During 2013, Katie and Greg had the good fortune to travel to South Asia. In March, Katie visited Bali and in July and August, Greg visited India. On those trips, they each learned of the Hindu God Ganesha, who is believed to remove obstacles from our spiritual paths and protect the important beginnings of our lives. The couple met one month after Greg’s return, during the Festival of Ganesha, the largest Hindu festival in India. Today, September 19th, 2015 also falls during the Festival of Ganesha. On this day of beginnings, may he bless the union of Katie and Greg. Om shanti. Om shanti. Om shanti. Om.      

Text From Katie and Greg’s Wedding Program

The Festival of Ganesha, Ganesh Chaturthi, fell during during our wedding weekend. Thursday, September 17, 2015 was the date on the lunar calendar of particular significance for the Festival. On this day, millions of people who celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi immerse clay idols of Ganesha in bodies of water to honor Ganesha. In the Hindu context, the act of immersing the clay idol follows days of preparation, worship, and feasting. The immersed idols are allowed to dissolve in the body of water, thus releasing the spirit of Ganesha to the Universe. Immersion of the Ganesha idol is seen as an offering, an act of gratitude for blessing of our beginnings and removing obstacles from our path. We chose to have our wedding during this time of celebration.

In the spirit of Ganesh Chaturthi, we decided we would immerse Ganesha in Dupont Circle Fountain the Thursday night before the wedding. I had purchased a beautiful wooden Ganesha in Bali. The Ganesha sat (and still sits) proudly in our living room. This probably sounds strange to people that know Greg. He is a numbers guy who is more about logic and quantifiable things than Hindu elephant Gods. This probably sounds completely normal to people that know me. I write about wide-awakeness. I talk a lot about gratitude and mindfulness.

Ganesha became a symbol for the good things in our lives long before our wedding weekend. Our respective time in South Asia ushered in a new period of personal and professional growth for us both. Our relationship began during Ganesh Chaturthi in 2013. As we prepared to get married, taking a moment to acknowledge the significance of our blessed beginning and desire to move beyond the obstacles that block our path made sense to us.

So, following a Nationals baseball game we headed to the Dupont Circle Fountain. We tried not to think about the fact that there might be rules against people immersing elephant God idols in the fountain. Rules or not, we wanted to take a moment and be part of the millions celebrating Ganesha. We walked to the fountain, Ganesha in hand. Amidst rats and gentle laughter, we immersed Ganesha in the water. During that moment, I remember saying thank you, thank you, thank you a million times. I was flooded with a feeling of love and serenity. I looked down at the wet wooden Ganesha and felt a part of something bigger than I can explain. Bigger than our wedding. Bigger than Now. We had paused at the beginning of the wedding weekend festivities to say thank you, to look around at all that had been and would be, and ask for continued blessing for our journey.