Blissful union twice as blessed for Northampton’s Flynn Drage and Punjabi Jasmeet Flora

It was a wedding to end all weddings. In fact, it was two weddings ... and much, much more. Punjabi Jasmeet Flora and Aussie Flynn Drage were married in a Sikh ceremony — an Anand Karaj — at a Drummond Cove house on Friday. A day later, vows were exchanged and a reception held at a Northampton property. “We wanted to have two weddings to honour our traditions and customs; I don’t think either would have felt married if we didn’t do that,” Mr Drage said. He said he had to learn a lot about Indian tradition and customs to marry the girl of his dreams ... who he met in a Geraldton watering hole named after a beast. “I’m just a fella from Northampton, a surveyor who’s spent much time solo in the scrub, so I’ve had to learn plenty,” Mr Drage said. “Jasmeet was born in Nairobi and has lived in Sydney and Perth. “There was probably Sikh hawkers travelling through Northampton in the pioneering days when the Drage family were establishing land there.” Friday’s ceremony began with a colourful chanting street procession. Mr Drage was welcomed by Sikh family and relatives in a traditional pre-wedding ceremony. The main event was the Anand Karaj, which means blissful union. Australians were told “it’s a ceremony of four stanzas from the Laavan hymns of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book) and describes the four stages of spiritual love and enlightenment”. Many had started the celebrations for the 28-year-old couple the previous Wednesday, with a Maiyaan — a turmeric ceremony — and a Mehndi and Sangeet, a dance party, in the evening. On Thursday there was Sehj Paat and Kirtan, which is prayers, and Choora, the presentation of wedding bangles.