I went to India to celebrate a friend's marriage. I have known her for a decade and had been waiting to travel to India until she could personally introduce me to the India where she grew up - and the wedding was the perfect chance to explore a country I've always longed to visit. I love interesting textiles, bright colors, and unique, intricate patterns, and India offers up all of those things in spades! I only had a few weeks to travel, which is never enough to explore a new place, let alone a huge, diverse and complicated country like India, but my trip gave me a glimpse and I can't wait to see and experience more.

This is how we were greeted upon arriving at the wedding venue, near Jaipur. Already the flowers, colors, and clothing was incredible!

My room at the old Colonial palace was so lovely, and filled with historic details. It was also the color of my room at home, so felt a little familiar!

Who wouldn't be inspired by a bathroom like that? Proof that millenial pink endures the test of time.

Part of the traditional Indian wedding ceremony involves the application of mehendi, the intricate henna patterns. The women who applied it were so quick and deft, and each pattern they applied was different. Here it is waiting to dry.

The groom arrived driven in this carriage, just a few dozen of the thousands of marigolds that adorned the venue.

The site of the lavish and lovely ceremony.

Henna and bangles galore! I loved all of the sequins and embellishments on everyone's wedding attire.

I got a vintage sari here in New York, but I needed help tying it and luckily, I had all the assistance I needed! I happened to coordinate with this gorgeous room at the palace, where we had chai, as one of the many wedding events.

Yet more! This is all inlaid. Incredible.

Even the hotel cat agrees that the palace is a sight to behold.

The wedding was filled with several days of joy, love, color, music, bangles, sequins, chai, marigolds, roses, new traditions, learning about the regions and the facets and history of each ceremony, and trying new foods (and dances)! It was a great way to kick off a trip to an amazing, complex country.

Lauren // Wandering Laur Fine Art