A Special Wedding at New Vrindaban

Posted by Vrindavana Das
June 7, 2013

Bride and white peacock

by Lilasuka dasi

If you weren’t present at the Palace of Gold Rose Gardens on Sat. May 31, then you really missed something unique and stunning. The very first non-Hare Krishna wedding was held at this beautiful Hare Krishna location. Ryan and Janette, a very special, and friendly, open-minded local couple from Moundsville, WV, found the atmosphere so serene, and the surrounding landscape so inspiring, that they decided to be married at the Rose Garden behind the Palace of Gold at the New Vrindaban Hare Krishna community, located in the verdant, rolling hills near Moundsville, WV.

As the bride and groom walked in to the wedding arena, the crowd was cheering them to the chanting of Hare Krishna! The entire wedding party was amazed by the scenes that followed. The presiding priest, Gaura Natraj Das, directed the ceremony and clearly explained every ritual that he was performing, so that everyone would understand. He tastefully combined a unique blend of an Indian style wedding and a thoughtful, fun ceremony. The newlyweds walked seven times around the lotus water fountain at the center of the Rose Garden, and even engaged in some light-hearted competition to see which one could grab the wedding ring from a pot of water, and thereby be the “strongest”.

One guest described part of the scene: “The best men were so hot from dancing to the Hare Krsna mantra with their suits on, that they all threw their shoes off and jumped into the lotus pond, where they continued to dance. The ecstatic bride even joined in!”

Above the Palace Rose Garden

Another guest exclaimed, “There was never a dull moment at THIS wedding!”

The groom’s father called it “A great ceremony!”

One of the children declared, “This is the funnest wedding I’ve ever been to.”

There will no doubt be more of such unique wedding ceremonies at the beautiful Palace of Gold. Maybe the resident white peacock will even fan out its tail feathers for the next fortunate bride too.

All photos by Jason Lanier: www.jasonlanier.com