All about Jaisal and Riya: Alpesh and Shaili Tie the Knot

My brother and Shaili got married this past weekend. It was a four-day affair with a pre-wedding kickoff party on Wednesday, a mehndi (henna ceremony) on Thursday, a pooja (religious ceremony) on Friday morning, a sangeet (music program) Friday evening, the wedding at the Chicago Botanic Garden on Saturday morning, and the reception Saturday night. Yeah, we were tired after all those events, but it was SO much fun. We had visitors from all over the country and the world. I LOVED seeing my aunts, uncles, and cousins and would loved to have spent a few more days with all of them.

We kept little man's presence at the events at a minimum. I won't lie, I had some panic attacks related to him being around a ton of people and potentially getting sick as a result. I implemented a strict no touching rule, which made me feel like a jerk, but it was the only way I could minimize his exposure to germs. Everyone wanted to touch his face and I could not break out the hand sanitizer quickly enough. I understand. The kid is cute. I want to grab and squeeze him all the time, so I can understand why others would want to, so I had to put strict rules into place to protect him (and my sanity).

Alpesh and Shaili getting some pre-wedding pictures at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Little man was a ring bearer in the wedding. I ended up carrying the rings because he wanted to shake them off the pillow. He did, however, walk the whole aisle with me. We managed the last bit only because he grabbed my mom's cell phone and distracted himself from the crowds.

Alpesh and Shaili warranted a sign - not only because of their large personalities and their nearly 15 year relationship - but also because their reception was the size of a small town with 750 people!

Little man also attended a portion of the cocktail hour. He was all fancied up in a tuxedo and partied (i.e., rode the escalators up and down) for about an hour before he started laying down on the floor because he was so tired.