Indian weddings have various rituals and ceremonies. Each ritual has its own meaning and importance. In North India, each place has its own set of customs. There is only a slight difference in customs depending on the regions, but the rest of the wedding ceremonies remain the same.
Wedding Rituals and Popular Costumes –
Ceremony at the girl’s house on the wedding day-
Chura Ceremony: In the morning, the girl’s maternal uncle presents her with gold and two sets of red and white bracelets (Chura) to be worn during and after the wedding. Also, her relatives and friends tie Kalire (jingle) on these churas. All convey best wishes and blessings to the “aspiring bride.”
Folk Attire: The bride wears a salwar kameez on this auspicious day. During the puja, she wears a preferably red or pink colored salwar kameez which has light work and ornaments. She wears no jewelry and her hair is tied up in a bun.
Then there is the Vatna ceremony in which everyone puts a paste of turmeric powder in gram flour on the bride’s body. This is done so that she looks beautiful on her special day.
Folk Attire: During this ceremony, wear a not-so-fancy salwar kameez or a plain cotton sari.
At the place of the bride and groom: After the Vatna ceremony at the place of the boy, the next function is Ghodi Chana. Here, the groom’s sister-in-law lines the boy’s eyes with Kohl and the groom’s sisters and cousins feed and adorn her mare. After that, the boy gets on the horse and immediately leaves his house towards the wedding venue dancing and singing.
Folk Attire: Wear a simple white colored pajama kurta for the vatna ceremony. Generally, the white kurta pajama, preferably with chikan work, is very popular.
Wedding –
The Varmala ceremony is the exchange of garlands between the brides and the groom. The bride and groom circle the fire and exchange vows. In the end, the couple touches the feet of all the senior members of the family and seeks their blessings for a happy married life.
Popular dress for the bride –
Designer Wedding Sarees: The bride wears a highly ornate wedding saree. Wedding sarees are embellished with heavy embroidery, zari, zardosi, sequin or mirror work. Fabrics like silks, heavy-duty georgette, crepe, and netting are very popular for wedding sarees. Sarees can be paired with contrasting brocade or blouse. A bride wears heavy matching jewelry. Kundan, polka and golden jhalar sets are very popular for weddings.
Designer Lehenga Choli – This is also one of the most popular outfits for brides. Brides for their weddings wear highly embellished lehenga choli with lots of zari or zardosi work. The preferable color is shades of red, maroon or pink. Brides pair them with matching jewelry and dupatta to complete their traditional Indian look.
Popular dress for the groom –
Sherwani – It is a very popular attraction among the bride and groom for their weddings. Sherwani can be heavy duty or light duty depending on the choice and taste of the groom. They combine it with traditional juttis and a stole around the neck.
Cbazaar offers a wide range of designer wedding sarees online. They also deal with wedding lehenga choli, salwar suits and Sherwanis. CbaZaar is a very popular online store for Bollywood clothes, Indian clothes and fashion jewelry.