ShoJayaLove

Shovaen and Jaya’s wedding was the most concentrated fun I’ve ever had in the short span of 3 days. However, for me, the wedding fun had really started months earlier with a casual invitation from Jaya to do some shopping in India.

We found neither hats nor socks, but we did find Swarovski-covered lenghas weighing 50 pounds, all-you-can-eat Indian breakfast buffets (which you can be sure we took full advantage of), approximately 30 peacock-themed pillowcases for pillows that we don’t have, and most importantly Keventers milkshakes hand-delivered by the shop boys while you lounge in armchairs eating chaat and viewing outfits modelled by none other than the shop boys themselves.

We also found some sweet jewellery with our new bff Krishna. And of course we made sure to stay nourished with wholesome food to combat chronic fatigue.

On the last night of our trip, we rewarded ourselves for our fantastic ability to be obnoxious “Delhi-aunties” at all the shops with a well-earned facial followed by a lovely meal of pizza at the hotel restaurant (during which we wore our dressing gowns [#yolo] and the aforementioned shop boys hand delivered our tailored lenghas).

In the months that followed, I know Shovaen and Jaya (mostly Jaya) put in a lot of hard work to organise their wedding weekend in Dallas. Meanwhile, I was busy choreographing dances and awkwardly videoing myself in the confines of my hotel room in Paris.

I made sure to do it in Parisian style though. #redwinesofine

I went to Tampa the week before the wedding just in time for Hurricane Irma, which was headed straight for Tampa but veered away towards the armpit of Florida (Orlando) at the last minute. Mom and I were mostly scared for those precious lenghas from India, but thankfully Irma left them alone.

In the midst of hurricane prep and panic, I was trying to learn my and Sonam’s dance for the wedding via Sonam’s awkward self-videos, and this happened (WhatsApp screenshot below).

I used my time on the bench productively though and put these dolla dolla bills together to make it rain later on at the wedding.

Flash forward a couple days to… DALLAS WHERE THE MAGIC OF #SHOJAYALOVE HAPPENED!!!

As women do, we made sure we were wedding ready and paid a visit to the spa. I’d like to share this deep and meaningful exchange between Jaya and Sonam while I was still getting my hair conditioned.

That right there is proof that Jaya was our true sister even before she and Shovaen were married.

And obvi we went for mani pedis, but this time we were excited to be joined by Gogi auntie, Tara, and two bottles of champagne, which Sonam was clearly loving.

Back at the townhouse in Addision, more dance practice ensued with the groom and his groomies (what can I say, it was a true Indian wedding).

Oh sorry, did I say dancing? I meant scotch tasting, I get those two mixed up all the time!

The newest baby of the family tried to get in on the scotch tasting as well, but Yash is a stern parent.

The boys eventually learned their choreography and kicked butt in the actual performance at the wedding, but let me tell you, it was a lot of hard work for them. I will always be so proud that they learned the toughest dance move of them all – walking. Normally. In a straight line. For some reason, my incredibly intelligent brothers forgot how to walk and were propelling themselves by moving the same side leg and arm forward. If you thought my dance videos were awkward…

The boys weren’t the only ones having trouble with certain dance moves though. I think this video speaks for itself.

The day after that gem of a dance that none of us could ever hope to live up to, it was Day 1 of #shojayalove wedding weekend! Here’s the first selfie at around midday once Shovaen got his beauty sleep.

Family and friends started arriving in Dallas, and we had lunch at Shovaen’s house and a bit of help with decorations.

Our family is so big that we needed our own bus to take us from the hotel to Jaya’s house for the first wedding event that evening, the Mehndi!

The groom’s procession down the street into Jaya’s front lawn was something out of a Bollywood film (minus the costume changes and Swiss hilltop love songs), and we were welcomed by Jaya’s (now ours too) warm-hearted family.

Jaya looked amazing as usual, and Dad’s hair-do was on point. We spent the evening getting our mehndi done, eating macaroons, dancing to live music sung by aunties galore, and getting to know each other’s families. It was the perfect start to the wedding.

But of course, later in the evening, more dance practice. Turns out not many of our cousins watched my awkward instructional dance videos, so then began a very productive night of teaching guys how to walk normally (again), accompanied by pizza and booze, as you can see in this video.

Next morning was the Vidhi, which started super early, and I am not a morning person. I helped Shovaen get ready a bit, then quickly did my makeup and changed, leaving my hair to air-dry however it wanted (I was going for windswept beach waves). We were about to leave, when Shovaen says to me, “You’re not going to do your hair?” “No, why, do I need to?” “Yeah.”

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurn. As you can see below, my hair looks great.

After a successful Vidhi in which Shovaen got thoroughly caked with haldi, we had a delicious lunch and dolled ourselves up (with the help of Jaya’s makeup and hair ladies) for the Sangeet in the evening. The venue was beautifully decorated and the food was amazing as usual, with fresh coconuts, tacos, pani puri, and more. Jaya and Shovaen had a grand entrance with all of their friends, siblings, and cousins, dancing up behind them. We went full Guju and did garba, raas, and this thing that neither we nor Jaya’s parents had a clue about.

Sonam and I were nervous for our dance, and though I made quite a few mistakes that she was quick to point out, I think (hope) Shovaen and Jaya enjoyed it.

After a bomb night where the dance floor and bar were open for serious bizness, some of us went for a nightcap at the hotel bar where the signature Patel “not bad” face inevitably appeared.

The next morning was WEDDING DAY!!! Sonam, Mom, and I woke up early to get ready with Jaya and her gals in her bridal suite, and we left Shovaen to be taken care of by his groomies (which clearly worked out okay). Even though it was Jaya’s day, she made sure to share some wise advice on how we should do our hair and makeup - finished look in the first photo below (Sonam looks nice).

It was such a proud feeling to walk down to the baraat with my family of six (soon to be seven). We all cleaned up nice.

Sitting in the horse-drawn carriage with our eldest bro was an honour, and it was also blazing hot (I’m not proud but there was some back sweat).

And lest anyone forget (not sure how you can), Dad’s infamous dance moves with shocked onlookers, Mom included.

The first moment I cried was when Mom and Dad walked Shovaen down the aisle. They both looked so proud and content, and Shovaen was beaming excitement. Of course, Sonam and Yash made fun of me for spilling some tears, what else is new.

There was a tough moment when the priest asked me to help secure the mangalsutra around Jaya’s neck because Shovaen was having trouble. Let me tell you, blindly trying to fasten that thing with layers of veil and jewellery and the pressure of everyone waiting for you to do so may or may not have made me sweat once again (though this time in powerful Texan air conditioning).

The wedding ceremony was beautiful, and Shovaen and Jaya looked the picture of perfection. Weeks after the wedding, when we were watching some of the wedding video, there was a close-up of Shovaen’s feet as he took the seven steps and I finally understood why Shovaen had asked me to help him wax his feet. That guy has such great foresight.

It was also amazing to have both of our Ba’s there having a ball.

We saw Shovaen and Jaya off in their new Rolls Royce (2 hour fixed-term lease), then took a breather with some of our family from California in the hotel lounge (where of course Dad brought his own stock of booze to satisfy the masses) and checked in on Shovaen before heading to cocktail hour.

Cocktail hour included apparently delicious lamb (gutted that I didn’t get to try any), magic from Bharatkaka, mingling, and last minute speech edits. Then came the reception entrances. Sonam, Yash, and I entered together to Backstreet’s Back with some killer moves, but Mom and Dad’s entrance takes the cake (literally Dad would have taken the cake out had he been closer to it).

We all gave our speeches, and Mom made sure to cut Dad off when he was close to telling an overly complicated joke that no one would understand.

All the adorable little kiddos of the family were watching attentively from a corner of the stage. It was so sweet to see them all getting along and really enjoying the wedding. And as it always is, it was a blast spending time with #Cousins14. Neilbhai had his signature laugh attack (more than once), Rajanbhai nerded out with his latest Google app, Shetal somehow always managed to have a glass of wine in hand (#goals #rolemodel), Punit’s jokes were becoming more and more like MahendraKlaus’, I could go on and on. It took a bit of coaxing to get our cousins group pumped up for the dances at the reception, but in the end everyone had so much fun performing them. And of course, the moment Shovaen and Jaya joined us on stage for Kala Chasma was unforgettable.

After Kala Chasma, Club Shojaya was open for business. Honestly, this was the best club I’ve ever been to. The dance floor was lit, DJ Chani was throwing it down, we had customised Shovaen and Jaya glowsticks, and of course Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers turned up to do some double dutch on the dance floor.

We are all partyers at heart (or lashers as I now say after living in the UK), so obviously we carried on at the after-party where Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys blessed the playlist and Jaya performed the most amazing floor routine I’ve ever seen. Neilbhai and Kinnery were the last cousins standing – Neilbhai was having an absolute blast, and as usual Kinnery was trolling someone (she asked one of Jaya’s friends why he was there, if he even knew the bride and groom, what his job was, why he thought his job was important, etc).

I also have to highlight the overwhelming amount of hospitality and love that we all received from our new family – Jack uncle, Gogi auntie, Ravi, and Tara. It was so fun to get to know them better, see Ravi’s infamous dance moves including my fave the periscope, and talk all things lamè with Jack uncle.

I know it was Shovaen and Jaya’s weekend, but I was also so proud of my siblings and parents and how we’ve all grown and matured. Sonam’s choreography for our dance was artistic and beautiful (albeit difficult to learn) and she (mostly) controlled her hanger outbursts during the weekend, Yash’s speech was so heartfelt and he truly stepped up in all of the dances (and mastered the walking move), Dad let his true jolly self shine (mostly via his dance moves – Bhasker! Bhasker! Bhasker!) and didn’t make too many bad jokes, and Mom was elegant, loving, and supportive the entire weekend (especially when accompanied by a glass of champagne).

I’m so happy that Shovaen and Jaya found each other and I am truly grateful that Jaya has joined our family. I still remember Shovaen asking me what he should wear before their first date at Ida Claire – he actually picked a good outfit without much direction! After the date I asked him how it went, and he said something like, “It was good, she’s pretty cool,” which means “awesome!!!!!!” for Shovaen. They truly are a perfect match – Jaya has taught Shovaen to be even more stylish and listen to modern-day music, and Shovaen has introduced Jaya to the vast world of gaming and convinced her to get a Tampa Bay Buccaneers shirt. Happy first anniversary Shovaen and Jaya! Here’s to many more to come. I love you both!!