West Indian Wedding

Weddings are once in a lifetime affair and hence are very special for every individual. Everyone waits for it to arrive. Indian weddings are known for its lavish feast, bright colorful lights, floods of guests and the colorful rituals and customs. The rich Indian culture has made Indian wedding very popular. The West Indian wedding follows the Maharashtrian, Gujarati and Marwari tradition.

Indian weddings are highly influenced by rituals and customs. They last for about a week and start much before the actual wedding. Maharashtrian weddings are very colorful and lively. Firstly to begin with an auspicious day and time for the wedding is selected. This is called the Goraj Muhurat. Weddings are mostly held in the morning. At the beginning of the wedding ritual, the bride and the groom are not allowed to see each other. The priest enchants the religious Shlokas and then the Antarpaat is removed.

The bride and groom exchange garlands with each other. This is followed by SaatPheras that are taken by the couple around the sacred fire. The kanyadaan ceremony is then carried out where the responsibility of the bride is handed over to the groom by the bride’s father. The bridal departure or vidaai is a part of Maharashtrian weddings. The Laxmi Narayan Puja is arranged for the couple later on.

The Gujarati wedding ceremonies begin by offering prayers to lord Ganesha and seeking his blessings. The ceremony called Madhuparka is carried out where the feet of the groom is washed and then he is offered honey and milk. Kanyadaan, Pheras, Saptapadi and Hasta Milap are important ceremonies performed during a Gujarati wedding.

The Marwari wedding also follow the West Indian wedding style. It’s grand and royal appearance gives it a Rajput wedding feel. The groom comes riding a horse with his male family members and friends accompanying him on elephants and horses. Females are not a part of this procession. The groom is welcomed by his mother-in-law by performing an aarti. The bride accompanies the groom in the mandap. She has her face covered with a long veil. Several other rituals are carried out in the mandap. During the bidaai ceremony a coconut is placed under the wheel of the car. The bride is welcomed in her new house after her Griha Pravesh.