[Travel Advice] India (Jaipur Wedding)

Short, but eventful trip to India for a 2 day, 5 party wedding

Dec 24, 2025

Random Observation/Comment #916: I wonder if my parties will ever be this cool.

//Good times all around

This was a bit of a puzzling post to write in my standard travel advice format because the majority of time was spent at this incredibly lavish, White Lotus-style surreal wedding. (Congrats to Parth and Twisha!)

TBH, this overall trip to India was way too short given the 24hr+ commutes and jet lag, but this is just how we roll. Holy crap, what an epic wedding.

With that said, I do want to post some of the awesome detailed planning and the three other days where we just wandered around with a food tour, Fort tour, and a Mumbai night (which I didn’t attend).

Things to Prep

The Golden Rule - Plan this trip with an Indian friend. This will solve 90% of your problems.

Visas - Make sure to get your Indian visa early. Do not wait on this. I did feel a bit awkward emailing my passport photo. This system is so outdated and it’s probably constantly hacked. https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival/

Clothing (Kurtas) - You can buy your Indian wedding clothes (kurtas) in India if you prep enough time and your size is fairly standard. It’ll be like $20 instead of the $200+ you’ll find at specialty places back home. Just accept that now that you own a kurta, you’ll probably never wear it again except for Diwali. Remember to use the laundry service to get it ironed before the wedding.

Cash - Bring around $20 USD per day in cash. It makes life easier for small vendors and tips. The cash you’ll actually use it probably closer to $5 a day.

Health & Hygiene

Water - Drink bottled water. No ice with mixed drinks. Same Mexico rules apply. You don’t want to get “Delhi belly.”
Crocs - Don’t pack Crocs. The dust/sand doesn’t really get out of the inside of the shoes. Trust me. It’s pretty gross.

Haggling - If you want to haggle, you can, but just know that Indians are super aggressive and it may be quite difficult to even walk away.

Things to be Aware Of

The Chaos

Honking - There’s a lot of honking. When I say a lot, I mean incessant to the point where your brain starts to block the sound out as white noise. The drivers will just honk for no reason (hey, I know him), and other times for the most important reasons (hey, I’m about to crash into you). It’s likely a force of habit.
Pedestrians - I’m pretty sure I was about to get run over many times walking on streets because there’s no sidewalks (or the sidewalks are being taken up by random cars parked onto them). I think traffic is just as bad because people just jaywalk everywhere with no regard for life preservation.

Traffic - If it wasn’t obvious from the previous two statements, the traffic is horrendous. Try traveling between 3-5AM for best results. In Mumbai, it took almost an hour to go 2 miles. I think it’s much worse than NYC traffic. At least there are traffic lights and people who pay attention to them in NYC.
Dust - It’s generally quite dusty. The roads don’t really seal in the dirt so the pavement just kind of stops, and wind leads to more dirt getting blown around.
Huge social class difference - There’s absolutely an unbelievable social gap. It’s a very dense country with not a lot of places to hide poverty.
“Final call” - Because there’s such a social norm of breaking rules and probably being late, the reaction is for standard flights to rush people with “final call” boarding announcements way too early.

The Food

Expectations - You may think you like Indian food because you order palak paneer at home, but you’re totally going to be pleasantly surprised. Just be prepared to eat something completely different and delicious. Now I ask for sambar and idli.
Spice - There’s some unexpected spiciness in the best way possible. I really enjoy the depths of flavor ands subtle tamarind notes. I did desire some acid, but there were dishes that delivered.
Ingredients - Lots of nuts and dairy in the stews, but the dairy outside of the US is really not a lactose intolerance problem. Man I love a good rice and stew combination. I honestly didn’t take that many photos of my plates of food because they were very much buffet plates.

Logistics

Scale - India is huge with lots of states, so you’ll need to clarify where you are going. The culture per state is pretty drastic as well. It’s like saying “I’m going to Europe.”
Driving - Don’t drive in India unless you’ve grown up driving in this country because it is wild. Car rentals include a driver and usually have recommendations with tour guides.
Hotels - Book a nicer hotel if you can. I think it’s worth the extra amenities. Also remember to stay some place closer to the airport because you will likely have a stressful commute.

Itinerary

Parth and Twisha Wedding

I’m only writing this part in detail because I want to share the traditional breakdown of parties and what they mean. For this particular wedding, it was such a unique combination of Northern and Southern traditions. It was also super baller, so I’m writing to share some photos and memories.

Check-in, Lunch, and Mehendi (Henna party)

What it is: This is typically one of the first events. It’s a casual, colorful gathering where the bride has intricate henna patterns applied to her hands and feet. Female guests usually get henna done on their hands. (I got some done on my palms for fun).
The Vibe: It’s basically a massive social hour. Expect bright decor, folk songs, and a lot of sitting around while the henna dries.
Advice: If you get henna done, you effectively lose the use of your hands for about an hour. Eat and go to the bathroom before you sit down for the artist.

Baraat (Groom’s Procession)

What it is: The groom’s arrival at the wedding venue. It’s a huge parade on a horse (or elephant, or in our case convertible), surrounded by his friends and family (the Baraatis) who dance their way to the entrance to the beat of Dhol drums. It’s super fun to see the Baraatis stop the groom from getting to the first look. This parade took 2 hours.
The Vibe: Pure, chaotic hype. It’s loud, rhythmic, and happens right in the street or driveway of the venue.
Advice: Jump in and dance. You don’t need to know the moves. I liked matching the energy of the drummers (which are honestly really loud).

Varmala (The Garland Exchange)

What it is: The first time the bride and groom face each other on the actual wedding day. They exchange fresh flower garlands (Varmalas) to symbolize their acceptance of one another.
The Vibe: It’s playful but symbolic. Often, the bride and groom’s friends will lift them up on their shoulders to make it difficult for the other person to put the garland on—it turns into a mini-competition.
Advice: This is a prime photo op. Get a good viewing spot because it happens relatively quickly compared to the rest of the ceremony.

Wedding rituals

What it is: The ceremony itself in this case had both the Northern and Southern traditions. I didn’t really understand it, but it was cool throwing petals on the bride and groom to celebrate.

Reception, Dinner, and After party

What it is: I didn’t realize that most weddings do not put alcohol front and center. In this case, they had a room in the hotel that just served hard liquor on the side. It was a nice solution and also a great view of the whole event.

Poolside Brunch for Toasts

What it is: This was a unique addition to give the bridesmaids and groomsmen a chance to give their toasts. It was quite lovely that there was a dedicated 3 hour poolside event for this.

Starry Sangeet (The Musical Night)

(Note: This is usually before the actual wedding rituals, but I think this worked out really well having the dancing and drinks to 6AM at the end)

What it is: A massive pre-wedding dance party. “Sangeet” literally means music. This is where the two families come together for a night of performances.
The Vibe: It’s like a Bollywood dance-off combined with a talent show. Family members and friends perform choreographed dances (sometimes practiced for months). It usually turns into an open dance floor with a live band and DJ later on.
Advice: This is often the most fun night of the multi-day affair. The energy is high, and the alcohol is usually flowing.

Jaipur Food tour

We booked this tour through Airbnb Experience. It’s overpriced, but the it was a private tour guide and he was super friendly. The total amount of food he bought was probably less than $10.

Ram Namkeen Bhandar - The Papdi Chaat / Dahi Bhalla I had here was really good. Crispy fried dough wafers (papdi) topped with cool yogurt (dahi), chickpeas, tangy tamarind chutney, and spicy green chutney. There was also a Kadhi Kachori which is a crushed kachori (fried pastry) drowned in Kadhi, a spiced yogurt-based yellow gravy. It’s a typical Rajasthani breakfast. I realized that most of what I was going to eat on this food tour was a mixture of textures from fried samosas mixed with really flavorful savory or sweet stews.

Lassiwala - This place is famous for lassi. I didn’t know that I would really enjoy a savory lassi. The traditional clay cups called kulhads are cool. The “Makhaniya” version of lassi I had has a dollop of butter or cream (malai) on top.

Ajmeri Gate - Less of a food stop and more of a historical walking context point.

Sardar Ji Lassi Sharbat - I don’t know what I ate, but it had some crispies and combinations of potatoes and sweet chutney.

Sahu Restaurant - Apparently a super famous place for chai. I personally loved the depth of flavor and spices.

Samrat Restaurant - Small restaurant with some tourists. Really delicious dosa wrap and a spicy green sauce. Aloo Tikki chaat is a fried potato patty topped with chickpea curry (chole), green chutney, and sev served in a leaf bowl (pattal).

GC Dairy Chach & Makhan - Great ending point for dessert. It’s Kesar Rabri flavored with saffron. The Rabri is a thickened, sweetened milk with layers of cream (same cream at the top of the lassi).

Must Try Restaurants

Sri Moturam Prasadam - This was close to the Holiday Inn hotel and included these leaf bowls. great portions for sharing and dipping.

Baradari Restaurant and Bar ($$$, needs a reservation) - Grateful to have been able to come here and hang out with friends on a beautiful night. It’s expensive, but the vibes are on point.

Spice in Club Mahindra Resort -

Okra at the Marriott - Best breakfast at a hotel I’ve had in a long time. There was just so much delicious food. Highly recommended.

Amer Fort

Beautiful inside 45 minute tour. I really enjoyed going around sundown because the lights made the Mirror Palace (Sheesh Mahal) shine. Our drive took us all the way to the top of the fort. I don’t think the jeeps were necessary.

Hotels from the trip

Stay in Jaipur for wedding: Holiday Inn Jaipur Citer Centre - This isn’t your typical Holiday Inn! Great central location and really pretty rooms.

Jaipur Marriott Hotel - We stayed here before our flight back to Mumbai on Air India Express in the morning because we didn’t want to risk the morning commute traffic. This is, in general, a good strategy for morning airport commutes. This is one of the nicest Marriott’s I’ve seen.

Mumbai for a Day

Stay: Hyatt Centric Juhu Mumbai

This is still around a 45 minute drive from airport even though it looks pretty close on the map. I would highly recommend planning for a long commute unless you’re driving between 3-5AM. The traffic is horrendous.

The commute from Juhu to downtown financial district Mumbai took around an hour and we got lucky taking the Coastal Road. Overall quite beautiful.