It has been a long day, and the first wedding ceremony is over. It was around eight in the morning when I headed downstairs at the hotel we are staying at. I set my laptop down on one of the tall tables near the window, and had some decaf coffee, and a hotel breakfast. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad. People started showing up to get henna designs drawn on their hands and I chatted with various distant relatives.

Fiona got up when I did and took a shower. She then came downstairs to have a little breakfast and see what was going on. She wasn't scheduled to get her hands done until ten, but she was just too excited and couldn't wait. The schedule was a little out of whack, and so she managed to get henna designs on her hands a little a head of time.

Other family members came and went, getting henna designs or simply gathering to chat. My sister had printed out various parts of our family history which I helped organize and went over with my mother. At the same time, I've been gathering new tidbits here and there about the family.

The weather was very pleasant and Kim and I found some time to sit outside and enjoy the warm sunshine while getting a few moments of peace away from the hustle and bustle.

As the morning progressed, cookies were brought out, more women had their hands decorated with henna and moved around with their hands outstretched waiting for the henna to dry. There were some creative maneuvers to eat cookies or drink wine without using hands. Other relatives arrived and more stories and family history was shared.

The wedding was scheduled for three and was fairly close. Yet considering how slowly my mother moves, we left extra time to be able to get to the church. We were there with plenty of time and took the opportunity to talk with others there.

The wedding was in a large Catholic church, which made the turnout seem sparse. It was a fairly traditional service which was beautiful. Afterwards, we hung around as pictures were taken and then headed off to the country club for the reception. At times, I sent various pictures to Facebook or Twitter of the event and friends and relatives who couldn't make it participated online.

Again, the wedding had all the traditional trappings, from announcing the newly married couple to the tossing of the bouquet and the garter. The food was a little different with more indian flavors added and the only meat being chicken.

We were tired and left early, after working out for Fiona to get a ride home with a new friend, a cousin-in-law about her age. They were having a great time on the dance floor as the rest of us headed back to the hotel.

Tomorrow will be another long day, with a Hindu service in the morning, a brunch, and then a long drive back to Connecticut.