Kennedy Convention Centre
Kennedy Convention Centre is the perfect venue for budget-friendly South Asian weddings. They offer service options for any requests a couple may have. For this wedding, the bride’s mother actually found me a couple of weeks before the wedding. Destination weddings in Toronto aren’t really common. Especially during Canadian winter. However, Ranjita and Brad married a few days earlier. And the bride’s Toronto family wanted to host a religious ceremony for them. So I never even met the couple until the actual wedding day. Technically the event was a fusion wedding. However, since the bride’s family coordinated everything, it leaned more towards Indian.
I loved the dynamic of these two. With all the family chaos happening, they really held their own and got to enjoy the day. Not sure who handled the decor at Kennedy Convention Centre for the Hindu ceremony and reception…. but wow. Considering Indian weddings have so many details, it’s amazing how beautifully everything came out. The couple’s wedding attire stood out beautifully against the winter setting of the Guild Inn Gardens.
Sarah’s Artistic Makeup & Hair did the bride’s look. I always appreciate an Indian bride who wants to look like herself on the wedding day. In fact, I’d be the same way. Which is why Sarah is such a great artist to have at an Indian wedding. She’ll give you a natural look but still knows how to assemble all the accessories that go with it.
Hindu Ceremony
The groom’s arrival, or baraat, kicked off this Hindu wedding ceremony. This involves a lot of dancing as the two families meet for the first time. Father to father, mom to mom, sibling to sibling, and so on.
Inside the hall was a beautiful mandap. The wedding mandap acts as an alter in Hindu ceremonies. This mandap was quite simple with colourful fabrics. The parents joined the couple inside. The ceremony begins with lighting the fire. A Hindu marriage is a union, not a contract. The bride and groom exchange 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.
During the saptapadi, the bride and groom have their garments tied together. While joined, they walk seven steps together as a sign of friendship. They also make seven circles around the fire. Each round signifies a blessing from the gods. Finally, the groom applies a red powder to the bride’s hair. This symbolizes her new status as a married woman.
