Multi-Day Hindu Wedding Fusion
With so many couples rescheduling their wedding to this year, I am surprised to be able to still take on multi-day Hindu Wedding events. It’s not just a matter of being available for the one day but rather for all of them. And Southasian weddings are known for getting pretty big. This wedding was originally supposed to be one big full day event. But when the bride’s family opted to host a Hindu Wedding Ceremony highlighting their family traditions, the event started to grow.
Day 1 was the Hindu Ceremony, and Day 2 was the Western Ceremony / Reception.
Day 1 Hindu Ceremony
The Hindu Ceremony was at Radha Krishna Mandir. I sweet little temple in the heart of Cambridge. The parents joined the couple inside the mandap. The ceremony begins with lighting the fire. A Hindu marriage is a sacrament, not a contract. The bride and groom exchange floral garlands similar to how they exchange wedding rings. It expresses the desire of the couple to marry each other. The groom places a necklace of black and gold beads on the bride as a gift to her.
The saptapadi is an important ritual in Indian Hindu weddings. During the saptapadi, the bride and groom have their garments tied together. While joined, the couple walks seven steps together to signify their friendship. This couple also made seven circles around a ceremonial fire, each round signifying a specific blessing they request of the gods. Finally, Sindoor, a red-orange powder, is applied to the parting of the bride’s hair. This symbolizes her new status as a married woman. Woohoo. Now the only thing left is the party. So I will see you tomorrow.
