This week I am going to cover Indian weddings. As an Atlanta wedding photographer I have had the honor of photographing several Indian weddings and Hindu ceremonies. They are beautiful and intricate weddings. When I shot my first Indian wedding, I had to do a lot of research to know the customs and how to photograph such a busy day.  

I know a lot of the guests that go to Atlanta Indian weddings are doing it for the first time.  It can be helpful to know some of the customs before you get to the wedding. I will share some of my insight to help you.  I have listed some of the terminology for an Indian wedding at the end of the blog.  For now, I will go over the sequence of events on an Indian wedding day. 

I have seen some weddings include a Haldi ceremony.  That is where the bride and groom get spruced up.  They are decorated with a paste made of turmeric, gram flour, curd, sandalwood and rose water.  It is applied to the hands and feet.  It is believed to brighten skin color before the ceremony.  It is also believed to bring good luck to the bride and groom. 

The next ceremony I usually see at every wedding is the Mehndi.  This is where the bride, her family, and close friends get decorated by a professional henna artist. The henna is a form of tattoo that enhances the bride’s beauty.  It is like a bachelorette party because they also serve food and play games. 

My favorite part of an Atlanta Indian wedding is the Sangeet.  It is usually held the night before the wedding.  This is where there is a reception with food for the guests. But my favorite part of the Sangeet is the dancing. A lot of the dance routines come from Bollywood movies. It is one the most entertaining things to watch and I am always blown away by all the talented guests. You can tell they have been practicing for a long time on these dance routines. 

The next thing that happens is on the wedding day, which is the Baraat, or the arrival of the bride and groom.  They come to the reception area flanked with their friends and there is music and dancing along the way.  Also, during some of this time some of the close friends and family do dance routines in front of the bride and groom.   

The ceremony consists of a Milni – the meeting of the bride and groom families.  The bride's family usually brings garlands and traditional Indian treats. I have seen gifts exchanged also.  The Milni is an important tradition where the bride’s family honors the groom's family.  The exchanging of gifts between families is present in many other cultures too. 

After the ceremony, like at all weddings, there is more food and dancing.  The one thing I have seen at every Atlanta Indian wedding is kindness.  They are some of the most gracious people I have ever met.  Always sharing their culture, food, and support for the married couple. 

 

This is a great resource for the different ceremonies http://www.culturalindia.net/weddings/wedding-rituals/


Tilak Ceremony
One of the initial wedding ceremonies in India is the Tilak ceremony. It was initially held one month before the actual wedding day, but with changing times people have become quite flexible.

Engagement Ceremony
Indian weddings are known for their elaborate ceremonies and opulent celebrations. Besides, they are held in a very traditional manner, commemorating numerous rituals as per the ancient Vedic era.

Sangeet Ceremony
Sangeet ceremony as the name suggests is all about dance and music. It is one of the most enjoyable ceremonies before the wedding and is exclusively for women.

Mehndi Ceremony
Mehndi is yet another traditional yet exciting pre wedding ceremony. In India, a lot of emphasis is given on customs and rituals. Indian people are ardent lovers of beauty and elegance.

Var Mala Ceremony
Var Mala ceremony is an important main wedding day ceremony. It is also known as Jaimala and basically involves exchange of garlands between the bride and the groom.

Mandap Ceremony
Mandap ceremony holds utmost importance on the day of the wedding. This is because all the significant rituals are performed during the mandap ceremony.

Vidai Ceremony
Practically everyone dreams of getting married someday to someone. After an individual attains maturity the wait for that perfect individual starts. Some people are lucky to be blessed by the feeling of love.

Reception Ceremony
Indian weddings have a charm of their own. As per the tradition the wedding is primarily organized by the bride's family, however, the reception might be an exception. 





Below are some the terms I got from http://weddingdetails.com/lore-tradition/hindu/

Jaimala (Exchange of Garlands)
The couple exchanges garlands as a gesture of acceptance of one another and a pledge to respect one another as partners.

Madhupak (Offering of Yogurt and Honey)
The bride’s father offers the groom yogurt and honey as the expression of welcome and respect.

Kanyadan (Giving Away of the Bride)
The father of the bride places her hand in the groom’s hand requesting him to accept her as an equal partner. The concept behind Kanyadan is that the bride is a form of the goddess Lamxi and the groom is Lord Narayana. The parents are facilitating their union.

Havan (Lighting of the Sacred Fire)
The couple invokes Agni, the god of Fire, to witness their commitment to each other. Crushed sandalwood, herbs, sugar rice and oil are offered to the ceremonial fire.

Rajaham (Sacrifice to the Sacred Fire)
The bride places both her hands into the groom’s and her brother then places rice into her hands. Together the bride and groom offer the rice as a sacrifice into the fire.

Gath Bandhan (Tying of the Nuptial Knot)
The scarves placed around the bride and groom are tied together symbolizing their eternal bond. This signifies their pledge before God to love each other and remain faithful.

Mangalphera (Walk Around the Fire)
The couple makes four Mangalpheras around the fire in a clockwise direction representing four goals in life: Dharma, religious and moral duties; Artha, prosperity; Kama, earthly pleasures; Moksha, spiritual salvation and liberation. The bride leads the Pheras first, signifying her determination to stand first beside her husband in all happiness and sorrow.

Saptapardi (Seven Steps Together)
The bride and groom walk seven steps together to signify the beginning of their journey through life together. Each step represents a marital vow:

First step: To respect and honor each other
Second step: To share each other’s joy and sorrow
Third step: To trust and be loyal to each other
Fourth step: To cultivate appreciation for knowledge, values, sacrifice and service
Fifth step: To reconfirm their vow of purity, love family duties and spiritual growth
Sixth step: To follow principles of Dharma (righteousness) Seventh step: To nurture an eternal bond of friendship and love

Jalastnchana (Blessing of the Couple)
The parents of the bride and groom bless the wedded couple by dipping a rose in water and sprinking it over the couple.

Sindhoor (Red Powder)
The groom applies a small dot of vermilion, a powdered red lead, to the bride’s forehead and welcomes her as his partner for life. It is applied for the first time to a woman during the marriage ceremony when the bridegroom himself adorns her with it.

Aashirvad (Parental Blessing)
The parents of the bride and groom give their blessings to the couple. The couple touches the feet of their parents as a sign of respect.

Menhdi (Henna Ceremony)
The traditional art of adorning the hands and feet with a paste made from the finely ground leaves of the Henna plant. The term refers to the material, the design, and the ceremony. It is tradition for the names of the bride and groom to be hidden in the design, and the wedding night is not to commence until the groom has found both names. After the wedding, the bride is not expected to perform any housework until her Menhdi has faded away.

Mangalasutra (Thread of Goodwill)
A necklace worn specifically by married women as a symbol of their marriage.

Welcome the Baraat – the arrival of the groom and his family. Traditionally, the groom arrives at the wedding on a horse, accompanied by his closest friends and family members. The large procession includes lots of singing and dancing. This signifies the groom’s and his family’s happiness in accepting the new bride.

Thanks for checking out this Atlanta wedding photographers blog! I hope you enjoyed the read and found it interesting! Make sure you keep coming back to our blog to see what the Atlanta wedding photographers at Atlanta Artistic Weddings get up to! If you’d like to contact me go to the contact page and drop me a line at https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com/contact-atlanta-wedding-photographer. I would love to hear from you!

Thanks again!

David

Source: https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com

Source: https://www.atlantaartisticweddings.com