Indian Wedding Part 2

An Indian wedding celebration occurs over several days...so I decided I needed a few posts to show the different celebrations. The Sikh wedding ceremony is conducted at the Gurdwara (Sikh Temple), the one above was at the Temple in Yuba City. The Barat (photo top right) is where the groom, his family, and close friends parade in a dancing group, often with dohl drummers. They are welcomed by the brides family. This is followed by the Milni ceremony where both sides meet and exchange hugs, garlands and well wishes. All guests share tea and breakfast before the blessing ceremony.
The Blessing Ceremony is in the Gurdwara Hall, where men and women sit on opposite sides and remove their shoes before entering; they also cover their hair with colorful scarves.
The bride and groom then enter and begin the ceremony. During the Palla ceremony, the father of the bride places one end of the scarf, coming from the groom's shoulder, into the brides hand to signify that she is leaving his care to join her husband's. There are many reading and songs and the couple walks around Sri Guru Granth Sahib (the altar area) a total of four times. After the ceremony everyone joins together for Langar, a community meal. Indian weddings are such fun with constant dancing and eating, and the most amazing outfits and jewelry. For more information see indianweddingsite.com

An Indian Wedding Celebration

I love what I do and feel so fortunate that I am continuing to learn about new and interesting wedding rituals. In the photos above I have included some of the pre-wedding rituals for a Sikh wedding. The Indian celebrations typically last the entire week of the wedding.
The Choora or bangle ceremony takes place at the bride's home where the maternal uncle and aunt of the bride give her white and red bangles. Silver and gold ornaments known as kalira are tied to the bangles. The couple are not allowed to leave their homes for a few days prior to the wedding. Gana is the ritual where an auspicious red thread is tied to the right wrist of the groom and the left wrist of the bride; it is a sacred thread that protects them from ill omens.
Vatna is celebrated a few days before the wedding. This is pictured in the center photo above; family members smear the vatna, a scented powder made of barley flour, turmeric and mustard oil, on the bride and groom. This is followed by an auspicious bath.
The Mehndi party is typically the eve before the wedding and many brides invite their relatives, wedding party and sometimes all of the female guests to have beautiful henna patterns applied to their hands and feet.
The Sangeet is a celebration, often at the brides home, where the relatives dance (photo on bottom right) and entertain the bride and groom. For more details check out iloveindia.com.

Feature Wedding in Magazine

It's always thrilling to see your weddings in magazines and I am lucky to have one of mine featured in the new issue of Sacramento Magazine's Our Wedding. Make sure you take a look at it: It was a fabulous Indian wedding that was earlier this year. Anu and Mithu were a joy to work with and they added lots of personal elements to make the wedding reflect their unique style. It was a multi-day event with customary Indian ceremonies that led up to an amazing Sikh wedding with 700 guests and culminated with an evening reception at the Radisson in Sacramento. The evening reception started off with a hign school marching band leading the bride & groom into the room. Amazing lighting, gobos, fabric swags, custom mongrams, and creative florals by Flouish added to the glitz. As the evening continued the food was abundant and the dancing and festivities continued into the night. It was a night to remember...for the couple, the guests, and definately for my staff. Happy Reading!