Melissa Riel and Shan Jaffar Wed

Melissa and Shan Jaffar in India.

Melissa Anne Riel, of Fort Worth, Texas and Shan Jaffar of Houston, Texas, were married Saturday, June 9, 2007 at Ste. Anne's Church, officiated by Father Dan Scheidt of South Bend, Indiana.

The bride is the daughter of Victoria and Richard Riel of South Bend, Indiana, and her mother was reared on Mackinac Island. She wore an a-line, sweetheart, beaded bodice wedding gown in ivory taffeta with a short sweeping train by Maggie Sottero. She carried a bouquet of Lily of the Valley, hydrangeas, lilacs, and ivy.

Kim Masse of Petersburough, New Hampshire, served as the maid of honor, accompanied by the groom's sister, Shehnaz Kataria of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. They wore chocolate brown taffeta dresses with ivory sashes.

The groom is the son of M.A. and Nashima Jaffar of Madras, India.

Ashish Rathour of Rochester, New York, was the best man and Kiran Gyr of Dallas was the groomsman.

Vases of lilacs, purple hydrangeas, and ivy spray were on the steps of the altar. Bows and lilac bouquets were on the first pews. Ashlie Webb of Grand Hotel was the harpist.

Shan and Melissa Jaffar on Mackinac Island. (Photograph by Jeffrey Dupre)

A cocktail reception was held on the porch of Grand Hotel, with music provided by a hotel jazz trio.

Guests traveled from South Bend, Indiana, Pennsylvania, California, Virginia, Texas, Michigan, New York, India, and Germany.

The couple had a July 11 Muslim ceremony in South Bend, Indiana, with a reception held in Channai, Madras, India, June 25.

The Mehandi ceremony, called Henna, took place at the Emeraldo Hotel in Chennai. A Henna ceremony, the decorative dying of the hands, took place Sunday, June 24.

In an Indian wedding reception, the bride and groom greet guests while sitting under a floral bower on a raised platform. The wedding couple is given gifts of a more personal nature than in the United States. The bride receives beautiful saris and gold rings and necklaces, while the groom receives watches, gold jewelry, or money. After each family group is received, the guests are invited to a buffet dinner followed by traditional Indian dancing.

The couple and the bride's parents spent the next week visiting spots in Southern India. The bride and groom are now residing in Texas.

The bride received a Bachelors of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University and is in her second year of law school at Texas Wesleyan at Fort Worth.

The groom received a degree in computer science and three-dimensional animation from Andrew's University, and a master's in three dimensional animation medical visualization from Texas A & M. He is employed at Blausen Medical in Houston as a senior animator.