Now for the grand finale of the Asia trip!! And the most important part, because the adventure to India is what made this whole Asia trip happen in the first place. Jeremy invited me to his friend's wedding in India, which just so happened to be a couple of weeks after Hannah was going to China for work, which is why I ended up meeting her in Hong Kong, traveling around with her, and then finally heading to India for the big wedding. 

India was definitely on my list of places I wanted to go; I just didn’t think it would happen so soon in life! Nor did I imagine it happening as our first big trip together. If we can make it through India, I think we can make it through just about any trip!

November 24, 2025

I ended up in India before Jeremy, so of course, I thought I was going to get kidnapped on my journey to the hotel. Spoiler alert ... I didn’t get kidnapped on my private hotel shuttle to the Shangri-La. It’s crazy how that works, but you know what, I’m still going to think I’m getting kidnapped on my next journey, and the one after that. Some things just never change. 

I got to the hotel around 10 pm, and Jeremy was supposed to arrive around 3 am. BUT his flight was CANCELLED because of a literal volcano eruption in Ethiopia ... a volcano that hadn't gone off in 10,000 years just happened to go off at that very moment. So, we were both very sad, and I did not leave the hotel for the next 32 hours of Jeremy’s endless travels. Guy had a TOUGHHH journey to India.

November 25 

JEREMY ARE YOU HERE YET

November 26

The man arrived at 8 am sharp a few days later. To which the hotel called my room, waking me up to the best news ever, and asked, “Ms. Matthews, can we let Mr. Seward into the room?” Wow, this security is immaculate. To think I thought I was going to get kidnapped on my way here.

Of course, I said, “Let the king up!”

Then we simply had the best morning ever. We caught up on his treacherous journey; he told me all about the friends he met from the cancelled flight to India during their extended layover in Amsterdam. We enjoyed a delicious hotel breakfast. The hotel breakfast at the Shangri-La was incredible; it had literally anything you could imagine. You could sit there for hours, eating your heart away, which is exactly what we did each morning, and chatted each other's ears off. 

I’m not sure how Jeremy was still surviving the jet lag at this point, but we ventured out to shop for wedding attire with another couple. This was our first journey out of the Shangri-La and into Bangalore, so it was a bit overwhelming. We didn’t know exactly what we were doing or what we were looking for at that point. 

First, Jeremy tried on some insanely expensive menswear from the first shop. No purchases here, but he looked so dang dapper (SEE PICS ABOVE). Afterwards, I ended up getting a pink lehenga for the Sangeeth. Then Jere found all his wedding attire in one fell swoop at the next shop. It’s easy for him because there are only so many options that fit a man that tall in India. 

Then we got our first authentic Indian meal! We went to a place called Paragon, and it was delicious and inexpensive. We ate until we couldn’t no more, then went back to the hotel and called it a day. 

November 27

The next day was our first wedding event. It was the Haldi and Mehendi at the bride’s family home. The description of the event was “a joyful tradition where families and friends apply a turmeric paste to the bride and groom. This ritual is believed to purify and protect their bodies ahead of the wedding ceremony in the days to come.”

It was a long bus journey to the house, but this was such a fun event. The Haldi ceremony with the turmeric was so beautiful and interesting to experience. Afterwards, we enjoyed a traditional South Indian meal served on a banana leaf, which I just Google’d to discover is called a Sadya.

After lunch, we selected a bunch of bangles to wear to the upcoming events and got stunning henna tattoos on our hands. This day had lots of activities, music, dancing, and meeting the rest of the wedding guests.

November 28

Jere and I ventured on our Shangri-La tuk-tuk back to Commercial Street to shop for more wedding attire. It was still overwhelming, but I felt ever so slightly more confident about what I was looking for. I found a gorgeous orange and gold saree for the wedding ceremony on the final day. 

Then we took another tuk-tuk to lunch at Kebabs & Kurries, which I hadn’t realized was in a fancy hotel when I found it, so it was a much more expensive meal than anticipated. But it was one of my favorite meals of the trip, and the servers were so friendly. They took one look at me and kindly offered “the lady a butter chicken.” How’d they know?

In the evening, the groom’s family hosted a cooking class for all the guests at the Shangri-La, which was quite convenient for us and really fun. It was honestly less of a cooking class than expected and more of a demonstration of sorts, followed by a ginormous meal from the Shangri-La’s fancy Indian restaurant, Ssaffron. 

November 29

Time for the Sangeeth! I don’t think Jere and I did anything this day up until the Sangeeth because there's zero camera footage. We definitely took advantage of resting time on this trip, and it was heavenly.

It was a JOURNEY to the Sangeeth destination on the bus, but it was so much fun to dress in traditional attire. The event was a night full of games, dancing, eating, and chatting. Jere and I spent a lot of time in the hall chatting, because we besties and we have the best chats. 

November 30

This day was amazing. Jere and I went to the gym together, then we got an amazing spa treatment with a lil romantic bath, a facial, and a massage. I had the time of my life. Jere, on the other hand, was a bit stressed out by the multi-hour spa service, understandably so.

We enjoyed a late lunch at the hotel, rested up, then got ready for the wedding reception. The reception was the biggest event of the wedding. The venue was a large outdoor space, with tons of guests and a bunch of food stations. The bride looked absolutely stunning, and the guests lined up to get photos with her and the groom! 

After the reception, a bunch of us went to the rooftop bar at the Shangri-La. 

December 1

Finally, we made it to the wedding ceremony! The ceremony was early in the morning at the same venue as the reception. Jere and I dressed up in our finest attire and strapped in for a very long ceremony. We got lots of pictures, hung out with the crew, and ate another banana leaf lunch. 

I have no idea what Jere and I did after this event. We were so exhausted from the morning that perhaps we just napped the day away, as we always deserve.

Oh, now I remember what we did! The groom's family hosted an amazing cocktail hour at the Taj West End hotel. The drinks and apps were incredible, and we got to say our goodbyes to most of the guests.   

December 2

On our final day in Bangalore, we had a slow morning, packed up our bags, and tried to sort out a bunch of travel shenanigans. Then, we spent the day with another couple and did some last-minute gift shopping for family. 

I really wanted to get some silk fabrics for my sewing adventures, so we popped into a few silk shops. It took me a while to choose what I wanted, and it was all very overwhelming once again. Every time I’d ask a question, the shop employees would unfold a ton of options across the table, which just made me feel stressed and guilty that they'd have to fold all those silks back up! BUT, I finally landed on two gorgeous options that I will eventually turn into something. I could not be more grateful for Jere’s patience in moments like these. 

Once we were all shopped out, we found our way to a Burmese restaurant called Burma Burma that was amazing. We each enjoyed multiple teas and simply too much food. 

Finally, we ended the trip relaxing at the Shangri-La until we needed to leave for our 2 am flight. I wasted time walking in the gym and getting one last massage :) 

This trip was one for the books, and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it with anyone else.