The Wedding

The traditional Hindu wedding is a 4000 year old sequence of various rituals and traditions performed by the bride and groom. The ceremony is conducted by a Hindu priest in Sanskrit verse derived from ancient Vedic scriptures.

How It All Begins

The entire Hindu wedding process is initiated with a a "rokna", which is a simple ceremony where the families of the bride and groom meet, and represents the official acceptance of the alliance between the two families. This ceremony usually happens months before the wedding. The wedding preparations start in full force after this.

Our "rokna" was in May 2005 at Shweta's parents' home in Sunnyvale. There are some pictures from this ceremony.

The Days Preceeding The Wedding

A day or two before the wedding, the bride has the palms of her hands and her feet painted with intricate henna designs. This event is similar to a bridal shower party. The bride's family and friends have their hands and feet painted too, although the primary focus is on celebration (with much singing and dancing) rather than decoration.

Painting some of these henna patterns is truly an artistic endeavour.*

Traditional songs are sung on this occassion, which include jokes about the future in-laws, on how to have a successful marriage and (traditionally) about the bride leaving her family.
* This photo was taken 34 years ago by the Shweta's dad. The hands show the bridal henna of Shweta's mom.

The maternal uncles of the bride play a significant role in an Indian wedding, bringing gifts for the bride and the rest of the family in a tradition called the bhaat.

Wedding Outfits

The bride traditionally wears a sari or a lehenga in some shade of red. The bride wears ornaments in her hair, her arms are covered with bracelets, and she wears necklaces of gold and anklets on her feet.

The groom wears a sherwani, which consists of a long ivory jacket with intricate gold embroidery and traditional trousers in white or ivory.

The Wedding Day

Traditionally, Indian weddings used to last many days. These days, all the events span a day or two at most.

The groom arrives at the wedding venue in a procession called the baraat, which consists of his friends and family. The baraat makes a grand entrance at the venue, with dancing and dhol (drum) playing.

The baraat is received by the bride's family and friends, led by the bride's mother. The bride's mother performs a welcoming ceremony signifying God's blessings upon the groom.

The groom is then officially escorted to the mandap (nuptial canopy). After the priest performs some initial ceremonies, leading the groom's family in prayers, the bride is brought in by her family members.

The Wedding Ceremony

The Hindu wedding ceremony usually lasts about two hours. The ceremony consists of a sequence of Vedic chants (in Sanskrit) that are 4000 years old. After the bride's parent's officially give her away, the bride and groom take seven steps around a holy fire. Each step signifies a particular marriage vow.

The ceremony ends with the priest and all family members blessing the bride and groom.

Schedule for our wedding day.