There are so many things during the wedding that I don’t think I will ever forget. Some have larger stories and will be expanded on. Some won’t. And the list might be updated as I remember more of those little moments.

1. Shop towels
2. The tears in his eyes when we were standing at the altar
3. The smile on his face
4. The story of 4:20
5. Being pelted with flower heads
6. My thali’s clasp coming undone during the ceremony
7. The Hindu priest asking how to pronounce Harrison
8. Our First Dance
9. Dance with Dad – all choked up
10. Talking with Shankar in the moonlight while cooling down
11. Enjoying Robert Fleury with friends
12. The colors
13. I’m the lakshmi (and I’ve finally figured out what that means)
14. I wasn’t right for a few minutes
15. The priest being kind enough to move the coconut out of my way
16. That feeling, walking up the aisle and everything else sort of fading away
17. Poor Phoenix bustling me, bustling me, bustling me, and bustling me
18. Chris’s present
19. Getting the photo frames for favors at IKEA
20. How happy everyone was
21. My uncle David talking about making Raju “disappear” during his toast (it was in jest)
22. Martin spilling the beans
23. Tiffany noting that Raju still makes me laugh
24. The smoldering Geeta
25. Being surrounded by our friends and family
26. On the way down the aisle, trying not to cry and Dad saying “Just smile”
27. the Sharp Dressed Man
28. Joey’s dance to Sexy Back
…

Filed under:
Memories from the Wedding Celebrations, Reminiscences, Wedding by Courtney

The pizza has arrived and we’re sitting on the couch, box between us, two-liter at our feet.

“Do you have any napkins?”

A blank look comes across my face. Napkins?

“Paper towels maybe?”

“Ummmm, no…” I’m not making a great impression on this first date. I need to get the man something to wipe his hands on after eating greasy Papa John’s pizza.

“Oh!” I jump off the couch and run back through the hallway, into the back room, the junk room. Ahh, yes, this will work.

“Here you go.” I plunk down a box of shop towels next to the two-liter of Coke. I’m quite proud of my find.

He pauses for a moment and just looks at me. Then he smiles and takes one and we eat.

The wedding is upon us. I arrive home, with a few moments to myself. On the kitchen counter: blue shop towels and a note, “In case you don’t have something used and something blue…”.

Tears well up in my eyes. It was by far the best wedding present he could have bought me. And it was my something blue (and used).

And by far, my favorite memory of the the wedding week.

Filed under:
Memories from the Wedding Celebrations, Reminiscences, Wedding by Courtney

After all was said and done, I’m glad we blended so much of the Indian ceremony into our California celebration. The altar area was beautifully decorated and so many people got to play a part in the wedding. And, it was funny to have the Hindu priest ask us how to pronounce the name “Harrison” (I guess we’re not the only ones baffled by some names). I also got to show off my freshly pedicured feet while stepping on rose petals (seriously, some people pay good money to have their feet rest on rose petals… I think a few did at the nail spa).

Plus, I’ve decided I’m going to adopt my husband’s penchant for exaggerating the truth in order to spin a better story. Instead of “I circled the sacred fire 3 times,” I think I will say, “I performed a death-defying stunt in the middle of the ceremony. I was a daredevil, circling a flaming coconut, each time getting closer and closer, with a 10 foot train on my wedding dress!” I’ll have to let him finish the tale with some out-of-this-world meaning for making it around the fire, as I’m not nearly as good as he is yet… but I’m working on it.

Filed under:
Fun Times, Observances, Surreal, Wedding by Courtney

Poof! Just like that the party is over, and everyone has gone home. The wedding was wonderful, the festivities were wonderful, the guests were wonderful. Thank you to everyone who traveled such a long way to be with us Saturday.

The image above, I believe, is from the talented cousin Indu. It was one of my favorites when we were combing through the pictures. I’ll have more up in a day or three, but until then you can enjoy this one.

Filed under:
Happy, Life Changing Moments, Wedding by Courtney

We forgot to pack the flowers, but we did meet quite a few… well, interesting people. Tuesday we packed in a lot while visiting San Francisco. We saw the Golden Gate bridge, drove through Sausalito, down Lombard Street, hit the Haight and visited the Grateful Dead house. Then, down to the wharf and Ghiradelli Square, topped off with a dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.

Then, yesterday we went to see the otters!! I’ve been wanting to see the Wild About Otters exhibit for a while in Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Last night Tiff finally got here and we hit the Pizzeria again, then came back and had our pict made with the sphere the people down the street made…

So, check out the photos! Again, some haven’t been rotated, but here they are, unsorted 🙂

All Festivities of the Wedding Week

Monterey Bay Aquarium

San Francisco

Deep Sea Fishing in Santa Cruz

Miscellaneous Photos from the Week

Filed under:
Day in the Life, Fun Times, Happy, Wedding by Courtney