Whats it like to be an English bride at an Indian wedding?
My friends and family had jetted in from half a dozen countries, the ladies among them were off buying glamorous silk saris, the mehendi artists were gathering around the pool to paint our hands with henna – my Indian wedding started out a lot like Liz Hurley’s. Yet I wonder if her in-laws-to-be were as anxious as mine. It was my first trip to India and they were wondering how I would handle the heat, the two days of ceremonies, and the heavy red and gold wedding sari. I would have to sit still for hours while 500 guests blessed my husband and me. Yet the only advice I was given was to practise splitting coconuts with a knife as I would have to do this on the big day, and to keep a demure demeanour during the ceremony. Not to say I wasn’t having fun. Picking out lavish saris for myself and my friends from one of Bangalore’s many wonderful shops was a delight. The traditional mehendi party for the women – something Liz Hurley and her friends will also have enjoyed – was an orgy of paint
