My FH and I are having an Indian (Telugu/South Indian) / American fusion wedding. We plan to have a Hindu ceremony (shortened version), then cocktail hour (where we change outfits), then American ceremony followed by a reception all in the same day. Part of the Hindu ceremony is jeelakarra bellam where a thick paste/patty of cumin and jageery is placed on each others head. This is a significant part of the ceremony (where the couple are officially considered together/inseparable) and we would like to include it, but unsure how to not have it mess with my hair for the subsequent American ceremony. Anyone with similar issue and how they dealt with this or any ideas would be appreciated.
Possible options we thought of so far:
Placing some saran wrap over the paste/patty before putting it on my head so it doesn't get into the hair (but unsure how this will look in photos)
Preparing the patty and have photos of it in the hands but removing it before placing the hand on the head (but this seems like you are not actually doing the ceremony then)
Having a cloth covering over my hair that is then removed after (but traditionally hair is in braid or bun without covering)
Or lastly, to wash and restyle hair in between ceremonies (but may be difficult with timing and paying the hairstylist extra to stay to do my hair twice)
For reference, I am Caucasian and have blonde hair. Planned to have same hairstyle for the whole day if able to.
Thanks for your help!
PS. Shout out to anyone planning a fusion wedding between two cultures! So far it has definitely been more work and logistics, but is a great celebration of both cultures and families coming together. Happy wedding planning!
