During this special moment in our lives, your presence at our wedding is more than enough to make our day. And if you really want to make our day, please visit us in our new hometown - Washington, DC and help us explore!
You may have seen Indian wedding clips of a groom riding on an elephant or a horse and may be wondering why is everyone dancing in the parking lot? This is the first part of the wedding called Baraat. Historically, the groom and his family & friends would travel from their village, singing and dancing, to the bride's village. When the groom's caravan reaches bride's home, everyone celebrates and dances in excitement for the next part of the groom's life's. It is the groom's one chance to be the center of attention before the bride steals the show! Groom is ultimately welcomed by the bride's mother and she blesses her future son in law. The bride might also come out to welcome her groom, but only if he's got the right moves! We hope that everyone will join in the dancing as Kory makes his way to the ceremony and stops him from getting cold feet :P Also, there may not be elephants, but expect to see other animals :)
After the Baraat, the Hindu wedding ceremony begins and everyone will be seated. The ceremony will begin with the bride's family performing a prayer with the groom. The bride will make her entrance following the ceremony. Traditionally a Hindu wedding ceremony can last hours, but we've condensed it to our most meaningful traditions all which are conducted around a small fire. We will be providing a detailed program when you arrive that will help you follow along!
The dress code is Black-tie optional. The short answer is whatever you are more comfortable in. That could be a long gown/tuxedo/suit or your saree/lehenga/kurta. Ladies, the wedding ceremony will be outdoors in an area that is not paved - so be prepared to navigate some terrain if you choose to wear stilettos. We ask that you be fancy and dapper for the celebration, but also comfortable!
We recommend staying at the recommended hotels listed on the travel page. There will be transportation provided to the ceremony from these hotels on Saturday. There will be a farewell brunch hosted at the Blackburn Inn on Sunday morning, and it is where the bride and groom will be staying (*hint*afterparty*hint). There is parking available at the wedding venue, so if you are more comfortable driving, please feel free. There are also Uber and Lyft services available in the area, but service may experience surge pricing and availability may be spotty. There are plenty of hotels and AirBnBs located in the Charlottesville / Staunton / Fishersville area, but we recommend you make your reservations as soon as possible as it turns out we have picked a very busy weekend to host our wedding - there is a UVA homecoming game the same day as well and hotels are filling up quick!