Thursday November 22nd: Welcome dinner with all arriving guests and family in the evening.
Friday November 23rd: Free day to explore Chandigarh: shopping for outfits and city tour of the famous city designed by the French architect Le Corbusier. Visit the: Nek Chand Fantasy Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, or Government Museum & Art Gallery. Also located a short 22 km away are the Pinjore Gardens which are an example of the beautiful Mughal Garden style. ***My dad can arrange an 8 hr/80km private taxi for different groups at a very reasonable day rate of approx 1000 rupees ($20). - Shopping recs: Gulati Textiles - Sector 17 (expensive area) - Sector 22 -Sector 34 shopping mall just adjacent to JW Marriott - Spa recs: Sector 17 More info at: http://www.chandigarh.co.uk/tourist-attractions/index.html
Saturday November 24th: - Daytime: Shopping/spa day for the girls. - Evening: Sangeet (Pre-wedding party): singing/dancing/music/ Mehndi hand and feet painting ceremony. Along with the bride to be, all ladies are welcome to have their hands and feet done in Mehndi/Henna on this day. There is no dress code, both female and male guests are welcome to wear business casual or casual indian outfits (salwar/kameez/kurta). Ruby will be wearing an Indian outfit.
Sunday November 25th: 10 am Baraat (Indian Wedding Processional) at entrance of gurdwara 11 am Anand Karaj, Tradition Sikh marriage ceremony: Gurdwara Nabha Sahib, Zirakpur, India with post wedding reception to follow at the Ashok Chandigarh hotel
Dress code: female guests are encouraged to wear an Indian outfit (salwar/kameez/saree or lengha), all guests will need to have their head covered when entering the temple (will be provided if you do not have your own) Late afternoon: Traditional ceremony of the new bride leaving her family's home to join her husband and her new family. Evening: relax, time on your own
Monday November 26th: AM:Free time to explore Chandigarh to explore the city or to go visit one of the many shopping areas/ salons/spas PM: Formal Wedding Reception at the JW Marriott in Chandigarh (7pm-11pm)
START OUR VISIT TO THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE Plan to budget approximately max $150 per person/per day for hotel, transport, breakfast, guides, and food. (Shopping, admission to sites, and lunch/dinner excluded)!
Tuesday November 27th:Chandigarh - Jaipur Leave at 9am to the Chandigarh airport to board a domestic flight to Jaipur, the "pink city" in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Afternoon visit to the Royal Palace and Hawa Mahal. Evening: Time for shopping and visiting the local restaurant for music and dancing. Overnight: Jaipur
Wednesday November 28th: Jaipur- Agra Breakfast and then our favorite: elephant ride up to Amber Fort. Travel to Agra and the Taj Mahal by way of Fatehpur Sikri (approx 6-7 hr). Evening time for shopping.
Thursday November 29th: Agra-New Delhi Visit Taj Mahal at sunrise when the Taj glows a pretty pink color Visit Agra Fort and Mahtab Bagh Park Some time for shopping Drive to New Delhi (approx 5 hrs) Overnight: New Delhi
Friday November 30th: New Delhi New Delhi: Full day tour for last minute shopping and exploring-- India Gate, Bahai Lotus Temple, Capitol building and other landmarks, visit to Chandni Chowk for shopping and finally drop everyone to the airport.
FLIGHT HOME: You may choose to fly out either Friday EVENING (8PM- midnight) or after midnight on Saturday December 1, 2012. They recommend being at the airport 4.5 hours before your flight, so the later that night, the better. If you leave Friday night, you will have 2 full weekend days back home to rest/relax/recover before work on Monday! Of course, those wedding guests of ours with limited vacation can leave at any point after Monday night and then arrive back in the US by Tuesday! If you'd like to extend your trip, let us know and we have plenty of tips on other incredible places to visit in India.