Delhi Day 2: Sangeet & Wedding Dress Shopping

We woke up so well rested. This hotel has the best blackout shades! Our day started with breakfast at West View, a restaurant on the top floor of our hotel. The limited view that we had was pretty – very green and lush. Smog is a big problem in Delhi (we all have scratchy throats from it) and you can’t see very far. To give you an idea, visibility is .4 miles here, whereas in Dallas visibility is 10 miles. The UV rating is also high at 4, however you can’t actually see the sun for all of the smog. All of this according to the weather on our iPhone, of course. 

Our good friend Colby arrived in Delhi yesterday. Colby and Michelle were BFFs in college, and over the years, he has also become a good friend to both of us. Colby is on a sabbatical in Asia and we are so happy he is joining us in India.

Yesterday, we gave new meaning to “shop till you drop”. Abhi, Jaanu, their mother (Usha), and cousins (Pooja, Chinu, and Pummi) picked us up from the hotel and we headed to the Rajouri Garden district to find traditional Indian attire. This was a neighborhood of locals, so we got a lot of funny looks (we have seen very few Caucasians thus far). We tried on Indian gowns for hours and hours. Usha, Pooja, and Chinu (hereby referred to as “the women”) helped us to select the most appropriate dresses for the ring ceremony & Sangeet (dancing) and the Saadi (wedding). Finding dresses that we liked and that were also appropriate for the occasion was challenging at times. It was a little overwhelming to have the women bringing us dresses, speaking to the shop owners in Hindi, us modeling the gowns for all to see, and observing the bargaining process! We learned that the weight of the fabric and the color is very important. The dresses we purchased were not at all what we envisioned. We thought that we would be purchasing saris, but these are long, intricate, beaded gowns. All of our dresses required tailoring and the women were very helpful in navigating that process. In the end, we all ended up with gowns that we absolutely love. They are being delivered to the hotel this afternoon. Pictures to follow!

Michelle saw her traditional Indian wedding dress for the first time. Abhi’s mother, brother, etc. have been working on the dress for over 2 months. Michelle had some input on it, but she had not seen any photos, so it was a big surprise! We loved it and most importantly, Michelle loved it. It weighs 22 lbs and is absolutely gorgeous. (Yes, you read the weight correct.) We can’t wait to see her wear it on December 27. Stay tuned for the big reveal!

We ended the day with family dinner (plus Colby, who might as well be family!) that was so much fun.

We are very thankful to have Abhi and his family as escorts. It’s hard to imagine navigating this city without a guide and personal driver!

A few random tidbits:

-The power randomly goes out (as one family member said to us, “Welcome to India!”) but it always comes right back on.

-It’s not uncommon to see cars pulled over and people “relieving” themselves on the side of the road.

-There are stray dogs, monkeys, cows, and goats just roaming the streets freely!

-People stare at us often and aren't shy about it. Some even sneak photos. Locals seem to be especially intrigued by Colby's blonde hair and blue eyes!

Tomorrow, we have no set plans, so we plan to visit some local sights!

In Collaboration with Jennifer Carman