Augusta, Georgia, the New Gujurat!

Last week, Shahrzad and I attended the wedding ceremony of a very dear friend from medical school, Maulik. He married Manisha in her hometown of Augusta, GA. Augusta is located Southwest of South Carolina, and is a verdant spectacle of valleys and hills. In this little town in Georgia, we found ourselves in the midst of nearly 500 Indians all dressed in the traditional clothes, unhindered by the scorching sun and the humid air. It was as if a whole village had come to the parking lot of the hotel to receive Maulik, the groom. The ceremony and its rituals were also quite amazing with the ornate hallways carpeted with rose petals, the glittering crystal pillars, and the several statues of Ganesh, the god of prosperity and joy surrounded by candles. The Indian food was also very tasteful. We felt as if we were in India in a lot of ways (especially when it came to the hotel service!). We also managed to completely trash the bridal suite as payback to Maulik, who had masterminded our own bridal suite mess. Here are some pictures for your review.