Bengali Bridesmaid

"Hi, I'm Sisi. I ate lunch every day in high school with Arusha. Congrats on marrying such a fantastic girl!"

I met the groom two minutes before he was wheeled into the conference hall on a bejeweled rickshaw, waving to the sea of Bangladeshis snapping photos of the patched-together wedding procession of foreigners from eight different countries. 

I picked up the framed wedding gifts, tugged at my sari once again, and put on my camera-ready smile.

Mike and I had flown in that morning to Dhaka and were immediately swept up in the tide of wedding preparations. The wedding celebrations spanned a week and as a bridesmaid who was totally clueless about the cultural nuances of each action, I followed meekly along, trying to reenact a National Geographic episode on Bengali weddings.

Three hours of primping/pulling/fussing/ tugging in 

a Bangladeshi beauty parlor was quite overwhelming. 

At least I wasn't the bride - she took eight hours to get ready.

The bridesmaids, decked in traditional rose red sarees, flowed in after the groom, showing off the gifts of patent leather shoes, 6 m long turban, Armani cologne, and other fancy trinkets that the bride had lovingly prepared for her husband to be. The groomsmen, looking smashing in various shades of green, strode in with their heads held high. The party dress code was set according to your relationship with the bride and groom so guests instantly knew which side of the family you represented. Since the Belgian groom did not have a lot of friends who flew out to attend, we pretended to be the groom's best friends to fill the ranks in the family photos.

The usually passionate bride entered the room

under a demure guise and a roof of stringed sparkles.

Getting bang(l)ed up. 

I nearly cried at night rubbing lotion onto my wrists

 while writhing out of these sparkly bangles.

Painted their faces with turmeric paste for good luck.

As friends, we made sure that they got majorly lucky.

Our gang. 

Eight different nationalities. 

Yet we're so good at partying together.

Quick tutorial to Bollywood dancing?
Screwing the light bulb with your right hand
while petting the dog with your left.