Nick Jonas

Hindu

Yesterday, everyone had a chill day by the hotel pool, Priyanka and Nick coming over to join us since they're the only ones not staying at the same place. It was a fun and relaxing way to recover from the wedding reception the night before and prepare for the Hindu wedding. Today, however, everyone who is a part of the wedding is supposed to dress up in traditional Indian outfits and meet back at the palace at 3:00.

"How do I look?" Sophie asks me, heading out of the bathroom in a gold lehenga that pairs with Joe's gold clothing perfectly.

"Stunning," I tell her truthfully, watching her as she exchanges her usual set of earrings for a set that matches the beadwork on her clothes and lays her beaded headband on her hair.

I dress quickly in my own lehenga and headband, admiring the emerald green color as I step back out into the hallway.

"Wow. That's gorgeous, I love the color," Sophie says, and Joe nods.

"Thanks, I love it too," I say, as we head downstairs and off to the palace.

Upon arriving we take our seats in the extremely colorful ballroom, not too sure what to expect since none of us have attended a Hindu wedding before. At 3:00, when the service starts, we are informed that Nick and Pri are sitting for a traditional prayer called a Puja, which kicks off the wedding by welcoming the god of special occasions. A few moments later, they arrive in the ballroom, dressed a bit more casually than they will be later, for the Mehendi ceremony. Again, we are informed of the culture; normally only the bride would have elaborate henna designs applied to her hands during this, in an effort to make her different and pretty, but both Nick and Pri will have them done as a co-ed sort of thing.

It's amazing to watch as my cousin and his wife receive beautiful designs on their hands. It's like nothing I've ever experienced before, and probably never will again. Though this takes a while, everyone in attendance watches in awe as they are introduced to a new marital tradition. About an hour later, when the art is completed, the dance floor is cleared once again for the pre-party. This is called the Sangeet, where both families plan music performances.

Nick, Joe, and Kevin decide they're going to sing Love Her during the Sangeet, and then Pri's family retaliates with some beautiful music of their own, making the event very competitive. Everyone is very into it, dancing around and clapping and having the time of their life.

"This is unreal," I whisper to Joe, who nods vigorously as he dances around.

Before the Sangeet ends, the Chopras and Jonases decide to have a dance off, Pri's mom and brother against Denise and Paul. It's hilarious to watch, as neither family is being totally serious with it and just trying to have some fun with their new relatives.

Then it's time for the real marriage. Pri and Nick head off to get dressed in traditional wedding clothing while we all head out to the courtyard to sit and wait, right in front of the Mandap as we would the wedding altar. A fire burns in the middle of it, and there are two chairs on Nick's side with one on Priyanka's. Apparently, these are reserved for the parents to sit in, staying with their kids as they wed.

Minutes later, Nick arrives in very traditional Indian clothing, and is greeted by all of Pri's family for his vara yatra. A special rice toss, called the akshat, takes place as he is presented with a garland and a tilak (red dot on the forehead) is put on him. Then, he takes his place on the Mandap to wait for his bride, just as he did for the Christian wedding service. Pri's mom leads her to it, and I can see Nick getting emotional again at the sight of his wife in her traditional red lehenga. She looks amazing as she takes her place across from him on the Mandap, and her mom places Pri's hand on Nick's in the expression of giving her away to him.

Priyanka's brother then hands her three fistfuls of rice, his wishes for her to have a happy marriage, which she puts into the fire. Her and Nick exchange their garlands, sort of like they exchanged rings two days ago.

Lastly, Nick ties a necklace of black and gold beads around Pri's neck, also painting the part of her hair red. This signifies that Priyanka is married, and finally my cousin has been married in not one culture, but two. Everyone attending the wedding gets emotional again; though the process is unfamiliar to many of us, it's amazing to see people you love get married under the basis of what they believe in.

Before heading back to the hotel, we gather to give our congratulations to Nick and Priyanka again, though we've already done this for their marriage once. Nick looks, if possible, even happier after this wedding because he has successfully participated in a celebration of his wife's culture, not just his own. He's a good guy who cares a lot about her feelings, so of course he would think that way.

"Congratulations, Nicky, this was beautiful," I tell him, and he smiles with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, Harper. Thank you for coming and celebrating this with me a second time," he says, and I roll my eyes at him playfully.

"Only for you," I joke, and he laughs.

"Harper, that lehenga looks absolutely incredible on you," Priyanka says, and I beam.

"Not as incredible as yours looks on you," I say, being completely truthful and making her smile as I congratulate her and follow my family back to the car, driving back to the hotel as soon as we have everyone with us.

Now that the weddings are over, we have a few days left in India to explore and see the sights before we head back home. We all change and meet up in the hotel lobby to plan, however we aren't getting much planning done because we're too busy talking about the impressive wedding we just saw take place. It's all anyone can think about, and it's a really a beautiful thing.

Note: I know this chapter is slow, but I wanted to try and get as many of the facts about a Hindu wedding as accurate as possible. Thanks for reading! :)