A Day to Remember for the Rest of My Life – Part 3

In case you missed, read part 2 here.

We had booked a 9-seater car to commute between our house and the wedding venue, as and when required. It had arrived at 9 am. The 9-seater at 9, as scheduled. The 11 bags took up a lot of space. After a little shifting and adjusting, maa, Adrish, Mitul didi and I were on our way.

The location was about a few kilometres from our house – Udayan Sangha Club. A 3-storey building with green walls and long balconies on the top two floors. While this place did house my best day, it failed to deliver on a lot of fronts – amenities being one of them. The problem was time. Wedding venues get booked as early as a year ahead of the wedding date. With our date being finalized only 6-months ahead (Why? That’s a story for another day!), we were left with only a handful of options. Our hands were tied. But anyway, we decided to focus on what’s important.

So we arrived with our spirits high and an Adam Levine song playing in my head. The building was being decorated with lights and flowers. There were chairs, ladders, cables and what-not strewn in a mess around and inside the building. I couldn’t be happier.

A little help from the staff got our bags moved and placed in the dressing room. The priest had arrived by this time. He was arranging the puja paraphernalia at the ground floor – where the marriage rituals would take place.

The photographers had arrived too. We had booked Srejon Imagery for the wedding and it was one of our best decisions. Srejon Roy and his team are not only really good photographers but equally good human beings. They have delivered beyond our expectations!

10:30 am. 3 white sedans arrived and parked in front of Udayan Sangha Club. I saw them from the balcony and ran downstairs. Tattwa had arrived. These are trays of presents from one family to the other – marriage is a celebration after all.

The doors of the cars opened and Tathagata’s cousins spilled out armed with the trays and wide smiles. My family was downstairs to receive them. It was time for introductions.

A few minutes later, I could see us slowly becoming friends. They were so full of energy – clicking selfies, chatting away, showing me videos of the previous night at Tathagata’s place which was filled with dancing and singing and all sorts of fun! I could see that they had been as eager to meet me as I had been to meet them. I could feel them accepting me into the squad. A warm feeling of belonging descended on me and lifted my spirits further. Tathagata’s love for me shone through their laughter, their light jokes, their assurance that everything will be alright.

A few things stayed with me from the meet. Payal breaking into an impromptu jig to a song on the couch, Sonai didi’s straight-face jokes, Munmun’s strikingly pretty smile and Dipto’s “Tumi ekdom tension koro na, amra achi toh” (Don’t worry, we are all here for you). I wouldn’t ever forget the feeling. It felt like home. At that moment, I knew I had made the right choice. That made me happy beyond words.

But time flew. And they had to leave to get ready and return for the wedding.

Read Part 4 here.

All photos in this blog have been taken by Srejon Imagery.