Though same-sex marriage is legal in US, it’s not easy to find priests. But some are not just stepping in, they’re also giving rituals a modern update
For years, Jayesh Rathod hated going to weddings. He found them depressing as they reminded him of what he couldn’t have. “Weddings were just full of uncles and aunties asking when it would be my turn to get married,” says the law professor at American University.
Years later, when he met Mike Dowley and the two decided to get married, they were not even considering a Vedic wedding or a church one. It was only after speaking to Sapna Pandya, a pandita who has been officiating at weddings of queer couples in the US for a few years, that they realised their dream of a big, fat, desi wedding that could reflect both their cultures could come true.
Years later, when he met Mike Dowley and the two decided to get married, they were not even considering a Vedic wedding or a church one. It was only after speaking to Sapna Pandya, a pandita who has been officiating at weddings of queer couples in the US for a few years, that they realised their dream of a big, fat, desi wedding that could reflect both their cultures could come true.