The Indian wedding ceremony is believed to be three to four thousand years old. It is traditionally performed in Sanskrit, the language of ancient India, per Vedic traditions. The Sanskrit word for marriage is ‘Vivah’.
Swagat – Welcome 4:00 – 4:30 PM
Arrival of the guests, groom and his family. The bride’s mother and grandmother welcomes the groom to the Mandap (wedding altar) amongst music and showering of rose petals by guests
Marriage Ceremony 5:00 PM
Ganesh Pujan: Offering of prayer to Lord Ganesh – Prayer ceremony is performed for auspicious beginning of the ceremony
Kanya Agaman: Arrival of the bride – The bride is led to the Mandap by her friends and is greeted by the groom’s family
Jaimala: Garland Exchange – Bride and groom exchange flower garlands signifying their acceptance of each other
Shani Pujan: Offering of prayer to Lord Ganesh – Prayer ceremony is performed with the bride for removal of all obstacles to a happy marriage
Kanyadaan & Pani Grahan – Bride’s mother places her hand into the hands of the groom to signify offering her hand in marriage. Holding hands, the bride and groom accept each other
Granthi Bandhan: Tying the Knot – A pink cloth is place over the bride and groom and a knot is tied between them to signify their union
Agni Puja: Invoking the Sacred Fire – Invocation of the sacred fire symbolizing the illumination of mind, knowledge and happiness. Offerings of ghee (clarified butter) and rice are made to the fire
Mangal Phera: The Seven Vows – The couple walks around the fire seven times to signify seven blessings in their journey through life: Livelihood, prosperity, strength, happiness, loyalty, harmony and life-long friendship. The groom leads the first four pheras and the bride leads the last three
Sindoor: Applying the Vermillion – The groom applies a small dot of a red powder called sindoor on the bride’s hair welcoming her as his partner for life and signifying her status as a married woman
Exchanging Rings – The bride and groom exchange rings symbolizing devotion to each other through all times
Ashirwaad: Blessings –The couple seeks blessing from the priest, their families and friends
Reception 6:30 PM
Food, drinks and cake followed by followed by music,dancing and henna. A henna artist will be at hand. All guests are encouraged to participate!
Vidai – Farewell somewhere between 9:30 – 10:00 PM
The bride’s family bids farewell to their daughter. Guest shower rose petals as the couple begin a new phase of life as a family.