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| Wendy Yale of Houston, Texas, in the Punjabi bridesmaid dress |
Cultural weddings and celebrations can be an amazing
opportunity to experience not only beauty and new fashions, but warmth and love
from communities other than your own. If you are in the position to form friendships with those from other cultures, you may be in for a rare treat. This
was the experience for Wendy Yale of Houston, Texas, who when one of her best
friends married, was given the unique honor of participating in a Punjabi
wedding and the week of celebratory events that led up to the ceremony. We were able to
talk with Yale and she has agreed to share her lovely experience with us.
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| Wendy Yale and the Bride |
WSF:
Wendy, this is an amazing outfit that you recently donned
for a friend’s wedding. Could you first give us a little background on the
event?
WY: One of my dearest friends had become engaged to her high
school sweetheart and had asked me to be in their wedding. I was thrilled and
honored to have been chosen! Before we
even started looking at bridesmaids dresses I had to find an outfit for the
engagement party, which, in itself, is a major event attended by hundreds of
their friends and family members.
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| Wendy Yale and her husband James Yale. The blue and gold dress from Roop Sari Palace, Houston, Texas, worn for the engagement party. |
It [the engagement party] was very elaborate; felt like a
wedding reception! I wanted to dress in the style of the groom-to-be's family,
Punjabi (Punjabi are a people from the Punjab region in India. It also refers to their culture and
language). So off my friend and I went
to a local store in Houston
famous for their saris/sprees, lehngas, and suits. The store was very large and filled with
racks of the most vibrant and gorgeous clothes I had ever seen! The store where I bought the blue and gold
suit in Houston is called Roop Sari Palace. It had to be altered, like most
of the clothing there, as they don't come in sizes. It was more of a "one size fits
all."
For the wedding our bridesmaids suits were custom made in India
(our measurements were taken at a local dress shop called Parinaz, then sent
overseas) and picked up personally by the groom's mother a month before the big
day. A week before the wedding I tried
it on, it fit perfectly! The Tikka (gold jewelry on my forehead) was a gift from
the bride. I LOVED it!
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Henna from the Mehndi party.
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The bangles and the henna on my hands were given to me at an
event the week of the wedding called a Mehndi.
All the ladies come together to celebrate the bride, show her our
support, and to bond before the ceremony.
WSF: What an amazing experience all-in-all! The Mehndi is a
unique event then. Maybe similar to a bridal shower in the west?
As for the beautiful henna that was done for the Mehndi,
what, if any, significance does it have in relation to the wedding or
ceremonies? Does it represent something specific? How long dos it stay on?
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| From left to right: Yale's son Cameron, her husband James, the Groom and a wedding guest |
WY: I guess you could say the Mehndi was similar to a bridal
shower, however the men were welcome to come (but chose a less
"chatty" atmosphere in another part of the house/yard). My friend was thrown a bridal shower by her
soon to be sister-in-law a month before the Mehndi, Sengee, wedding, and
reception. A Punjabi wedding is
typically five or more days of preparation and celebration.
The henna is really only another form of decoration.
Everything from clothing, to jewelry, shoes, even under garments (which will
only be seen by the bride and groom), are spectacular. I was asked what I would like my henna design
to look like but as I had never had it done before I left it up to the artist
to decide for me. Some of the ladies
chose to do very traditional designs on the palms of the hands, solid
fingertips. Others opted for ornate
flowers, delicate swirls, or intricate designs.
The bride did both her palms and the back of her hands, as well as her
feet. It goes on like a clay or gel,
then dries after 30-60 minutes. The
dried pieces are rubbed off. It looked
amazing! After twenty-four hours the dye
became even darker. It lasted about a
week then naturally wore off.
WSF: Would you mind sharing some fashion details about the
fitted bridesmaid dress that you wore in the wedding ceremony? Material,
decorations or any special detailing. Also, how did it make you feel getting to
wear this type of dress?
WY: To be honest, I don't know what the material is, and
there isn't a tag inside. All the
bridesmaids went to the dress shop and they measured us. The measured our bust, arm (from shoulder to
forearm/three quarter sleeve), from our clavicle to mid-shin, and waist. I think it took about two months from the
time we got measured until the grooms mother flew to India to pick them up. (I don't know why the suits weren't shipped here;
I can only assume she was visiting family while there).
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| James Yale (husband of Wendy), son Cameron and Wendy Yale, Groom and Bride |
I felt like a princess!
Only to be outdone by the bride.
I really can not describe the honor it was to have been a part of the
ceremony, traditions, and family!
WSF: Beautiful. Thank you Wendy for sharing this unique and
personal experience with us. There is no doubt this is a treasured memory and
we appreciate being able to hear your story.
In closing, any time that you come upon the opportunity to participate
in a unique cultural experience, open up and say yes. New friends, new ideas, and
new experiences are part of the spirit of life and may elevate you to new
heights and dreams yet un-imagined (not to mention enhancing your wardrobe!).
