It currently seems like things are looking up for an October event, so for now, we’re moving forward hoping for the best, but we’ll definitely keep you updated as things change. For the safety of our guests, we will require attendees to wear masks at our events. We will also require all guests in attendance to be fully vaccinated two weeks in advance of our wedding weekend. If you do feel uncomfortable attending in person, we truly understand and would never want to put you in a position you don’t feel comfortable with. We would love for you to join us via a live stream for a few of our events.
For those who opt to attend virtually, please see below for the links to a few live streams throughout our wedding weekend - Hindu Ceremony: https://youtu.be/P_lUe_Vgyxc Pithi / Sangeet: https://youtu.be/0zoDwDeEXsg
We’re so excited to celebrate with you, and it’s truly our hope that we can celebrate with your special person too! Unfortunately due to current regulations around COVID-19 we’re still navigating how much space we’ll have on the final day. So for now, unless your name is on the invitation, if you could sit tight with us while we finalize our headcount we’ll get back to you.
We’ll be staying at the Marina Del Rey Hotel and would love to spend as much time with you as possible! We’ve blocked a set of rooms within the Marina Del Rey area due to its vicinity to LAX, Santa Monica, and our venues for the weekend. We’re also working on coordinating transportation accommodations from these hotels to some of the venues, so if you’re not planning on renting a car it will probably make your weekend a lot easier if you stay within these room blocks. However if you would rather stay at another hotel, there are a number of hotels close by in Marina Del Rey, Culver City, and near LAX. Also if you're planning on making an extended vacation out of this weekend (which we would highly recommend), there are some amazing Airbnb's in the area as well.
LAX has implemented a new system for passengers planning on using ride sharing services. All rideshare app pickups at LAX will occur in a parking lot next to Terminal 1. There will be shuttle buses that will take you from the terminal to the pickup location. You can connect with your preferred ride-sharing service while you’re still at the terminal, or you can wait until you’re on the bus or arriving at the LAX-it lot. If you’re flying into Terminals 1, 2, 7 or 8 with only carry-on bags and you’re comfortable walking a few hundred yards, don’t bother with those green LAX-it shuttle buses. Instead, follow the abundant sidewalk signage to the LAX-it lot, which will probably take you less than 10 minutes. More info on this is available here - https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2019-11-16/lax-ride-hail-lax-uber-lyft-taxi https://www.flylax.com/lax-it
Generally, Los Angeles in late October is usually still warm during the day. Expect pleasant temperatures in the upper 60s to mid- 70s while the sun is out. After sundown, the temperature can drop to the low 50s in the evening, so we would recommend bringing a light jacket.
Given that we've got the pleasure and the challenge of combining two beautiful sets of cultural ceremonies over one wedding weekend, we've decided to consolidate some pre-wedding ceremonies. You can essentially think of the reception on Sunday as the main event. In terms of the 'actual wedding', we will be having two small ceremonies, a Hindu ceremony on Friday and a Nikkah on Saturday after the Pithi ceremony. We will also have a more informal Sangeet on Saturday evening in Santa Monica, where we would love for you to join us if you are free.
In the first hour, friends and family can participate in the Pithi ceremony. The Sangeet will start directly after the Pithi. The Sangeet is where the party begins. The word Sangeet translates to ‘sung together’ from Sanskrit. This celebration will include dinner, dances performed by relatives and friends, and an open dance floor to kick off the festivities. Mehendi services will also be offered during this time, where guests can have intricate henna patterns drawn on their hands and feet if they so choose.
The pithi ceremony (pronounced “pitti”) is an auspicious ritual performed for good luck. Pithi is a paste made mainly of turmeric, chickpea flour and rose water. Family members and well-wishers of the bride and groom apply the paste on the bride/groom's skin.
Indian weddings are festive and colorful, so why not join in on the experience and wear traditional clothing? This would include something like a Saree or Lehenga for women and Kurta for men. But if that’s not your speed, we really just want you to wear whatever makes you feel the most comfortable on a dance floor, whether that’s your favorite Indian outfit, cocktail dress, dressy jumpsuit, or dark jackets and slacks. If you're got one Indian outfit to spare and are trying to figure out when to use it, we would recommend wearing it for the Sangeet on Saturday night.
There are a lot of online Indian clothing sites available. A few popular ones are listed below. If you have other suggestions, please let us know and we'll add them here! Keep in mind that many (but not all) of these are made outside of the U.S. so you should leave 6-8 weeks for shipping. Holi Chic by Megha: https://www.holichicbymegha.com/ Kynah: https://shopkynah.com/ Aza Fashions: https://www.azafashions.com/ www.utsavfashion.com https://www.benzerworld.com/ Etsy This Etsy shop gets great reviews and is fairly quick with shipping: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Designerlehenga?listing_id=643329151 If you're not looking to purchase clothes, there's a great store based in New York City that offers "Rent the Runway" service for south asian clothes - Preserve: https://www.instagram.com/rentpreserve/