When: Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Where: The Marquis Ballroom at Nemacolin
1001 Lafayette Dr
Farmington, PA
Please join us in celebrating the newlyweds, Suchismita "Mita" Andrews-Gangopadhyay, and Richard "Rick" Andrews-Gangopadhyay.
Indian or Western formal attire. Please no white or red.
Please find details below.
The Marquis Ballroom at the Chateau at Nemacolin
The reception will begin with cocktails outside the ballroom, an hour or so after the wedding ceremony, allowing guests to make it back to the Chateau after the wedding ceremony.
A celebration of a union of the newlyweds and their friends and family
Wedding receptions started as practical “after-rites” to feed out-of-town guests, yet each culture sprinkled in quirks that still spark laughter today:
Punjabi parties famously turned into impromptu bhangra show-downs—legend says one 19-th-century village tried to out-dance its rivals so long that the drummer fainted, birthing the modern DJ swap-outs between sets.
In Bengal, hosts once placed an entire hilsa fish on a tray to prove their wealth; when a miserly uncle produced a minnow instead, relatives teased him so relentlessly that today families hide a novelty toy fish in the buffet for luck.
Irish receptions inherited the medieval custom of breaking bread over the bride’s head for fertility; to avoid crumbs in her hair, clever bridesmaids began switching the loaf for sponge cake—giving us the first “smash-cake” gag. Dutch Calvinist feasts, short on alcohol, encouraged guests to steal the groom’s shoe (a ritual also found in Indian traditions - and most probably occurring at this wedding too); he could only reclaim it by reciting a Bible verse—modern couples upgrade the prank by demanding a karaoke number.
Whether through fish, footwear, or foot-stomping, these festive add-ons remind the newlyweds (and their guests) that laughter is as sacred a glue as any solemn vow.