Women gather in the courtyard of Garima Upadhya’s parents’ home in Gorakhpur, India, to perform a ceremony in which wheat is ground. This was one of six days of ceremonies leading up to her wedding to Vishal Choubey. (Swati Pandey / Los Angeles Times)
By Indian custom, the brides hands and feet were painted with an intricate design in henna. (Swati Pandey / Los Angeles Times)
Two guards flank the entrance to the wedding grounds at the Railway Club in Gorakhpur, India, before the final night’s ceremony. (Swati Pandey / Los Angeles Times)
The bride, groom and their party partake of a wedding night dinner. A family astrologer had recommended the date and advised that it start after 10 p.m. and conclude before 4 a.m. Garima’s father found Vishal through distant relatives. He looked better in person than in photographs, Garima said, recalling that first meeting. (Swati Pandey / Los Angeles Times)
