You've got to check out this video that Walker found. It's horrifying and hilarious in the same breath.
http://www.chilloutzone.de/files/08101004.html
So my crazy trip to India is coming to a close. We got A LOT done. I am on my way to getting both my wedding outfits and my reception outfits and a couple extra outfits as well. I'll probably order them all at the end of January after I get my swatches.
And I had a late night skype session with Walker and my wedding planner last night and it was really helpful! (Her first client skype session ever!) I mean it was midnight my time and we were on the phone til about 3am and I had basically just stepped into the apartment after getting off a plane that had been delayed for four hours. But, you know, it was really helpful!
She's doing "partial consulting" with us, so we don't get off scott free on the work, but there will be a lot less aimless searching going on and she her company is totally into being green, so we've been talking about taking the leftover food to a homeless shelter and the leftover flowers to a nursing home, which kind of rocks my world.
Also, she's totally going above and beyond in helping us with the caterer (for those of you who don't know yet, that usually ends up being 50-60% of your budget. FOOD! Do you remember any food that you've ever eaten at a wedding. I have not. You know what that means, right? That means I've never particularly LIKED the food at any wedding, otherwise I WOULD HAVE remembered it. Which is why this whole catering thing is like a big ole thorn in my eye, which, by the way, is way more painful than a thorn in your side. But I digress..) The only thing I'm excited about with this whole catering thing is going to tastings. Mmmm. Free food. Free cake. Mmmm!!!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Maybe Mumbai
Well, actually, this post should be called "definitely Mumbai", but it doesn't have the same ring, does it?
Lemme back up for a second: last thursday, my mom and my dad and i, who had been playing with the idea of going to Bombay to go shopping for clothes because Delhi is hella expensive.
So long story short, my mother and I find ourselves in Bombay staying at a hotel within walking distance of the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi (bioth of which re-opened the day after we left). Talk about a whirlwind trip! We got into the city Friday afternoon around 2pm, checked into the hotel, had lunch and then sped off to our 4:30pm appointment with our resident family designer. I kid, sort of. This woman, Zeenat, rocks. She’s made saris, gagras, lehngas and salwars for my mom, my sister, several of my cousins and aunts and I for various weddings over the years. She is extremely sweet and attentive and knowledgeable about what she does. I repeat: she rocks.
So we spend THREE HOURS at her shop and I try on everything in the store pretty much ad the most amazing thing happens – I find out I’m totally wrong about everything. When I walk in I know exactly what color I want my wedding to be. When I walk out, I’ve chosen something totally different. When I walk in I am totally convinced that I am going to wear a sari for the Indian wedding because all the lehngas I have seen in the stores in delhi are ridiculously over the top and fairly hideous. When I walk out I have chosen not one, but two lehngas during my wedding weekend. (A lehnga, by the way is a short blouse and a skirt – yes the belly is exposed, new york sports club here I come! – and a dupatta or scarf, which, incidentally, I will be using to cover my belly). I’m afraid that’s all the detail I can get into right now because until my wedding day (or days, I should say) the color, style, design etc. of my outfits shall remain a mystery. Mwahahaha!
After three hours in the shop, my mom and I go back to the hotel and have a fantabulous south Indian dinner, then walk to the lobby and do some people watching (there was a sangeet – an Indian wedding function in the hotel that night, so we thought there’d be some outfits to check out, but frankly, it was a pretty poor showing). After that we pretty much passed out.
Next day: Breakfast, then a men’s designer, then a purse shop, the a jewelry shop, then back to the designer for measurements and then back to the airport (which we got to early, only to have our plane delayed by an hour and a half).
The men’s designer was a trip. First, our cab driver gets hopelessly lost on the way (even though the store is like 3 minutes away). We end up passing it twice, while my mom yells at this ridiculously confused cab driver who obviously speaks no a single word of English. Finally I spot the store and my mother and hop out. My mom is still grumbling at this point. Then we walk in and meet the designer/owner of the store and my mom falls silent. Why, you may ask? Because he’s gorgeous an my mom, who usually has 10 million questions, jokes, arguments and statements all of a sudden has nothing to say. So I take the reigns and I’m asking this guy questions. Quickly I realize that this is the type of guy who knows what he wants to sell you as soon as you walk in the store and no matter how many dissenting opinions you have, he keeps leading you back to the same item. So now he’s telling me that Walker is a size XXL and that white people look really good in ivory – better than they do any of the colors I have suggested so far. Ok. That sounds like a bit of a generalization to me. And I’m not convinced, so I take the swatch of the ivory fabric that he wants to use and hightail it out of there. And I make sure to make fun of my mother as soon as the doors close behind us. (Later when we get back to Zeenat’s she takes a look at the swatch and shakes her head. I’ll talk to him, she says. Did I mention this chick rocks?)
Ok, before I sign off I have to tell you about our driver, Martin. You have to have a driver in India because the streets are intraversable Seriously, you couldn’t PAY me to drive in India. Lanes, traffic signals – these are all merely suggestions to drivers. Not to mention you have to make sure not to hit the rickshaws, motorbikes, bicyclists and pedestrians that dodge unpredictably in and out of traffic. (That’s another thing you couldn’t pay me to do in India – cross the street! Ok, ok, I have done it once or twice, but only in dire emergencies.) Now our driver is the sweetest guy in the world. He’s always smiling and cheerful and it just makes you happy. But he’s a terrible driver. He doesn’t know where anything is so he’s always got his map out WHILE HE’S DRIVING. Well I guess that’s not entirely true. There was the one time where he stopped in the middle of traffic to check the map. He wasn’t technically driving that time. Also, he doesn’t look. Perhaps I should clarify. One time he was changing lanes and accidentally side-swiped a tractor. Then there was the time that he switched sides of the street and drove straight into oncoming traffic in order to get around a couple of cars. And there was the time he got out of the car to make sure the trunk was closed and forgot to put the parking brake on, so the car just starts rolling forward with me, my mom and my dad in and we’re all heading straight for a ditch. Luckily, my dad was sitting in the front so he reached over and pulled the parking brake up. My personal favorite, though, was the time he was backing out a parking spot and didn’t look behind him and ended up hitting A PERSON. Ok, he was going like 2 miles an hour, but STILL. Luckily this is India, where cars rule the road so the dude just scowled at him and kept walking.
Ok, that’s all for now! Merry Christmas and I’ll catch you on the flip side.
Lemme back up for a second: last thursday, my mom and my dad and i, who had been playing with the idea of going to Bombay to go shopping for clothes because Delhi is hella expensive.
So long story short, my mother and I find ourselves in Bombay staying at a hotel within walking distance of the Taj Mahal and the Oberoi (bioth of which re-opened the day after we left). Talk about a whirlwind trip! We got into the city Friday afternoon around 2pm, checked into the hotel, had lunch and then sped off to our 4:30pm appointment with our resident family designer. I kid, sort of. This woman, Zeenat, rocks. She’s made saris, gagras, lehngas and salwars for my mom, my sister, several of my cousins and aunts and I for various weddings over the years. She is extremely sweet and attentive and knowledgeable about what she does. I repeat: she rocks.
So we spend THREE HOURS at her shop and I try on everything in the store pretty much ad the most amazing thing happens – I find out I’m totally wrong about everything. When I walk in I know exactly what color I want my wedding to be. When I walk out, I’ve chosen something totally different. When I walk in I am totally convinced that I am going to wear a sari for the Indian wedding because all the lehngas I have seen in the stores in delhi are ridiculously over the top and fairly hideous. When I walk out I have chosen not one, but two lehngas during my wedding weekend. (A lehnga, by the way is a short blouse and a skirt – yes the belly is exposed, new york sports club here I come! – and a dupatta or scarf, which, incidentally, I will be using to cover my belly). I’m afraid that’s all the detail I can get into right now because until my wedding day (or days, I should say) the color, style, design etc. of my outfits shall remain a mystery. Mwahahaha!
After three hours in the shop, my mom and I go back to the hotel and have a fantabulous south Indian dinner, then walk to the lobby and do some people watching (there was a sangeet – an Indian wedding function in the hotel that night, so we thought there’d be some outfits to check out, but frankly, it was a pretty poor showing). After that we pretty much passed out.
Next day: Breakfast, then a men’s designer, then a purse shop, the a jewelry shop, then back to the designer for measurements and then back to the airport (which we got to early, only to have our plane delayed by an hour and a half).
The men’s designer was a trip. First, our cab driver gets hopelessly lost on the way (even though the store is like 3 minutes away). We end up passing it twice, while my mom yells at this ridiculously confused cab driver who obviously speaks no a single word of English. Finally I spot the store and my mother and hop out. My mom is still grumbling at this point. Then we walk in and meet the designer/owner of the store and my mom falls silent. Why, you may ask? Because he’s gorgeous an my mom, who usually has 10 million questions, jokes, arguments and statements all of a sudden has nothing to say. So I take the reigns and I’m asking this guy questions. Quickly I realize that this is the type of guy who knows what he wants to sell you as soon as you walk in the store and no matter how many dissenting opinions you have, he keeps leading you back to the same item. So now he’s telling me that Walker is a size XXL and that white people look really good in ivory – better than they do any of the colors I have suggested so far. Ok. That sounds like a bit of a generalization to me. And I’m not convinced, so I take the swatch of the ivory fabric that he wants to use and hightail it out of there. And I make sure to make fun of my mother as soon as the doors close behind us. (Later when we get back to Zeenat’s she takes a look at the swatch and shakes her head. I’ll talk to him, she says. Did I mention this chick rocks?)
Ok, before I sign off I have to tell you about our driver, Martin. You have to have a driver in India because the streets are intraversable Seriously, you couldn’t PAY me to drive in India. Lanes, traffic signals – these are all merely suggestions to drivers. Not to mention you have to make sure not to hit the rickshaws, motorbikes, bicyclists and pedestrians that dodge unpredictably in and out of traffic. (That’s another thing you couldn’t pay me to do in India – cross the street! Ok, ok, I have done it once or twice, but only in dire emergencies.) Now our driver is the sweetest guy in the world. He’s always smiling and cheerful and it just makes you happy. But he’s a terrible driver. He doesn’t know where anything is so he’s always got his map out WHILE HE’S DRIVING. Well I guess that’s not entirely true. There was the one time where he stopped in the middle of traffic to check the map. He wasn’t technically driving that time. Also, he doesn’t look. Perhaps I should clarify. One time he was changing lanes and accidentally side-swiped a tractor. Then there was the time that he switched sides of the street and drove straight into oncoming traffic in order to get around a couple of cars. And there was the time he got out of the car to make sure the trunk was closed and forgot to put the parking brake on, so the car just starts rolling forward with me, my mom and my dad in and we’re all heading straight for a ditch. Luckily, my dad was sitting in the front so he reached over and pulled the parking brake up. My personal favorite, though, was the time he was backing out a parking spot and didn’t look behind him and ended up hitting A PERSON. Ok, he was going like 2 miles an hour, but STILL. Luckily this is India, where cars rule the road so the dude just scowled at him and kept walking.
Ok, that’s all for now! Merry Christmas and I’ll catch you on the flip side.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
NEW wedding website
So I started a wedding website today. It's not finished yet (translation: Walker hasn't touched it yet, so it's really just all my stuff), but here's the website anyway: http://soneelaandwalker.weddings.com.
I was working on it for like 2 hours today. it completely sucked me in. the only reason i stopped was because my mom and i had a shopping date.
Speaking of shopping, i really wish you all could see the amazing outfits that i have been seeing/trying on/pawing through here. They are fabulous. There is absolutely nothing comparable in the States. If you've never been shopping in India - I highly suggest it. The colors, the crystals, the sequins - it's absolutely mind boggling.
I'm afraid that's as much as I can give away. My outfits have to be a surprise, after all. But I'll put up a picture of an outfit I tried on the first day. It's not nearly fancy enough for a bride, but it'll give you an idea what you mean. They don't let you take pictures in the shops (obviously) because they don't want to get ripped off, but I happened to have my camera, so I sneakily took a pic in the dressing room.
Meanwhile, we went to the craziest mall today. It was one of the biggest sheesheest (yes, that's a technical term) malls I've ever been to. What was weird about it was that it could have been in any country in the world. If I had to put it somewhere I would have put it in Dubai. It was all Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Versace, Fendi, Gorgio Armani - you name it. And this mall was even more packed than the cheaper malls. Because peoples in India gots money now. "It's all the dot commers", my mom would say. I felt like I was seeing for the first time how India (and China) are the new emerging economic powers. Don't get me wrong, their in an economic downturn here too - and I can tell because whenever I walk into a store I get pounced on by someone who works there or sometimes three people who work there - but I don't see it like I see it in the US. I don't know, the point is: It was really crazy. I've never seen this India before. I mean, the last time I was here, three years ago, and granted, I wasn't in Delhi, I didn't see Louis Vuitton ANYWHERE. And just so you know, just because it's Louis Vuitton in India doesn't mean it's any cheaper. My mom, a seasoned shopper, did some quick price comparisons and the stuff in the stores here costs pretty much the same as it does in the US. Now, given the standard of living here - those prices are exorbitant. And I'm telling you - people were buying stuff. It was deep.
Anyway, I spent all my time on the upper floors which boasted the Indian garb. There was some gorgeous stuff there. I am now officially obsessed with an Indian designer by the name of Satya Paul. His stuff is way too casual to wear for a wedding, but he has all these awesome print saris and his style is totally unique. I bought two scarves from one of this stores the other day. But before this trip is over, as Shiva is my witness, I'm getting one of his saris. They totally rock.
I was working on it for like 2 hours today. it completely sucked me in. the only reason i stopped was because my mom and i had a shopping date.
Speaking of shopping, i really wish you all could see the amazing outfits that i have been seeing/trying on/pawing through here. They are fabulous. There is absolutely nothing comparable in the States. If you've never been shopping in India - I highly suggest it. The colors, the crystals, the sequins - it's absolutely mind boggling.
I'm afraid that's as much as I can give away. My outfits have to be a surprise, after all. But I'll put up a picture of an outfit I tried on the first day. It's not nearly fancy enough for a bride, but it'll give you an idea what you mean. They don't let you take pictures in the shops (obviously) because they don't want to get ripped off, but I happened to have my camera, so I sneakily took a pic in the dressing room.
Meanwhile, we went to the craziest mall today. It was one of the biggest sheesheest (yes, that's a technical term) malls I've ever been to. What was weird about it was that it could have been in any country in the world. If I had to put it somewhere I would have put it in Dubai. It was all Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Versace, Fendi, Gorgio Armani - you name it. And this mall was even more packed than the cheaper malls. Because peoples in India gots money now. "It's all the dot commers", my mom would say. I felt like I was seeing for the first time how India (and China) are the new emerging economic powers. Don't get me wrong, their in an economic downturn here too - and I can tell because whenever I walk into a store I get pounced on by someone who works there or sometimes three people who work there - but I don't see it like I see it in the US. I don't know, the point is: It was really crazy. I've never seen this India before. I mean, the last time I was here, three years ago, and granted, I wasn't in Delhi, I didn't see Louis Vuitton ANYWHERE. And just so you know, just because it's Louis Vuitton in India doesn't mean it's any cheaper. My mom, a seasoned shopper, did some quick price comparisons and the stuff in the stores here costs pretty much the same as it does in the US. Now, given the standard of living here - those prices are exorbitant. And I'm telling you - people were buying stuff. It was deep.
Anyway, I spent all my time on the upper floors which boasted the Indian garb. There was some gorgeous stuff there. I am now officially obsessed with an Indian designer by the name of Satya Paul. His stuff is way too casual to wear for a wedding, but he has all these awesome print saris and his style is totally unique. I bought two scarves from one of this stores the other day. But before this trip is over, as Shiva is my witness, I'm getting one of his saris. They totally rock.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Woodend Sanctuary
Ok! I received the contract for the wedding location, so I don't have to worry about jinxing it anymore!
Walker and I are getting married at the Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, MD. It's a lovely, outdoor venue.
Here's the website. Audubon Naturalist Society
You can take a virtual tour. And I've attached a picture of the outdoor cocktail area.
So we're going to have a very small Indian wedding at my parents' house on Friday, July 24th and then a bigger western (or American) wedding at Woodend Sanctuary on Saturday, July 25th.
It's so nice when something falls into place.
I just got to India yesterday at 4am. Now it's 5:54am the following day. I forced myself to sleep at nidnight, but lo and behold i'm up again, so I thought I'd blog a little. And then I'll probably watch an episode of the West Wing.
Anyway, my mom and I are on a tight shopping schedule while I'm here. I'm only here for three weeks and I have to get clothes for me, clothes for Walker, shoes, jewelry, wedding favors and invitations. I'm going to have my camera in tow, though, so be on the look out for some pictures.
Nighty night!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Decisions, decisions
Why does it feel like every wedding-related decision I make is gargantuan? It's the end all be all. If I make the wrong decision about this everything will end up being awful. Nothing will work out like it's supposed to.
Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. But only slightly.
I met with my first wedding planner today. It felt huge. I mean it is huge. I'm basically getting in bed with this person for 7 months. And who's to say that this wonderfully accommodating person will continue to be just as accommodating after you hire them? (Believe me, even at this early stage, I have had experience with this!)
Anyway, I meet with two more wedding planners tomorrow. And I have a phone date tomorrow with yet another one.
What would I have done if my passport had been valid and I had actually ended up flying to India last week?!
Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. But only slightly.
I met with my first wedding planner today. It felt huge. I mean it is huge. I'm basically getting in bed with this person for 7 months. And who's to say that this wonderfully accommodating person will continue to be just as accommodating after you hire them? (Believe me, even at this early stage, I have had experience with this!)
Anyway, I meet with two more wedding planners tomorrow. And I have a phone date tomorrow with yet another one.
What would I have done if my passport had been valid and I had actually ended up flying to India last week?!
Date change
This is insane. Every time I think I've gotten something down, I don't. It changes.
From what I understand weddings are like this. But the type A in me is freaking out!!
Ok, remember how we changed the wedding location from Martha's Vineyard to DC? Well, now we're changing the date too.
Forget about September. It's all about July. 25th that is.
I hope you're all ready for hot fun in the summertime.
The wedding venue I fell in love with was not available at all in September. So I was considering October 3rd, which they did have free. I didn't put a hold on it because I was told that in order to do that, you had to put down a fairly large deposit. Turns out the woman who told me that had NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. And by the time I took my mother to see the place, oct 3rd was taken. I was devastated when the even coordinator told me. I had to sit down. Luckily I was able to hold my tears until I got back into my car. I didn't know who this woman was who had stolen my date right out from under me, but I did not like her ONE BIT!
We have July 25th free, she said, by way of consolation. Please!! I thought.
And then I realized it would be warm. The sun would set at like 8:30pm so we could frolic around the beautiful grounds for a couple of hours after the wedding. I mean, it's an outdoor venue. What would be the point if it were too dark to enjoy the place?
So July 25th it is.
Irony of ironies, I got a call this morning from the even coordinator. The woman who had put a hold on October 3rd now wanted MY date, so I had to decided by the end of the day whether to book it or let it go. BOOK IT, BABY.
Ahhhh, revenge is sweet.
stay tuned for pictures of my wedding venue....
From what I understand weddings are like this. But the type A in me is freaking out!!
Ok, remember how we changed the wedding location from Martha's Vineyard to DC? Well, now we're changing the date too.
Forget about September. It's all about July. 25th that is.
I hope you're all ready for hot fun in the summertime.
The wedding venue I fell in love with was not available at all in September. So I was considering October 3rd, which they did have free. I didn't put a hold on it because I was told that in order to do that, you had to put down a fairly large deposit. Turns out the woman who told me that had NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. And by the time I took my mother to see the place, oct 3rd was taken. I was devastated when the even coordinator told me. I had to sit down. Luckily I was able to hold my tears until I got back into my car. I didn't know who this woman was who had stolen my date right out from under me, but I did not like her ONE BIT!
We have July 25th free, she said, by way of consolation. Please!! I thought.
And then I realized it would be warm. The sun would set at like 8:30pm so we could frolic around the beautiful grounds for a couple of hours after the wedding. I mean, it's an outdoor venue. What would be the point if it were too dark to enjoy the place?
So July 25th it is.
Irony of ironies, I got a call this morning from the even coordinator. The woman who had put a hold on October 3rd now wanted MY date, so I had to decided by the end of the day whether to book it or let it go. BOOK IT, BABY.
Ahhhh, revenge is sweet.
stay tuned for pictures of my wedding venue....
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
I think I found the place....
I've looked at 7 places in the last 3 days. I'm totally pooped. But I think I found the place where I want to get married! I'm not going to tell you where it is because I haven't booked it yet and I don't want to jinx it (apparently it's a very popular place!), but stay tuned....!
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