This was my first full Hindu wedding and what an experience it was! It was intense, exciting, colourful and different. This blog shows two days of ceremonies and I hope you all enjoy experiencing it through my eyes. The first day consisted of several ceremonies and traditions with the bride’s and groom’s families separated. This was followed by a short break and then an evening of music and entertainment in the main house with everyone together.
The second day we were up bright and early for the main part of the wedding. The bride and groom get ready separately, as they would at a traditional English wedding. However, that is where the similarities stop. After the groom is ready he joins his family for music and dancing in the street, slowly making their way to the place of ceremony. This was a whole lot of fun (as you will see below), full of laughter and happiness, and it was still only 10 am! When the groom and his family arrive the dancing continues and he is greeted by the bride’s family and there are some more short ceremonies. There is one tradition you will see where the bride’s family have to try to steal the groom’s shoes! The groom’s family have to protect them, but if the bride’s family are successful (which you will see they were), then the groom has to buy his shoes back from them. The groom then sits down and awaits the arrival of his bride. A sheet is hung in front of his face as the bride walks down the aisle. She then sits and the big reveal happens. At this point I get a little lost as there are a couple of hours of different ceremonies. There is then another short break before the reception and the big evening party. It’s the first time I have seen CO2 gas canisters used on the dance floor, so don’t miss the end, it made for some really fun photos!
