Wedding Season

It's wedding season in India - not too hot, not too cold, just right.  We are having the full experience, starting with shopping for the right clothes to wear to a wedding. This is a rather more complicated process than popping into a boutique and buying what catches your eye. 

Already overwhelmed by the sights, sounds and smells of Delhi I might have turned tail and run off when presented by four floors of shopping at Frontier Raas. Luckily, we had the able services of Sumeet, who knew exactly what we needed."Green is such a Mehndi colour." and "Black will be good for an evening wedding."  I was happy to be guided. 

Once we were settled in with tea and biscuits, the viewing began. Before long there was a pile of possibilities in front of us. How is it possible that there are so many choices and combinations? Not only was I distracted by what was in front of me, but people behind me and next to me seemed to be viewing the most sought after fabrics too. 

    

                                                 

All around us people were faced with a similar dilemma. Perhaps draping the sari would help? Quick as a flash an assistant had me standing on a little raised platform in front of the mirror, with a cord tied around my waist, while he deftly folded pleats and started winding fabric around my body. I stared at the reflection of a graceful, slimmer me. I should wear saris all the time! For those men who were buying saris, for their daughters or wives, I presumed, the assistants were only too willing to drape themselves. 

                                                          

Three hours later, having been offered Starbucks (we have one just down in the road!) and something to eat, we emerged happy with our purchases. Some bargaining had to be entered into in order to have our blouses and skirts sewn. "Tomorrow is not possible. How about two days time and delivered to your hotel!" And if we were not sure about how to drape the sari, someone could be sent to the hotel to help.

Oh, maybe  I should have gone with the fuschia and orange instead...

The Dress

We bought the dress today. The matric dance dress. I must say it was relatively painless and we are still friends, but it did take the better part of two days and we had to call in reinforcements in the shape of Auntie J.

We started out yesterday and saw a stunning dress in the first shop we went to. She loved the way she looked in it but felt that a matric dress deserved more searching than simply buying the one in the first shop! Not sure of that logic as I couldn't see how finding the one, meant going to look at some other dresses in other shops. Anyway, it is a big deal and so I indulged her as we criss-crossed the street and mall, leaving possibilities at each shop to come back to the next day. For a change she loved trying on clothes. 

"We need someone", she said in front of the mirror in the change room. "I need Auntie J!" (Auntie J has an only son but has enjoyed being surrogate aunt over the years). "Tell her I need her". Auntie J happily obliged and rocked up at the mall this morning, wearing her flatties, ready to pound the pavement. So we criss-crossed the mall and street, checking up on all the possibilities, trying them all on again in front of hopeful sales assistants. Auntie J expanded the search to include after-party dresses and even a dress for me!

Time for coffee and decisions, we decided. We toasted to the matric dance with our cups and shared stories of our own dances with her. It certainly was a much more low-key affair, pre-American-television-inspired Proms. Auntie J had two matric dance dresses - one that her church-going mom thought was suitable and one that her fun-loving dad whisked her off to buy when he saw mom's contribution. Mom apparently prayed over that dress before she saw her off to the dance!

As for me, I got the sensible outfit that "could be worn again". I got dropped at the dance by my date's dad and I am sure we were back home before the Cinderella hour! Who had ever heard of an after-party never mind an after-party dress!

After coffee we went back to the first shop to buy the first dress. So now it is the hair and makeup, shoes and accessories, etc.  I can see why the school is having the dance so early in the year - no-one would be focusing on exams if it was later in the year. I had fun doing this with her and I say thank you for a daughter (and reinforcements!).