Indian wedding #2, on sari wrapping

I went to an Indian wedding this weekend, and I can't stop gushing about it. It was beyond colorful, sparkling, and joyous. It was laden in tradition and rituals, with adults and little kids alike gone happy-go-wild on the dance floor, Bollywood style. Between a ladies' mehndi, sangeet, horse-back procession (yes, that's what I said!), ceremony and reception, there are tons of pix to come!

But. In the meantime, the part that most stood out to me – besides all the wedding joy and love, of course – was the Indian sari, surely the most dazzling, flowing creation ever to be created in all of time. And I got to wear it. Not one sari, but two! I had two gracious girlfriends who loaned me saris, so I was able to play dress up for both the ceremony and the reception. I don't care how shallow this might sound, but it was seriously a "perfect dream" fashion experience. 

There's almost a reverent, ritualistic aura surrounding dressing in a sari, with its artful and precise wrapping, pleating and pinning of an extraordinary length of silk around the body, enveloping layers of froth. It almost always requires a second pair of hands to help put it together. I imagine a mother wrapping the bride in a sari on her wedding day, as a ritualistic tradition of giving away her daughter. 

I learned from the Indian auntie who helped dress me, that each region in India has its own way of wrapping a sari, resulting in many different looks. These days you can buy saris already pre-stitched, but you miss out on the ritualistic experience. It is first tightly wound at the waist over a thin petticoat, then gathered into several pleats and tucked in at the waist, wrapped upwards and diagonally, and finished with a trailing bit of silk over the shoulder. The result is this structured column-like "gown" that sucks in everything in all the right places while giving off the illusion of effortless ease and grace because of all the swirling layers of silk on top. It can make anyone look like a statuesque Grecian goddess. Plus, the flowy, drapey silhouette made for a better Bollywood booty-shaking and hip swaying experience!

Besides that, the exotic colors and exquisite patterns made up of embroidery, beading and sequins are pretty perfect, too.