Sam and Liz Grover-Our Wedding in Portland

On August 16th, Sam and I were married in Portland, Oregon at the Movement Center, a spiritual center of meditation & yoga that comes from the lineage of Baghwan Nityananda.  It was better than I ever thought a wedding could be with its beauty and simplicity. (See some pics here)

Sam had a traditional Indian outfit and I fashioned a fiery orange silk dress that was made in Cambodia by a family that has their own silk farm.  We were married in the meditation hall with paintings of Shiva, Bodhisattvas, Padmasambhava, and Buddha.  There were also statues of Nityananda and Rudrananda, some of my favorite master spirits/guides. 

The ceremony was perfect and short: no long-winded talks.  Everything that was said had great meaning.  Sam made a speech saying why he loved me and it totally made me cry.  I too made a speech professing my love.  It was quite moving.  Swami Prakashananda performed the ceremony and what he had to say about love and marriage was very touching; he did an amazing job for his first wedding ceremony ever.

Many of our friends were there-some of my friends from the ashram and around Portland.  Sam’s friends were there–some from his days at PSU, his Flickr circle, and from when he first came to Portland.  The best part for me was that my parents showed up; this was the first time they visited me here in Portland and the first time my mom came out west.  They were here for over a week and we had so much fun.  We even took a chairlift up Mount Hood two days before the wedding =)

After the ceremony we took as much downtime as we possibly could and then went on to Alexis Restaurant where we ate kebab, hummus, among other Greek treats and even saw a belly dancer.  After, we raged into the night at the Someday Lounge where Bollywood music filled the air.  How fitting  

Finally and thankfully, our night ended at Pala.  Everyone really cut loose (see pics and laugh here), so I don’t think it would have been safe for our livers if we had decided to continue.  

We had our wedding in Portland for those who could not make it to India.  We are now preparing for that wedding which will be on December 10th in New Delhi.  This will be a slightly different and more traditional format that will go on for more than one day.  

We have not had a honeymoon yet, but will take it after the Indian wedding. We are going to one of my favorite places in the world: Bali!  Can’t wait!!!

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P.S. It should be noted that even though Sam and I didn’t date until last year, I met with him once for tea during the time I stopped in Portland between my trips to Afghanistan and Cambodia.  I thought to myself how it was a nice time and how I could see myself with him. It was a passing thought that fled within the blink of an eye.  Funny how things worked out all these years later =)