At the end of the day, my friend and I went to the Our Lady of Penha de Franca Church for the Goan wedding we had come to attend. My friend had warned me that traditional Goan weddings don’t serve dinner until very late at night before I even got to Goa. I was mentally prepared, but physically I wasn’t. However, I had no idea I would have so much fun.

I had never seen anything like what was happening in front of us. Because I have spent the majority of my life in Mangalore, I have witnessed weddings of people of various religions. Due to the fact that a significant portion of the Mangalorean Catholic community has its roots in Goa, I had always assumed that the histories of Goans and Mangaloreans were intertwined. However, this wedding demonstrated how distinct our cultures truly are. Except for chow-time, the bridal march, which is a procession of couples led by the bridal couple to the dance floor, and the baila session, which is Portuguese for dance, invitees are seated for the majority of the reception at Mangalorean Catholic weddings.