Vibrant colors, beaded saris and an intricate ceremony of steps and circling and whispered advice. There’s a first time for everything! This Indian wedding ceremony is the only one of it’s kind that we’ve been lucky enough to feature on Bayside Bride. Everything about this wedding and the rituals that go along with it entrance me! Below, with the help of today’s bride (Katie) we’re sharing a few of the key moments in a traditional Indian wedding. The beautiful imagery was captured by Melissa Barrick . If you come back tomorrow you’ll get to see the couple’s Greek ceremony AND their gorgeous tented reception!
Wedding celebrations commence with the bride’s family welcoming the groom, his family and friends to the wedding venue. The groom is then escorted to the entrance where the bride’s mother blesses him and performs aarti and applies tilak.
During Ganesh Puja, a worship ceremony, the brides relatives and friends will attempt to steal the groom’s shoes, providing humor and good memories to the ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, the groom must leave with the same shoes he arrived in and order to reclaim his shoes, he must offer money and gifts to those who succeeded in hiding his shoes.
The arrival of the brida, Kanya Agaman is marked by a veil (antarpat) being held in front of the groom by elders of both families to signify that they are two separate individuals without a spiritual union.
Saptapadi is the ritual of the Seven Sacred Steps a time when the couple steps together, taking a sacred vow with each footfall that together they will: live with respect for one another | develop mental, physical and spiritual balance | prosper, acquire wealth and share accomplishments | acquire happiness, harmony and knowledge through mutual love | raise strong, virtuous children | be faithful to one another and exercise self-restraint and longevity | remain lifelong partners and achieve salvation.
