Indian wedding traditions and their outfits are elaborate and stunning, especially for brides. Indian wedding dresses are typically quite colourful—not to mention adorned with fantastic beading and embroidery.
Culture extends into Indian wedding decorations. Couples tie the knot under a gorgeous ceremony construction. Tradition is fused into a whole series of wedding details—rising with the date.
Indian wedding dresses are customarily colourful. So when life gives you lemons, use them to make henna! Henna is temporary as compared to tattoos, lasting three to seven days.
An Indian couple swears their vows around the Agni, a holy fire that serves as a signatory ceremony. The bride and groom get seven steps around the sacred blaze while reciting the Hindu divine pledge of marriage: They will provide for and support each other, developmental, physical, and spiritual strength, share the worldly possessions, acquire knowledge, happiness, and peace, raise strong and virtuous children, enjoy the fruits of all seasons, and always remain friends and cherish each other.
The Holy Date
In Hindu customary, couples often let the suns, stars and planets decide the when and where regarding their zodiac signs to settle on random times to ensure a prosperous marriage.
Red Wedding Attire
Hindu ceremonies call for a brightly coloured and adorned symbolizing commitment, gold embroidery, spirituality, and fertility. A bride might also employ a dash of red kumkuma powder to her temples for good luck.
Henna
It is understood that the more profound the bride’s henna colour appears, the more powerful her marriage will be. Unlike tattoos, henna is short-lived, lasting three to seven days.
The Haldi Ceremony
On the daybreak of the wedding, the bride and groom are applied haldi, a yellow turmeric paste, onto them by their respective families & friends for good luck to ward off evil spirits and provide powerful healing properties.
The Mandap
The mandap is a holy construction under which Hindu ceremonies are performed, symbolizing growth and well-being. Each pillar is believed to serve the couple’s parents, whose affection, blessings, and support executed the wedding.
The Holy Fire
An Indian couple swears their vows around the Agni, a holy fire that serves as a signatory ceremony. The bride and groom take seven steps around the blaze while reciting the sacred Hindu pledge of marriage:
Mangalsutra
The groom ties a “holy thread,” made with black, red, and white beads and strung through a black or yellow string, around his bride’s neck to distinguish her as a married woman.
Hiding the Shoes
In the popular Indian wedding game Jutti Chupai, bridesmaids steal and hide the groom’s shoes before the wedding ceremony begins. Groom looks for his missing pair while the ‘bridesmaids ask the groom for a sum of money in exchange.
Bidding Farewell
At Hindu weddings, the newlywed says her goodbyes during the Vidaai ceremony, a tearful event in which the bride officially leaves her home and family. She will start a life with her new husband and throws handfuls of rice to show thanks and pay regard to her parental home.
Welcome Aboard
The couple is lightly showered with saltwater before entering the groom’s house to ward off evil. Next, the bride kicks a pot of rice to ensure fertility and posterity to begin married life officially. Finally, the bride steps in a mixture of milk and vermillion, leaving red footprints on the floor while getting inside the new home to represent the manifestation of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of love, beauty, and fortune.
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