India!...Bridal Showers

After London, we headed over to India for my cousin's wedding. They had already been celebrating before we got there with an engagement party. They day after we got there, we started with the bridal showers.

Bridal showers in India aren't quite like bridal showers in America. Yes she gets gifts, but that is not the main focus.

Bridal shower number 1

The bride sits with someone on her right and everyone takes a turn putting rice and oil on their heads and rubbing these spices and oils on their head, face, arms and legs. It's kind of funny because here in America we all envy darker and tanner skin. There in India, they all want to be lighter. So some believe that if you rub these spices on your skin for a week to 10 days before the wedding, it will make your skin lighter and you will be glowing. My family more so did it for the tradition. When I got married, we did this same shower for me. It was so much fun! Also by putting the rice on her head, you are giving her blessings and good luck with her marriage. This is only after the first couple of people.

Carter didn't know what to think at first. But here we are taking our turn. They always start with the eldest in the room and work their way down.

This is what they looked like after the last person!

Then after everybody has taken their turn, the bride will go shower and dress up in her pretty sari and jewlery and come recieve her gifts. Cute family.. Prasad, Reema, Shilpa (the bride), Nikitha, and Anitha

Bridal shower number 2 at Aunty Lucy's house. Taking my turn..

Aunty Prema got sneaky and after each person's turn, rubbed it on our faces... Oh and that is Heather, one of my cousins, sitting with Shilpa this time.

I tried to hide my face from Prema while she was trying to get me, but I obviously didn't win that fight. But it sure freaked Carter out! Poor little guy thought I was getting hurt...I'm glad he loves his mama:)

Heather, Prema,Shilpa, Lucy, Pushpa, Nadia

Bridal Shower number 3. This was just at our home and more of a spur of the moment thing to keep it going. We had already done a couple and they decided why not just do them everyday! But Shilpa was kind of tired of getting the spices rubbed all over her and having to clean it all off again (which I totally don't blame her!) so we only did the rice on her head this time. Eric had stopped in Delhi to visit his old mission area and my brother Travis who is there now and had just made it to Hyderabad. So he got in on the festivities too:)

Ashlie sitting next to Shilpa and taking her turn..

Mom handing over her gifts..

After being blessed...

Bridal shower number 4! By this point, it was just for fun:) Reema sat next to Shilpa this time and got smart and put her hood on so she wouldn't have to worry about getting all the rice out of her hair! Smart girl!

And after they got blessed...