Wedding Events

“There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”- Martin Luther

Very truly said by Martin Luther and is sure to hold good for you as you tie the holy knot. Your wedding day is just not any other day in your life. It marks the beginning of a whole new journey which will last you a life time. Wedding events are only a way to kick start your new life with fun, excitement and a promise of a beautiful tomorrow; the sweet memories of which is sure to be etched in your mind for all your life.

Both pre and post wedding events, which are no less than grand festivities, are as important as the main wedding itself. However, these events differ from culture to culture and primarily depend on the kind of wedding you would like to have. For example, India is a land of different cultures, religions, traditions and ethnicities, therefore Indian weddings differ from region to region. Similarly, if we talk about Christian weddings; Christianity being a very popular religion across the globe, Christian weddings is followed by a significant percentage of world population. However, the events and rituals might differ from place to place. And the same goes for Muslim weddings as well. All said and done, there are some basic events, which remain unchanged irrespective of the place it is held.

Christian Wedding events:

There are number of events both before and after the wedding. The ceremonies begin from the day of engagement and proceed till after wedding dinner with family and friends. Read on to gain a detailed insight on the course of events that take place during Christian weddings.

Engagement:

You probably have an idea about what engagements are all about. It is a way of officially declaring your relationship with your partner by exchanging rings and the start of your courtship period. Some like to keep it between the two and some like to involve the near and dear ones. In either cases celebration is a must, be it with everyone or just the two. Engagement parties usually include drinking, dancing, music, short speeches from both the sides and elaborate dinners.

Bachelor/ spinster parties:

One of the most exciting events that every one, especially the young crowd looks forward to is the bachelor/spinster party. It is a way to bid goodbye to bachelorhood/spinsterhood. If you go the traditional way, it is a get-together organized by the parents of the bride and the bridegroom. But in modern day world the concept of the event has changed significantly and many like to celebrate it with close friends at fun destinations like Las Vegas (USA), New York (USA), Vancouver (Canada), Ibiza (Spain), etc.

Wedding ceremony:

Now comes the main event, the wedding ceremony. It is quite obvious that the wedding is more elaborate than the other events. Christian weddings proceed in a certain order, which goes like:

The Processional

Presentation of bride

Sermon, vows and rings

Unity Ceremony

Pronouncement of marriage

Wedding reception:

After the wedding, the guests proceed to for dinner at the reception venue which is the last event of the occasion. It includes cake cutting and opening dance by the newly wed followed by speeches, dance, dinner and more.

Hindu Wedding events:

As you might know, Hindu weddings are extremely elaborate. The events and rituals start almost a week before the wedding and go on for a week after, if not more. Some of the most important events in Hindu weddings include:

Engagement:

In India not every culture has the ring ceremony, like the Bengalis. However, in general engagement is one of the major pre wedding events, celebrated by most Indian cultures, like the Punjabis, Gujaratis, Marwaris, etc. It is considered to be a very important family event, where in the presence of close and extended family the bride and the bridegroom exchange rings and officially commit themselves to each other.

Mehendi:

It is a traditional Indian event where the bride along with her friends and family put mehendi on their hands. It is basically an intricate design done on the hands with henna. The interesting part of putting mehendi is that, the design has the name of the bridegroom hidden in it. After the wedding, there is a small game played by the couple, where the bridegroom has to figure out his name from the design.

Sangeet:

Sangeet is a very important part of weddings, where all the family and friends of the bride and the bridegroom dance and sing all through the evening. Post this event, the final wedding preparations start for the next day.

Haldi:

It is a ritual which is carried out in the morning of the wedding day. Turmeric is put on both the bride and bridegroom. Turmeric is considered to be auspicious and therefore is used in the morning in order to start the marriage ceremonies in an auspicious way.

Wedding:

Next in the main wedding ceremony which is very elaborate, and usually take hours to finish. Some of the most important Hindu wedding rituals include:

Chanting of mantras by the pundits

Exchange of var-mala (flower garlands)

Putting vermilion on the bride by the bridegroom

Saat Phera: The bride and the groom take seven rounds encircling the fire. Each round stands for a promise that both make to each other, keeping the fire as the witness, which is considered to be the most holy and pure of all.

Kanya daan: The ritual is a very important part of the wedding, where the girl’s father gives his daughter’s hand to the groom which the later accepts with full responsibility.

Mangalsutra: mangalsutra is a neck-piece that the bridegroom tries around the neck of the bride as a sign of marital bliss.

Here are some of the most important wedding events followed in Hindu and Christian weddings. Similar rituals can be found in Muslim weddings as well. In short, rituals, traditions, customs and events make a complete wedding, irrespective of which ever culture you follow.