There were 3 wedding cars parked outside Stockport Town Hall when I walked past on Saturday afternoon. Nothing unusual about that: the Town Hall looks like a wedding cake itself & is a very popular wedding venue.
The traditional ribbons on 2 of the cars were red.
Only the chauffeurs were outside, the ceremony was obviously still in progress inside. So I had no sight of the happy couple or their guests.
But it reminded me of a scene I saw on another sunny Saturday afternoon from the window of a bus as we passed through Longsight.
Four or five nervous-looking young Asian men standing on the pavement. Brushed & scrubbed & dressed in dark formal lounge suits. An older man fussing around, bearded & be-turbaned. A tiny elderly lady in a sari sitting in one of the two parked cars.
Both cars were adorned with wedding ribbons. Not white (or, possibly, pink) as I would have expected, but red. The colour of Indian weddings.
I just thought That is the kind of multiculturalism I like to see. Mix & match blending, adaptation to changed circs, whatever you feel comfortable with.
The traditional ribbons on 2 of the cars were red.
Only the chauffeurs were outside, the ceremony was obviously still in progress inside. So I had no sight of the happy couple or their guests.
But it reminded me of a scene I saw on another sunny Saturday afternoon from the window of a bus as we passed through Longsight.
Four or five nervous-looking young Asian men standing on the pavement. Brushed & scrubbed & dressed in dark formal lounge suits. An older man fussing around, bearded & be-turbaned. A tiny elderly lady in a sari sitting in one of the two parked cars.
Both cars were adorned with wedding ribbons. Not white (or, possibly, pink) as I would have expected, but red. The colour of Indian weddings.
I just thought That is the kind of multiculturalism I like to see. Mix & match blending, adaptation to changed circs, whatever you feel comfortable with.
For no other reason than that this is a piece about weddings I am posting one of my favourite holiday snaps. It was taken from the window of a taxi speeding through Bombay traffic on another sunny (& very hot) Saturday afternoon. The horse galloping alongside should have been carrying a bridegroom to the home of his bride, but he had other ideas & managed to bolt.
It is a miracle that the survived for the length of time he was in our view. I do not know what was his ultimate fate.
Bon mot: Pink is the navy blue of India - Diana Vreeland
