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A double dose of wedded bliss

By AMY BENTLEY, Photos courtesy of ROD and LEAH VARGAS of Ewed Photography, www.ewed.org

Most brides hope to have a dream wedding one day. Last fall, bindi Crawford got to have hers twice on the same day — and her two dream weddings will be televised for the entire nation to see.

Bindi (Patel) Crawford married her boyfriend of 10 years, Jared Crawford, twice on Nov. 28, first in a traditional Hindu/indian ceremony to honor bindi's heritage, then in a traditional American ceremony. the weddings were filmed for a segment on the style Network reality show, "Whose Wedding is it Anyway?" the newlyweds don't get to see the show before it airs, tentatively in May. they didn't receive any compensation other than the services of two wedding planners, complements of the network that helped pull everything together.

"We have featured indian weddings in the past, and they are some of the most aesthetically ornate to watch, but never quite like this," said taylor Hennessy, manager of current programming for the style Network. "bindi and Jared had a wedding day that was almost 24 hours long. this episode should really stand out as one of the most beautiful and entertaining." the newlyweds are still on cloud nine.

"There is nothing I would redo or do differently," said Bindi, 28, who lives with her husband in La Habra. "I got the weddings of my dreams." Added Jared, "It was a crazy day running around, but to be honest, I didn't feel tired.

It was just, 'go go go.' " Here's how the big day went: The ceremonies were held on the lawn at Diamond Bar Center. All 360 guests were invited to all of the festivities. With the TV camera rolling, the Indian wedding ceremony began at 10 a.m. and lasted about two hours. Bindi wore a red Indian sari with gold beading and the sheer, embroidered material was lined with silk.

Jared made his entry up the hill on a white horse, wearing a traditional Indian outfit with a long coat. Guests had to say who they were there for — the bride or groom. If they were for the groom, they met Jared at the horse. Bindi's guests waited with her parents on the lawn.

"The groom's guests came in hootin' and hollering, and basically they are saying they support this wedding," Bindi said.

The guests then gathered at the canopy on a platform where the parties stood for the ceremony. Prayers were said, then Jared and Bindi walked around a small fire several times (a Hindu ritual), and were blessed by her family.

"It was very traditional," said Bindi, who is Hindu and whose husband was raised Catholic.

The couple gave non-Indian guests a program to explain the Indian rituals.

Next came a buffet-style lunch featuring Indian-Chinese cuisine, then an afternoon break in the festivities. Bindi and Jared had booked several rooms at the Ayres Hotel in Diamond Bar so guests could have a place to change their clothes and rest.

The American ceremony was from 4:15 to 4:45 p.m. Jared wore a tuxedo and Bindi wore an A-line ivory strapless gown and had her hair and makeup re-done.

"It was like a fairy tale to wear that dress.

I'm Indian so I never thought I would wear a dress like that," she said.

For the evening reception and dinner party, Bindi changed into a custom-made, white and purple, hand-beaded silk outfit. Guests dined on Indian and American food and enjoyed a four-tiered wedding cake.

Jared said guests told him they loved the Hindu ceremony, and found it "amazing" and more interesting than the traditional American wedding.

Both ceremonies were colorful and the flowers were beautiful, said Jared's mom, Regina Crawford.

"It was nice to be able to see the similarities in what they were pledging in the Indian ceremony and what they were pledging in the traditional American ceremony," she added, referring to the virtues of fidelity, trust, forgiveness and raising whole

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