: December 26, 2009
Subject: Grick
Operation: Drinky drink
Consumables: 1 Superman + 1 King Kong + 1 Crown/7 = 3 drinks
Status: Pink, upright, slightly bloated

Level 3: Attained

:)

Training Day

2009-12-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

Grick doesn't drink - not even a little bit. A teeny tiny sip of alcohol makes him scrunch up his face like he smelled rotten eggs and beer.....well beer just makes him barf. Not pretty. However, now that we have a wedding coming up, it is likely that he will have to imbibe in some spirits on the day of the wedding (perhaps also in the days leading up to it!). This poses a dilemma - how is he to do this if one drink makes him turn the colour of a ripe cherry tomato - eyeballs included.

Well, here in steps his training team. These brave souls, recognizing the need for an intervention, have graciously taken it upon themselves to ensure that Grick is ready and able to partake in the open bar on the big day. There are five members in this elite training squad: Tank, PhD, the Corporal, Jagr and their leader - Captain. They have created a rigorous 6-month training plan that will begin during the Christmas holidays and culminate in June on the big day. The program ensures that Grick will be fully prepared to handle the rigors of an Indian wedding reception: remain upright, puke free, and remember everything the next day with no ill effects.

We should salute these courageous and selfless men who have taken time out of their busy lives and taken on this monumental task. They go into battle with only their wits and determination in order to help out a fellow brother. Let us wish them luck and pray for a swift and glorious victory!

The Gauntlet

The Odyssey

2009-12-17T16:53:00.001-08:00

Now this may come as a shock to some people, but I really did not want to start dress shopping. I was incredibly apprehensive about the process: afraid I wouldn't find something that I liked or looked good on me. I was also wary of pulling a "Thriller" and morphing into my own special version of bridezilla. It was odd. I have never been weirded out by shopping before, but something about the wedding dress gave me the heebie jeebies. Although this could also be related to the fact that Grick totally surprised me with the proposal and it took me a couple of months to recover ;) Anyways, it was Grick who finally pushed me out the door to at least start the process. He didn't want me stressed out about the dress later on down the road and thought it best to shove me into the deep end right away.

When I first began my hunt, I scoured the Internet for any reviews of local Vancouver stores to see which ones were worth my time. There wasn't a lot out there. I wished that I had found out some information before going; it might have saved me a few excursions! As a result, I thought I would document my experiences in order to help others - offering kudoes to some stores and constructive criticism to others :) I will slowly be posting my reviews over the next few weeks, but for now I thought I'd offer some general guidelines on dress shopping.

Try on different types of dresses. We all think we know what looks good on us or what we want to look good on us - reality is often very different. You should experiment with different silhouettes, colours, embroideries and fabrics. I won't tell you the specifics of my dress since Grick will see this - but suffice it to say that I wound up with something very different from what I expected. It's kind of like a guy, what we think we want is not actually what fits us best or what we actually end up with :)
Take your fashionistas with you! By this I mean your girls who know your style and have a style of their own that you admire - these are the girls who should come for serious dress shopping. There really is no point in going with people who have very different ideas of what constitutes good fashion since there's not much you will agree on. Your fashion homies will be able to be straight with you on what looks good and what doesn't - and most importantly, what suits you. I mean we've all seen those girls and wondered "who let her buy that!" Don't let that be you!
On the other side, take a big fun group for one day of play! By this I mean your mom, your aunts, cousins, friends...anyone who wants to see you play dress up :) However, do not expect to get much accomplished during an outing like this. Too many voices and too many disparate opinions will likely make you very confused and not any closer to a decision. Instead, treat this like a fun girl's day, where you will be the doll that they get to dress up. It's just nice for everyone to be included in the process.
I know that everyone wants their mom to love their dress. We are all forever little girls in front of our mothers, wanting to please them. However, this is not always going to happen. My mother and I have very different ideas when it comes to fashion and I fully expected us to disagree when it came to the choice of dress. However, she quickly softened towards it and now loves it! Mom's just want you to be happy - so take your mom with you, ask for her opinion, respect her opinion - but buy what suits you best. You're the one who has to look at those pictures 30 years from now and you don't want regrets. Don't worry....she'll come around.
Most of us will not trust our guy's opinion when it comes to fashion. This is wise. However, the point of the wedding is to look good for your man. Think about what he'd want to see you in and factor that in. However, do not cheat and sneakily show him photos of your dress without telling him it's your dress. If he has a negative reaction, you will have not only ruined the surprise but filled your own head with doubts. Like I said, guys don't know much about fashion and they won't be able to tell what a dress looks like on you. So just don't go there and open that can of worms.

That is a comprehensive enough list for now. Anyone else have any tips of your own? It is odd. I am getting to be such an expert on wedding stuff.....but it's such useless knowledge since I will never need it again! :)

An Epic Journey

2009-12-07T20:34:00.000-08:00

Now that I have had a few weeks to recover from my debilitating jet lag, I figure it's time to do a brief recap of my journey! India was fantastic - as it always is :) The food, the shopping, and of course - my family. We stayed with my mother's family who rearranged their entire lives to accommodate our shopping needs for three weeks.

A worker in my uncle's fields

This "vacation" was both a sprint and a marathon. Many outfits needed to be bought and accessorized, including wedding outfits for Grick and I. It was fun and frustrating but I am happy with the results! I thought I would take this opportunity to give some tips to those who are considering going to India to do their wedding shopping. I had some guidance from my lovely cousin S who did this same trip many years ago :) I wanted to share her thoughts as well as everything that I learned.

Wedding Outfit
Get this first! This is by far the most important purchase you need to make and you should do it first, otherwise you may run out of time to get it sewn. Also, go lengha shopping with some semblance of a plan. If you have absolutely no idea of what you want, you will definitely get overwhelmed. Most stores have a huge inventory of stock and you can sit there for hours sifting through the choices - this can be extremely exhausting and confusing. Parameters for budget, colour or style of embroidery will keep you focused and everything will go much smoother and faster. I ended up making my purchase at Frontier Phagwara (associated with Frontier Cloth House in Vancouver). Their entire third floor is full of lenghas, in all different colours, embroideries and budgets. I would suggest this store to everyone - they are like Kleinfelds for lenghas :)
Trousseau Shopping
I did most of my trousseau shopping at one store in Jalandhar: Chhabra Collections. At first I was slightly wary of this: I wanted to shop around and see what else was out there. However, I quickly realized how foolish this would be. Time was of the essence and getting everything done at one store was not only more efficient, but also much more effective. Also, since it is a fixed-price store there is no haggling or negotiating required, which makes for a much less stressful shopping experience. All our shopping was done in fixed-price stores which I liked and appreciated very much!

Shopping at Chhabra turned out to be a fantastic experience! They not only have superb customer service, but have three floors of clothing for all occasions and budgets. Another plus was that my aunt had shopped there before and knew the owners. In India (or anywhere), shopping where you have a connection can help things move smoother, faster, and - at times - cheaper. They would pull things for us of their own accord because they had become familiar with our tastes and style preferences - another benefit of sticking with one store! The fact that they would provide us with cold drinks, tea/coffee and food all day long has absolutely no bearing on my opinion of them :)
Tailoring
This can be the most frustrating part of the shopping process. Spending money on clothes can be a total waste if they are not properly tailored or finished. I cannot stress this enough but find the best tailor that you possibly can! We experimented a bit, until Chhabra recommended Shory Tailors to us. They are located in Naya Bazar: pricier than I expected to pay in India, but do fantastic, detailed, custom work. To ensure that you get your clothes finished in time, drop them off at the tailor as soon as you can and give them fake departure dates. Even with the most trusted tailor, this is a prudent move! Also, you have the option of getting your lengha sewn by your personal tailor. I did not know this and had mine done at Frontier Phagwara, since they include tailoring in the purchase price. It was not the best of experiences. Their tailor ignored my wishes and finished my lengha how he wanted. In the end, they did fix it but it would have been less stressful to go to someone I trusted, the extra cost would have been worth it. My advice - always listen to your instincts!!
Accessories
I am sure that everyone loves shopping for accessories and cannot wait to get started, but I would suggest that you do. This is not something that needs to be tailored or ordered, and can wait until all the time sensitive tasks are complete. Once everything is at the tailor, you should still have the dupattas from the suits and the sari's since they do not require tailoring. I would also suggest that you get your lengha dupatta sewn earlier than the rest of the outfit so that you can finish accessory shopping for that as well. We set aside one day and took everything to the store - where my aunt had a hook-up :) We did everything in batches and completed one outfit at a time - less confusion this way. It was very efficient! Now of course, I am talking about artificial jewellery. If you are in the market for gold, I would give the same advice as the wedding lengha - do it early. They need time to make the pieces!
Achkans
Grick's achkan and my brother's outfit were left to the last couple of days :) Not that they wasn't equally important, but they are easy to purchase and require little time commitment. All you need is the lengha dupatta, to match to a ready-made achkan. We purchased the achkan at a store across the street from Chhabra Collections. Turns out, Chhabra owns the building and we were able to get a discount through this connection! We took the achkan right away to find matching shoes and voila! We were done. Boys are so simple :)

That's it folks! It was an awesome experience :) I loved being back in India, it had been a long time and it was wonderful to see my family again. Also, the power shopping was quite epic! I have never shopped like that here at home and it is an experience that I am unlikely to repeat - especially if Grick has anything to say about it!

And Action!

2009-11-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

Another vendor down! Today, I put the deposit down on our videographer, Marliss Productions. After much debate, we decided to have a videographer, so we could capture everybody's winning smiles, and speeches, and anything else we might have missed while we're busy being worshipped. :)

A couple more things to book, and we have a wedding!

This is a short blog, since Snoopy is still gone, and I'm busy trying to hold down the fort. You can check out our other vendors which we listed on the sidebar. Enjoy!

Grick

Adieu! Adieu! To You and You and You!

2009-11-03T01:42:00.000-08:00

Hi all....I just wanted to write a quick post before I fly to India tomorrow. It's going to be a whirlwind trip with much shopping to be done! I will be gone for a little over three weeks so there will likely be no blog posts in the interim. I will try to get Grick to step up.....but his beard may interfere with his typing skills :)

I won't be blogging, but I will be on email so feel free to drop me a line :)

Toodles!

The Wedding - Part Two

2009-11-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

So we left our fictional couple sitting beside each other in the prayer hall....waiting for the wedding ceremony to begin. Let's join them!

Anand Karaj
Once the couple are comfortably sitting, the Anand Karaj can begin. Anand Karaj is the name for Sikh weddings - roughly translating to "ceremony of bliss."

At this point priest will come over to the couple and ask them and their parents to rise for a brief prayer. Once the prayer is complete, the bride, groom, their parents kneel, touch their head to the ground and sit down. The wedding guests do not participate in this. Following this, is the pullah ceremony. The pullah refers to the scarf that is held by the groom and draped over his right shoulder. The bride's father takes the end that is draped and places it in his daughter's hands - signifying their joining. Basically, it's the Indian equivalent of "giving the bride away." At my wedding, my brother will be fulfilling this role :) At this point, guests may note a mass exodus of young men towards the the holy book aka Guru Granth Sahib. They all encircle the priest who is reading and sit down on the ground. Do not be alarmed! This is perfectly normal. These young men are the bride's brothers or cousins. They have a role to play in the next part of the ceremony, which are the lavan.

The lavan are the main part of the Anand Karaj. This is when the bride and groom walk four times around the Guru Granth Sahib, completing the marriage ceremony. Each laav commences when the priests begin to sing hymns. The bride and groom kneel and touch their head to the ground, and then stand up. The groom passes the bride in front and walks to the left while the bride's helper assists her to follow. The helper is any close female relative who is there to help the bride through the ceremony. The helper passes the bride to the first brother. Each brother puts his arm around the bride and walks with her, passing her to each brother in turn. Upon completion of each laav, the bride and groom stand at the front and wait for the priests to finish the hymn. They again, kneel, touch their head to the ground and sit - waiting for the next laav. Once all four lavan are complete, the couple is married!

Following the ceremony, there is one more prayer during which everyone stands and participates. Once this is complete, the ceremony is over. The priests will then walk around distributing prasad to everyone. The prasad will be a a sweet pudding type mixture made of semolina, sugar, and butter. It is given out at temples during all functions and is meant as a gift from the gurus to the devotees. Please take it and eat it respectfully. However, be warned that it is buttery and we will be passing out napkins! :) While this is all happening, guests at the wedding will start to come up to the couple to give them money. I swear I am not making this up! The bride's parents begin this process. They stand behind the couple and drop money into their laps, while posing for pictures. Then one by one, family members and friends from both sides line-up to give the couple money. There is no mandatory participation for this but I just wanted to mention it, in case people were wondering what was happening.

That's it! The wedding is complete. At this point, the couple will go take photos while the guests can go downstairs and have a freshly prepared feast! I hope you enjoy :)

Stylish Sartorialists

2009-10-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

We have clothes!

Well....we have everyday stuff already. Thankfully. But for the wedding! We have officially ordered our outfits. I went with my lovely maid-of-honour, aunt and, my mom on the weekend to finally order my dress. It has been a long and annoying process (that I may blog about) and I was glad to have it done. The final decision was quite easy actually; it was the one dress that I haven't been able to stop thinking about, so I figured that it would be a lasting love :)

As for Grick, we took him down to his friend at Harry Rosen and got him properly measured for his suit. They are going to accommodate for his many bodily "quirks" and create something that will look chic and sophisticated. A nice departure from his everyday geek-chic of t-shirts and jeans :)

Looking forward to everyone seeing us all shiny and sparkly!

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-10-25T19:49:00.000-07:00

Grick here. I've never been to a Sikh wedding; mine will be my first. So there's lots for me to do to prep for the big day. Not only do I need to figure out what to do, and when, I also need to figure out how to wear a turban. Obviously, I don't know how to tie one, but thankfully one of Snoopy's cousin-in-laws has graciously volunteered to help me out on the big day.

I'm told that wearing a turban without a beard looks weird. I've never had a beard, so I'm practicing growing one right now. I'm on week 2 without shaving and I think I look weird. It's itchy, unruly, uncomfortable, and my mom thinks I look slimy. But at least now I know I can grow one. Score one for me and hair follicles everywhere!

I'm not going to post pictures, you all will just have to wait for the big day to see me, unless you can catch me in the next week. I'm going to shave it off before Snoopy leaves for India, and not shave until she gets back...playoff beard style :)

The Wedding - Part One

2009-10-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

So I was talking to a friend of mine about the blog. She mentioned that she was grateful for the last post. She now felt prepared and more aware of what would be going on during the wedding and would not be as lost. I had to point out that the post was not referring to the wedding at all! In fact, all those events happen before the wedding and that I would be covering the wedding in separate posts. Well, needless to say that she looked a little freaked at everything she'd have to remember :) Well, fear not my friends....I am here to educate, clarify and comfort! Don't worry if you don't remember every little detail....you will be cared for and guided throughout all the festivities. We leave no man or woman behind!

I want to clarify a couple of things before I begin. Our Indian ceremony will be a Sikh ceremony, which will take place in a Sikh temple. For Sikh's, our houses of worship are called Gurdwaras, which means "doorway to the guru." Don't be alarmed if you hear that term instead of temple - they are referring to the same place. This is a photo of the actual temple where our wedding ceremony will take place! :) Also, a few people have asked what is appropriate attire. Firstly, please make sure you have something to cover your head; this is required in a temple. We will be handing out small square headscarves to both families before the wedding, so please remember to bring yours. If you forget, fret not! There is a supply of headscarves at the temple which are washed daily, so please feel free to use them. It's similar the one worn in the middle of the photo on the left (don't worry, he won't be at the wedding!) Women sometimes use scarves instead of the headscarf which is perfectly acceptable. Hats are frowned upon. In terms of clothing, I would say, use your judgment but avoid short skirts, strapless tops, and anything else too skin baring. Just keep in mind, that you are going to a religious ceremony and will be sitting on the ground - so dress accordingly!

Milni
In the morning, my family will arrive at the temple early. We are supposed to be there to greet the groom's family once they arrive. This hearkens back to weddings in India, where weddings typically occurred in the bride's home. Grick's family will arrive (on time I am sure!) and the two families will stand in the courtyard for a brief prayer, prior to the milni ceremony taking place. Milni simply means "meeting" and this is an opportunity for both families to meet. Since most marriages in India used to be arranged, this was usually the first opportunity for all members of both families to see each other. Of course this is usually not the case anymore, but the ceremony is still a lovely way to greet everyone and welcome them into each others' family. Usually the two groups stand facing each other (in a dance-off formation) and the equivalent relatives meet in the middle for a handshake and a hug. For example, the two fathers would meet, followed by two paternal grandfathers, two maternal grandfathers, brothers, uncles etc. Once this is complete, everyone will go into the temple for refreshments.

Breakfast
Following the milni, breakfast will be served inside the temple. This is for both sides of the family and will consist of tea, juice, sweets, pastries, fruit, and pakoras. I am sure I am forgetting something, but the gist is that there will be tons of food - so please chow down!

Entering the Prayer Hall
Following breakfast, everyone should quickly head upstairs to the prayer hall. Once you get upstairs, there will be an small room where you can remove your shoes prior to entering the prayer hall - absolutely no shoes are permitted in the prayer hall. Also, your head must be covered prior to entering the prayer hall.

Once you enter, walk down the aisle to the front where you will kneel and show respect. You will see the prayer book and priest at the back, with a small rectangular chest at the front. This is where you submit your offering. There is no minimum donation - usually most people just drop a coin. Once you have done this, kneel down, touch your head to the ground and you are done. You can walk to the right (if you are a man) or left (if you are a woman) and have a seat anywhere. The men and women sitting on different sides is not a religious edict - it is simply a cultural preference that has evolved over many years. At some point, the groom and his family will enter and do the same process. They will also sit off to either the right or left side. Once it is time for the ceremony to start, the priest will motion for the groom to come sit at the front. At this point, the bride and her family will enter. Once everyone is seated, the wedding can begin!

In an effort to make these posts digestible, I'll cover the actual ceremony in a different post. I don't want to make these too lengthy and alienate my fragile readership ! :)

Punjabi Pre-Wedding Traditions

2009-10-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I would take an opportunity to briefly explain some of the customs and rituals behind my wedding. Every region of India has their own specific rituals which may differ based on geography, language, and religion. My background is Punjabi Sikh and the ceremonies at my wedding will reflect that.

Ladies Party
Ladies party is not necessarily a traditional event. Generally, most Punjabi weddings and their associated events occur in the home. All guests come to the bride's house for the jago, mehndi, maiyan, and choorah ceremonies. However, it is not always feasible and comfortable to accommodate a large number of guests in your house. Ladies parties evolved from that need. They are typically done in some type of banquet hall or restaurant which can comfortably entertain all of the guests. The format of the parties depends on the individual families. Some choose to have all of the events in the hall including the maiyan, choorah, and jago. Others will not. For my ladies party, we will be doing the jago ceremony in the hall with dinner and dancing to follow. I hope you enjoy!

Jago
The jago ceremony heralds the arrival of the bride or groom's maternal family to the wedding house. In India, the bride or groom would typically be living with their family at their father's village while their mother's family would be in a different village. The maternal family would arrive at their father's home a few days before the wedding while carrying the jago's and singing. The jago's themselves are colourfully decorated steel jugs with candles in them. This is meant to alert everyone to their arrival in the loudest, and most boisterous way possible. It is a joyous ceremony filled with singing and dancing. For my wedding, the jago ceremony will be done at the Ladies Party.

Mehndi
The mehndi ceremony takes place at the brides residence before the wedding. Typically this occurs two to three days before the wedding so that the colour has time to properly darken and be at its most vibrant in time for the wedding. Either family or a professional mehndi artist applies the dark green mehndi paste to the brides hands and feet, in an intricate pattern. It dries slowly over the next few hours until it begins to flake off and the pattern is visible on the skin - the colour will continue to darken. Some brides even keep it on overnight to ensure that the colour will be at its darkest. The ceremony is not limited to the bride - other female friends and relatives also participate and apply the mehndi to their hands. There are superstitions that the more the colour darkens and longer it stays on, the more your mother-in-law will love you - but I don't anticipate that being a problem :)

Maiyan
The maiyan ceremony takes place twice in the days leading up to the wedding. The first one must take place before noon and the second is typically done the night before the wedding and is a little more involved. During the maiyan, the bride and groom are rubbed with a paste called vatna. This consists of turmeric powder, chick pea flour and mustard oil. The families rub the paste on the bride and groom and is meant to cleanse them before the wedding day. Also, a red thread is tied around the bride and groom's wrists during the maiyan. This is called the gana and is meant to protect them from bad luck. During the ceremony, the bride and groom sit on a red board called a patri and are sheltered by a red canopy held by the family. This is the basic ceremony that takes place on both days. The maiyan ceremony on the night before the wedding also includes one final ritual for the bride called the choorah. This is discussed in the next section.

Choorah
Finally, the choorah ceremony is performed at the maiyan on the night before the wedding at the bride's home. The bride's maternal family has an important role in this event. They bring cash, clothes and jewellery for the bride, which is referred to as the nanki-shak. After this presentation, the maternal uncles place the bride's wedding bangles and kaliras on her wrists while the women sing songs. The kaliras are gold ornaments hung from the wrists while choorah refers to the red & white wedding bangles, which are traditionally made of ivory. However, I think I'll go the green route and get some nice, glittery, manufactured ones!!

Well, that covers the major stuff. It looks like a lot of things to do....but Indian weddings are like well oiled machines. Everything happens as it should and, usually, everyone has a blast! I hope you will enjoy it :)

The Big Day(s)!

2009-10-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

Now to get down to the nitty gritty....the real point of this blog - the schedule of events! Note that the times of some of these may change so please check back for a more updated itinerary; however, the dates are fixed.

Date: June 3, 2010
When: 7 pm
What: Ladies Party
Where: The Grand Taj
Who: Snoopy's friends & family, and women of Grick's family
Date: June 8, 2010
When: 7 pm
What: Mehndi Party
Where: Snoopy's House
Who: Snoopy's friends & family, and girls of Grick's family
Date: June 9, 2010
When: 11 am
What: Maiyan
Where: Snoopy's House
Who: Snoopy's family
Date: June 10, 2010
When: 7 pm
What: Maiyan
Where: Snoopy's House
Who: Snoopy's friends & family
Date: June 11, 2010
When: 9 am
What: Sikh Wedding Ceremony
Where: Guru Nanak Niwas Gurdwara
Who: All invitees
Date: June 11, 2010
When: 2 pm
What: Chinese Tea Ceremony
Where: Grick's House
Who: Grick's family and Snoopy's immediate family
Date: June 12, 2010
When: 2:30 pm
What: Western Ceremony
Where: Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club
Who: All invitees
Date: June 12, 2010
When: 6 pm
What: Reception
Where: Mayfair Lakes Golf & Country Club
Who: All invitees

Well, that's it! Your typical Indo-Chinese Wedding! :)

Hello World!

2009-10-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hello friends, family, and kindly strangers! Welcome to my very first blog post on my very first blog. My name is Snoopy and my very lovely fiance Grick set up this blog for our wedding. Many family and friends have been clamouring to learn more about the details and schedule for our big, festive, inter-cultural wedding. We thought it would be best to post it all in one central location that everyone can access whenever they need to. I had not planned on starting a wedding blog and I do not know what this will morph into, but I hope you will join us and enjoy the journey along the way!

Cheers!
Grick & Snoopy