The wedding whirl
A St. Joseph's Women's Hospital fundraiser showcases traditional bridal attire from various countries.
By SHERRI DAY
Published August 29, 2005
TAMPA - Dr. Pallavi Patel surveyed her daughter from head to toe. Clad in a silk gold and burgundy sari, hordes of jewelry and henna-painted hands, she looked nearly ready to meet her groom.
But her tikka, a piece of jewelry that stretched across her forehead, hung too low.
Patel gingerly adjusted the headpiece until it fit just so, laying above a row of delicate gems that lined her daughter's brows. A gaggle of aunts quickly descended upon the pair to help.
Dr. Sheetal Patel, Patel's daughter, wasn't actually getting married. A radiology resident, she was one of more than 20 models Sunday afternoon in the Brides Around the World Showcase, a fashion show and fundraiser for St. Joseph's Women's Hospital.
"The clothes are very heavy," said the younger Patel, 28. "Just making sure that you walk and don't trip is a project."
Organizers began planning the showcase, which also featured a High Tea, international bazaar and food from around the world, in January.
Event chairpersons Pallavi Patel and Elaine Shimberg first considered replicating the popular bay area Brides of India show. But they soon decided to broaden the event's scope to capture the traditions of cultures around the world.
"Their charge was to do something that would show the diversity of the hospital," said Janet Hooper, interim president of the Foundation of St. Joseph's Hospitals. "It just kind of mushroomed."
Organizers sold 520 tickets for the show at the Hyatt Regency's Grand Ballroom. Hooper estimates the event raised more than $40,000 for the Foundation.
The showcase featured wedding attire from 13 countries including Sierra Leone, Vietnam, Lebanon, Spain, the Philippines, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Pakistan and the United States.
The models were mostly Tampa residents, many of whom wore their own outfits.
While the models strutted across the runway, showcase producer Joann Torretta Guagliardo gave the audience tidbits about their attire and native nuptial customs.
In Spain, she said, grooms give their brides 13 coins to symbolize commitment and the ability to provide. Couples in Thailand carry a conch shell, which holds holy water. At Indian weddings, she said, the guest list can reach 5,000.
"I learned more in doing this than I have for 40 years," Guagliardo said. "If they could combine about 75 percent of all these rituals, there would be no divorces. How could you get a divorce after you do all that?"
Ernie Lisi and Sylvia Ballweg, who dressed in traditional Bavarian attire, drew the afternoon's biggest applause. Bedecked in a vest and shorts, Lisi spun Ballweg around on stage, dropped to one knee and tipped his goose-feathered hat.
Outside the ballroom, attendees scoured several dresses on display, including the 1989 wedding gown of University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft.
Caitlin Vijayanagar, 16, walked through the lobby and held her left hand gingerly. It was wet, freshly covered with an intricate henna tattoo.
"I absolutely love the designs," said Vijayanagar, a junior at Academy of the Holy Names.
Backstage, Sabrina Clermont, a lawyer and real estate consultant, eyed Sheetal Patel's doli, a carriage of sorts in which some Indian brides ride.
"I'd like to be brought out like that for my reception," said Clermont, who recently got engaged and modeled a South African gown.
Her fiance, Wit Larsen, may make her wish come true.
"If she could get her hands on a doli," he said. "I'd be more than happy to carry her."
--Sherri Day can be reached at 8130 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com