Isn't it already plain and simple how much we love weddings? Almost everybody loves weddings but the favorite parts of a wedding vary from person to person for very different reasons. While some of us loved all the emotional outbursts that weddings pertained while there are others who love weddings just for the big and fat celebratory events. Whether it's some modern-day destination wedding on the pristine stretches of sand on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico or just a simple and intimate wedding affair in the backyard of a couple's native home, the tremendous amount of love and contentment of everyone present at the event that ultimately unites in marriage makes it the happiest day for anyone, from the couple to the guests.

Looking at weddings from different cultures and traditions restores our faith in love and contentment. While talking about traditional and cultural weddings, we cannot miss out on Indian weddings that take the experience of weddings to a different level altogether. India being the melting pot of thousands of cultures and rituals, there is no doubt that attending an Indian wedding is exactly like exploring a part of that country. From the plenty of singing and dancing events with the brightest shades of colors strewn across the wedding venue that you could only possibly dream of naming, to all the celebrations and ceremonies that go on forever, Indian weddings are a worthy sight and an unforgettable experience.

Weddings in India are very culturally significant from traditional food to attires and rituals, where wedding guests are treated in the most special way witnessing the warmest of all hospitality and a large part of the country’s culture. The wide array of rituals in an Indian wedding from applying turmeric and mehndi to interesting and fun rituals like hiding the groom's shoes by the bridal gang, here are some of the prime highlights of an Indian wedding that make it one of the most special types of weddings in the entire world.

 

Diverse Culinary Platter 

Aren't we all crazy about the wide variety and practically never-ending range of Indian food? When we say that India is a diverse country, the assorted plethora of food that comes to our mind ranging from the mouth-watering street food to the myriad of fancy and flavorsome dishes is truly priceless. Everything on an Indian wedding menu will give any person an unsurpassed gastronomic experience. Food is considered to be one of the most essential parts of an Indian wedding and an average Indian wedding has more than 50 different dishes from starters to the main course along with rounds of deserts that can give any food tour a run for its money. The food that is served at a wedding gets etched in the memory of the invitees forever and mostly, and whether it is a North Indian wedding or a South Indian wedding, the aroma of delicious food engulfs the senses from the North Indian chaat counters to the South Indian starters, everything about the scrumptious food in an Indian wedding makes it an unmissable event.

 

The Never-ending Carnival Of Dance And Music 

According to the Indian wedding tradition, no wedding is complete without music and dance whether it is traditional or contemporary, there will be no silent wedding. One can see all kinds of fusion when it comes to Indian weddings, where you can find anything from a DJ playing folk music with a dash of bhangra, and people trying to catch the beat and the right emotions to the amazing range of Bollywood wedding songs that has forever remained an integral part of Indian wedding music with all the feel and jazz. From the bridal gang performing on folk music during the Mehndi ceremony to tough competitions between the groom’s gang and the bridal gang during cocktail parties, dance and music have found and will always find the way to Indian weddings for generations to come. Traditional Indian weddings have popular Indian music instruments like sitar, dhol, or tabla playing and modern Indian weddings have a DJ or western band depending on how and where a couple is getting married in India. Indians have the ability to dance for straight twenty-four hours during a wedding and more till the wedding ends filled with crazy dance moves and people enjoying every bit of it. Not exaggerating!

 

The Bright Indian Colors 

The bright and celebratory colors are the trademark of a typical Indian wedding. Without thinking much about the money spent on wedding decoration, the beautiful and vibrant floral decorations and the dazzling galore of lights lighting up homes of the bride and the groom along with the wedding venues set the mood for a perfect Indian wedding for all the guests. Ranging from the eye-catching traditional Indian attires of both men and women that vary from state to state, to the shining tones of jewelry adorning the women of an Indian wedding, weddings across India are one-stop-shops for all the colors in the world and these events will never shy away from vibrant razzle-dazzle. A colorful Indian wedding is a visual treat for everyone attending it with men and women draped in luxurious traditional Indian clothes and accessories. The decorative pieces of jewelry that Indians wear from head to toe will make you swoon with its elegance and style, and you would definitely become a fan of this fun and vibrant display of colorful celebration.

 

The Indian Wedding Rituals 

From South India to North India, from East India to West India, the ceremonies in an Indian wedding can go on for days and months at a length and that is the beauty of a big fat Indian wedding. Lasting about two to three days, the pre-wedding Indian ceremonies leading up to the post-wedding ceremonies are absolute grand affairs with each ceremony and ritual sparkling with their own charm and typical traditional fete. This is the time when friends and family of the bride and the groom come together to create a jamboree of rich Indian cultures and heritage. From the maternal uncles who buy the bride's wedding outfit, to the moms who plan and decorate, to the cousins who run around, there is part to play for every family member. With so many people under one roof where families spend time together and recreate the bond, different Indian wedding ceremonies and rituals take place. Ranging from the Haldi ceremony to Sangeet and Mehndi ceremony where they apply turmeric in the day time and henna (on the hands and legs) in the night before the wedding to both the bride and groom to the pre-wedding cocktail and reception hour, there is no doubt that Indians across the world love their rich heritage and culture and spare no opportunity to showcase it. In India, it is believed that turmeric and mehndi (aka henna) bring positive spirits, good health, prosperity, and good luck to the couple getting married, and moreover, these two elements are an inalienable part of an Indian bride's wedding look. It is also important to note that, the Indian wedding rituals and ceremonies vary from state to state and culture to culture, with each of them having something special and never-before-seen elements to offer.

 

The Grand Entries And Exits 

Bollywood has already set the glorifying idea about how an Indian groom enters his wedding riding a white horse like a king to take his bride away in a palanquin like a queen for a lifetime of blissful togetherness. The idea of ‘Prince Charming’ taking his princess away turns into reality when the dashing groom makes a grand entry with his groom-gang that is filled with his friends and family, known as 'Baraat' (the wedding march), dancing on their way to the bride waiting at the wedding venue right before the wedding ceremony is a very symbolic way to say 'together forever' and is one of the most unique wedding rituals across the globe. Once all the knot is tied (literally!) by the priest chanting wedding mantras, the couple heads to their happily-ever-after with a tearful yet grand wedding exit adorned with fireworks. The wedding exit in India is known as 'Vidai', where the bride says goodbye to her native home and gets into the car with her spouse to his home (her new home) which is another very symbolic and emotionally evoking Indian wedding moment.

 

Indian Wedding Symbols 

Indian weddings are full of interesting symbols. During the Mehndi ceremony, the bride's hands and feet are adorned with henna paint (as part of the traditional aspect of the ancient Solah Shringaar) in intricate and decorative mehndi designs with an intention to beautify the bride. In most Hindu weddings, the sacred fire is known as the 'Havan or Homa' that symbolizes light and power and unifies two souls into one. During this Indian wedding ritual, the bride and the groom circle the sacred fire seven times with 7 vows, which is also known as the 'Saat Phere', while the bride and the groom repeat some poetic words in Sanskrit after the wedding officiant known as the 'Pandit'. The bride's brother gives three fistfuls of puffed rice to the bride as a wish for his sister's happy marriage. A 'Jai Mala' that is a flower garland, symbolizing the partners’ welcoming each other into the families, is exchanged between the bride and groom. In traditional Indian weddings, the groom places a necklace of black and gold beads known as the 'Mangalsutra' on the bride. The red vermilion or 'Sindoor' is put in the middle-parted hair of the bride by the groom symbolizing her new status as a married woman once the ceremony is complete. In South Indian weddings the couple walks seven steps together to signify their friendship and the couple showers one another with a mixture of rice, turmeric, saffron, and even pearls in a ceremonial custom known as the 'Talambralu'. 

 

The Local Experience 

Indian weddings are the true reflection of the cultural and traditional diversity of the country. Attending a particular Indian wedding is the best way to understand and experience a particular Indian culture and the rich values and heritage that it has to offer. Whether you are attending a Punjabi wedding in the north, a Bengali wedding in the east, a Tamil wedding in the south, a Gujarati wedding in the west, or an Assamese wedding in the northeast, every Indian cultural wedding is completely different from one another with each wedding having something very special and unique to showcase. Whether it is the rich Indian fabrics that come into display during weddings, or the unique traditional Indian food, or even the regional music and dance during weddings, it is the best way to learn all the little details about this amazingly diversified wedding without having to roam from one place to another. With each traditional and cultural Indian wedding, which is a ‘Bhanumati ka Pitara’ of some of the richest and rarest cultures in the world, you can simply be sure to enjoy all the comfort and Indian hospitality, where guests are simply treated as royals.

 

A Bit Of Everything

From the bright and colorful Indian heavy wedding attire to the huge parade of people coming together under one roof enjoying and blessing the couple by celebrating the biggest day of their lives, everything about an Indian wedding reflects bright hues of love that can be second to none. From emotionally evoking traditional Indian ceremonies that vary from culture to culture, to the beautiful wedding decorations filled with a burst of flowers and twinkling lights, everything about an Indian wedding is photo-worthy and loved by our Asian wedding photographers. From the bridal portraits of Indian brides that make them stand out in a crowd draped in red (mostly) to the grooms dress up in bright colored sherwanis and ornamented turbans, the photo opportunities for unforgettable wedding photography sessions in an Indian wedding set the Indian weddings apart from all other cultural and traditional weddings around the world.

Indian wedding photography has always been about the glorious amalgamation of culture and tradition punctuated by bright wedding decorations, piping hot delicious Indian dishes, the wedding guests draped in dazzling Indian traditional attire, and the never-ending series of cultural and traditional celebrations, every single moment of an Indian wedding is picture-worthy. Talking about photo opportunities in Indian weddings- every moment covering from traditional food to attire to rituals, a professional wedding photographer savors everything in the Indian wedding extravaganza! For the perfect wedding photography experience in your Indian wedding, you can get in touch with our talented team of professional wedding photographers who would love to tell your interesting and captivating Indian love story in a completely unique and unforgettable way for the world to celebrate and rejoice.