How Long Is An Indian Wedding Ceremony

The wedding ritual varies from region to region. These variations are usually based on family background, traditions, assets of the marrying families, and other factors.

Weddings are generally celebrated like festive occasions in India. The decorations, music, colors, dance, costumes, and rites add glitters in the life of the bride and the groom. There are about 10 million weddings that are celebrated per year, out of which 80% are Hindu weddings.

Most of the wedding ceremonies in India start in the evening and end the next morning. Here at Wedfine.com, let us discuss how long the Indian wedding ceremony lasts and what happens in the proceedings.

•  Welcoming the groom and his family:  

As the groom and his family arrive at the wedding venue, the bride’s family welcomes them with sweets and aarti.

•  Shri Ganesh Prayers:

The wedding ceremony starts with Shri Ganesh Prayers.  Lord Ganesh is worshiped to bless the couples for their new beginning.

•  The bride’s arrival:

The maternal uncle and the brother bring the bride to the mandap. At this moment, a cloth is kept in between the bride and the groom to indicate that they still have a separate existence.

• Mutual approval:

After reciting some mantras, the cloth is then removed and the bride and the groom exchange the garlands. This shows the mutual consent that they have chosen each other.

• The kanyadaan:

In Indian tradition, the ‘kanyadaan’ is the modest act that the bride’s parents perform. This act is performed in the mandap in which the parent’s give away their daughter in the wedding. This act symbolizes that they pass on their family’s legacy to the future generation.

•  Hastemelap:

The bride and the groom shower rice on each other. This act shows their consent and expectations from their married life. During this act, they promise to support each other in their good and bad and be faithful towards each other for their entire life.

• Committing to each other:

The groom ties a mangal sutra, the sacred necklace around the bride’s neck, showing his love and friendship. The groom then fills the bride’s forehead parting with a sindoor. They then exchange their rings and promise to support each other in happiness and sorrows. The groom’s mother or his sister then tie the knot which symbolizes their permanent bond.

• Sacred fire worship:

The bride and the groom light the holy fire together, which is considered as a witness of their ceremony.

• The seven vows:

The couples take rounds of the sacred fire seven times, which is a symbol of starting their married life together. With this, they became the lifelong supporter of each other. Each step also known as phera has a promise that the bride and the groom make to each other which they will follow for the rest of their lives.

• Seeking elder’s blessings:

All the elders and guests present at the ceremony bless the new couple for their happy and long life together. Now, they are officially declared as the husband and the wife, and the couple leaves the mandap and together goes to the groom’s house.

The traditional wedding rituals do take two to three hours but nowadays it is even reduced to one. The reception then usually goes on until the next morning.

To know about the interesting wedding venues in Mumbai, we recommend you to browse around our website wedfine.com.  Do reach out to us if we can help answer any of your questions.