Hindu Marriage Honors Family Tradition in Kissimmee

June 12, 2005

Source: Orlando Sentinel

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/osceola/orl-ocohindu12061205jun12,0,816427.story?coll=orl-news-headlines-osceola

On June 12, 2005 the Orlando Sentinel reported, "when newly married Shivani Lad, 25, sent out her wedding invitations two months ago, the first invitation went to the Hindu god Shrinathji. The ornately decorated gray-blue invitation was embossed in silver with the elephant deity Ganesh, a god whom Hindus pray to before any good deed or ceremony. As is the custom, one invitation was delivered to the Hindu temple first and then to specific family members in a certain order before being sent out en masse. Formerly Shivani Patel, Lad was wed to Yateen Lad, 30, on May 28 after a two-hour traditional Hindu ceremony at the Radisson Worldgate Resort near Kissimmee. More than 600 family members and friends from Orlando, Kissimmee and Tampa attended, plus family from across the United States, Canada, England, Africa and India. The invitation was the first step in an extensive array of ceremonies and rituals that took place before and during the event. Lad, who was born in Kenya and reared in the United States, said having a Hindu wedding was a way to keep her Indian heritage and its traditions alive."