India is considered the most ethnically and religiously diverse land in the world and is also known for its beautiful, vibrant and colourful wedding ceremonies that happen all over the country. In India, a wedding does not only mean the bond of two people, it is their family too who get involved as well. Often weddings in India happen for around a week and perform several traditional rituals.

But as India is also becoming quite modern now, there are several modern rituals that take place. Previously, the actual marriage ceremony used to be performed at the bride’s place and the bride’s family had to take on all the responsibilities right from the decoration to taking care of the budget. After the marriage, the reception takes place and this ritual is performed fully by the groom’s family.

But nowadays, families tend to perform the entire wedding and the reception ceremony jointly because this arrangement is not only less time consuming and convenient but is also less expensive to perform because the entirety of the cost is divided among both bride and groom’s family equally.

Inviting people before the marriage ceremony is quite important but previously for that, the families had to go to each of the invitees’ houses to give them the invitation card, this process in itself is quite tiring and time-consuming. However, nowadays Indian families tend to send their Indian wedding cards online. Not only is it quite efficient but also the invitees get their invitations quite fast.

At any Indian wedding, decorating the place where the ceremony will happen is crucial. The wedding takes place under a canopy called Mandap, it can be constructed both inside and outside and the four pillars of the Mandap represents each parent of both bride and groom and right in the middle of the Mandap is the sacred fire.

On the wedding day, Indian brides  usually wear a red sari and nowadays a Lehenga as well with lots of jewellery of either real gold or sometimes diamond. The groom usually wears Kafni, a shirt which is quite long with either Pyjama or leggings and also wears a turban sometimes.

Rituals That Are Performed During An Indian Wedding

1. Mehendi: It is a bit of a women-centric ceremony where an artistic member of a family designs the bride’s hands with mehendi paste. Some families also acquire professional persons to perform this thing. This is quite a quirky ritual in an Indian wedding because most of the bride’s friends are present there in this event and overall everyone has a good time.

 

2. Sangeet: Like other rituals, this is not at all a religious ritual but this is performed purely for having fun and this reveals the happiness and joy of the ceremony. Here only the closed family members sing, dance and enjoy in their own style.

 

3. Puja Or Ganesh Puja: Many Indian Hindu weddings start with Ganesh Puja, Lord Ganesh is considered to be the God of salvation and wisdom. People believe that by praying to him, he will remove any obstacle from the wedding ceremony and the event will happen in a peaceful manner.

 

4. Jai Mala: During Jai Mala which is also known as Varmala or milni mala, both the couple exchange the floral garland. The garland is an amalgamation of all the bright colours and it is made from jasmine, marigolds and roses.

 

5. Saptapadi Ceremony: In any Hindu wedding, the couples take 7 rounds around the holy fire and this ritual is called Saptapadi Ceremony. Each of the seven steps signifies each step of their marriage life that they will have to encounter. This is a very important ritual and it is taken quite seriously in Indian weddings. After completing the last step, they are considered to be married.

 

6. MangalSutra and Sindoor: MangalSutra is a sacred necklace that the bride has to wear after getting married. This necklace signifies that their married life will be protected from any kind of evil energy. After wearing the Mangal Sutra, the groom will apply sindoor on her head which signifies that she is now married.

During any Indian wedding, you will find a plethora of options in food. But among all the food items the most important one is all the different kinds of sweets that you can find. Some families arrange a buffet system while others tend to go for the good old sitting and eating system where waiters will come and serve you. That is why choosing the menu before the wedding ceremony is a key point to a great Indian wedding.

These are some brief details of an Indian wedding. Indian weddings are very beautiful and it serves as a mirror to the beautiful culture and traditions Indian culture has. That is why if you get a chance to attend an Indian wedding, do not skip it, you will remember the event forever!