Sarika and Sri were married on April 1st at the Omni William Penn Hotel. Their wedding was amazingly beautiful. Almost 800 guests shared the festivities, definitely one of the events of the year in Pittsburgh.

Indian weddings are a week long affair, starting with the bridal shower and Mehndi or henna ceremony, continuing with the arrival of the groom in the Bharaat ceremony on Saturday – usually on a white horse but in this case, a little more contemporary mode of transportation – a Ferrari. The celebration continued with wedding ceremonies on Sunday.

The Hindu wedding ceremony, Vivaha, dates back over 3500 years – it’s performed in Sanskrit, the most ancient surviving language.

On the day of the marriage, the bride is considered to be the embodiment of the Goddess Lakshmi and the groom, the Lord Vishnu. Family and friends who come to bless the couple are heavenly bodies, making the wedding a grand divine event.

Everyone was so wonderful to us – thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of the start of your new life together.