Engagement Party - Box Checked!

Wow. Two boxes checked. We're gettin somewhere.

Thanks for all the suggestions and commentary on Facebook regarding my engagement party post. After talking to both parents again, and especially having a heart to heart with my parents I came to realize that I don't know a LOT about the ritual side of the Hindu religion. My preference with this puja was to keep it limited to the immediate family so that Saurab and I wouldn't get distracted and could pay attention to the "priest". I tend to always want to keep things small and private because I just don't like a lot of attention - it makes me feel uncomfortable. I never grew up around hoards of people, so I get easily overwhelmed when there are a lot of people I don't know very well and all the attention is on me. But, what I learned was that a puja is indeed a happy blessed occasion, and so you should have as many people around that would want to bless you. Hmmmm....never thought of it quite that way!

Between the dilemma of people being spread out everywhere across the US, and instinctively wanting to keep this small, I was going down an unconventional path. After learning the right way to do this thing, I now feel 110% comfortable with where we ended up:

Engagement Party will be on Oct. 10th in Chicago. My parents will fly in. His brother will fly in with his family. The rest of us (Saurab's parents, my brother, and us) are already here. We'll invite anyone in the family who is already in Chicago so that no one feels like they need to fly in. We'll do the puja in the morning, have lunch after at home after, then go to the botanical gardens and take proper engagement pictures with the infamous tree, and then go back to his parents house for a formal home dinner. AND - I will wear my sari!!!!! Yea!!!!

I am feeling really good about this now!

Now my only dilemma is that I might have to go to Paris the day before for work. I'll have to pull that off someway, be back in time and be awake no matter what Sat morning.

Next on the list....find a photographer for the engagement pictures. I'll take any recommendations on Chicago wedding photographers. You know I'll be choosy given that I am a photographer as well.

Also next on the list is to narrow down the venues in So Cal that our wonderful task force sent us and set up appointments for next week when we'll be in LA. Now THIS - I am really looking forward to!!!