What to expect at an Indian wedding is beyond your thinking, Yes, Indian weddings are the big fat marriages with a lot of rituals, tradition, and culture to be followed including different cultural events, ceremonies, colorful outfits, and one more special and delicious thing, Indian wedding food which I love the most. Indian wedding food is the heart of cuisines. Ok, I am putting down my imagination and love for the food. Well, I am letting you know about the way of flaunting luxury and lavishness in Indian weddings. So, start with the Indian wedding cards.
Wedding cards and guests
In Indian weddings, the invitation card is adorned with the bold and traditional sparkling colors like red, cream, orange, golden & silver colors are prominent, that is printed with the theme of lord Ganesha and Radhakrishna. You can expect hundreds to thousands of guests at the wedding ceremony. Indian wedding tends to become a giant event where even very less connected relatives are invited. No one should be left including every close relatives, neighbors, family friends from both bride & groom sides to enjoy the most joyous event of the family.
Planning
Indian weddings take months of planning and lots of preparation, it’s not about a one-day celebration. Western marriages are just a piece of cake in front of an Indian wedding.
Free yourself for three days
A traditional Hindu wedding takes around three days. As a guest, you may be invited to some, or all, of the days.
Lavish decorations
Indian weddings are known for lavish and luxurious decorations strewn up everywhere. Beautiful flowers, centerpieces, and cultural themes are the main attraction for guests.
Wedding outfits
In each ceremony, everyone wears new outfits. Don’t feel shy if you are choosing bright and bold colors for your outfits as adorning bold colors are the first preference in Indian weddings. The sparkling shine of traditional gold and silver jewelry with vibrant colors like red, green, yellow, saffron, blue, pink are the prominent colors for apparel.
The events began (Indian Hindu wedding)
Ganesh Pooja is organized on the very first day of the wedding. The families of the bride & groom and their close relatives join the celebration. This is considered auspicious for the wedding. It is believed that Lord Ganesha helps in keeping all evil and misfortunes away. After this ritual ‘ghrit paan’ ceremony takes place. In this ritual, both bride & groom eat a piece of ‘jaggery’ (gur) poured with ghee, from their family members.
Mehndi
Mehndi ceremony takes place on the next day, on this ceremony the bride, her female friends, and her family members intricate henna designs on her hands and feet. It is believed that as much dark the color of henna appears, as much her husband’s love lasts in the entire relationship.
Sangeet
On the evening of the mehndi ceremony, the sangeet ceremony is celebrated, where almost everyone is invited including friends, family, and relatives. It is supposed to be a grand celebration, which involves a family introduction, dance, drama, delicious meal and lots of fun. Both bride & groom families perform dances and enjoy the evening. It is similar to a rehearsal dinner and a time for the guests and family members to introduce themselves before the wedding.
Baarat & reception
This ceremony will definitely go to surprise western guests, ‘Barat’ a groom side ceremony. For this, the groom arrives on a decorated white horse. Guests dance around the groom on the beats of Indian ‘dhol’ and ‘drum’. After that, the Bride’s family greets them and welcomes them into the venue. The bride and groom both exchange floral garlands to present their acceptance of each other. Then the reception ceremony start, relatives come over the stage to bless them with a happy life and everyone enjoys the luxurious and delicious meal.
Mangal Fera
For this event, the priest, bride, bride’s parents and groom sit beneath a mandap (canopy), ceremony began with the ritual of Kanya Daan, followed by the bride’s parent to take her away, then the couple join their hands and circles around the fire (Agni), i.e. called mangal phera, then they will take seven steps (saptapadi) forward to support each other and live their entire life happily.
After this, the groom will apply red powder (vermilion) on the center of her forehead and tie a black beaded necklace to symbolize that she is married.
Let’s talk about fusion weddings
If anyone, either bride or groom are from other communities like Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Bengali the rituals will be organized according to both families, and the marriage is considered as a fusion wedding. There are different cultures associated with different communities and specific states.
Food
The misconception about Indian wedding food that it is purely vegetarian and spicy. No, it all depends on the specific area, which region both the families belongs to. The meal will be served in a buffet style, so be ready to grab whatever you like the most.
Gifts
Usually, gifts and gift boxes are shipped to the couple’s home or an envelope of money can be gifted during the reception as well.
You must be taking a deep breath after recognizing the complexity of Indian wedding rituals and tantrums of guests associated with it. But truly, once you will join the event, you will forget these tiny problems. I personally insist you must visit any of your relative or friend’s weddings to understand and enjoy it fully.
Krishan Jangir