Welcome to India!

Hello Everybody!

It is pretty incredible to think that so many of you are going to be present in India with us to celebrate what will very likely be one of the most memorable events of our lives!

So first of all, we would like to walk you through the different events that will take place during the wedding, according to the Hindu traditions followed by Garima’s family in Northern India. Read carefully as your active participation will be required often during these two days!

DAY 1

MEHENDI
Mehendi, the Hindi word for henna, starts around lunchtime on the first day. During this event, while the buffet is open, all ladies are invited to go see the Mehendi artists to get their hands and forearms painted in this beautiful body art. Guys, don’t you be jealous, no one is going to prevent you from getting your hands painted too 😉

Activities will be organised as the afternoon goes on. Especially, it is traditional to have the friends and families of the groom and bride battling each other during different games. So be ready! 

The event usually ends in the afternoon, so that guests have a few hours to take it easy before Sangeet starts!

SANGEET
Sangeet literally means “Music” in Hindi and this second event takes place during the evening of the first day. Though there will be music pretty much all the time, Sangeet is THE official dancing event of the wedding 🙂

The event starts with the exchange of engagement rings. Once that official part is completed, the stage opens for performances for anyone who would like to use it! This is usually the moment where families and friends perform for the bride and the groom. It could be singing, playing an instrument, dancing or standup-ing, whatever comes to your mind that you would like to do for us. To finish the performance part we have in mind to organise a flash-mob with everybody with the choreography coming from one of Garima’s very gifted friends and cousins. This does not mean that you cannot surprise us with another dancing performance before that! 

If you would like to do something please get in touch with Garima’s sister Anamika who will be coordinating the performances during Sangeet: +1 (416) 909-7813

Once the performances are over, the dancefloor will be opened for everybody until the usual time regulations for outdoor parties in Uttarakhand force us to move the party somewhere indoor 😉

DAY 2

HALDI / BAANDH
The morning of the second day starts with Haldi, a Hindu tradition consisting of painting the faces, arms, and legs of the bride and the groom with turmeric (or “Haldi” in Hindi 😉 ). It usually starts easy with the honorable women of both families doing it cautiously until younger family members and friends get their turn. Then things start to get messy 😀

SHAADI
Shaadi, the Hindi word for wedding, is the last and the main event where the wedding actually takes place 🙂 A number of Hindu rituals occur during the Shaadi, the first of which is the Baraat.

The Baraat is the procession where the groom’s family and friends bring the groom to the bride’s village, where the wedding takes place traditionally, before heading back to their own village with the bride after the wedding. In case the wedding is not taking place in the bride’s village, the procession is recreated at the wedding location, starting a few hundred meters from the wedding venue. This procession is obviously accompanied with a lot of music and dancing all along the way, and the more the Baraat participants pay the musicians, the more fun there will be 😉

As you might have realised, our groom’s family and friends are not very experienced in Baraat specificities and therefore we will rely on the groom’s (only) Indian friend attending the wedding (Manohar that’s you!) as well as, exceptionally, on the bride’s family and friends to guide the foreigners through this fun dancing procession.

Once the Baraat reaches the location of the wedding, the bride’s family welcome the groom to the venue with some rituals and… the threat of stealing the groom’s shoes at any point during the wedding! If the groom’s friends and family do not manage to protect the shoes, they will have to buy them back at exorbitant prices 🙂

The actual wedding rituals could last through the night and guests are not expected to stay throughout. If you do plan to stay and witness the entire wedding, comfy couches, Chai, and biscuits will be there to accompany you 😉

The wedding ends with the Vidai the next morning, bringing the festivities to the end. Traditionally, Vidai, meaning “farewell” in Hindi, signifies the departure of the bride from her childhood home.