A Hindu and Traditional Wedding Ceremony

Since I’ll soon be coordinating Shantel and Audel's Hindu/ Traditional wedding, I thought I’d blog about what I've learned for preparation of the Ceremony.

Marriage is one of a series of holy sacraments in the Hindu faith, just as it is in the Roman Catholic Church.  It’s believed that marriage has a purifying quality.

In India, the Hindu wedding ceremony, which is conducted by a priest, can usually last all day.  Here in the U.S. , the Hindu ceremony has been shortened by ninety minutes , even though cultural traditions surrounding the wedding can last several days.  It doesn’t have to be performed in a temple and is often conducted in a bride’s home.

During the ceremony, whether of a duration of ninety minutes or an entire day, the couple is instructed in lessons for married life.  There is a frequent chanting of mantras, or prayers in Sanskrit, which ask for blessings on the union.  A traditional Hindu mantra is “I am the word and you are the melody.  I am the melody and you are the word.”

The bride usually wears a sari made of a single piece of red fabric embroidered in gold. She is also adorned with 24-karat-gold jewelry, presented to her by the groom’s family.  The groom usually wears white trousers, a tunic, and a ceremonial hat.  However, since this groom is Mexican he will wear a Mariachi outfit.

At the beginning of the service, the bride and groom are seated under a canopy, which is called mandaps where garlands of flowers are exchanged.  After emphasizing the importance of marriage, the priest ties the couple’s right hands together with cord and sprinkles holy water over them.  The bride’s father then gives his daughter to the groom.  A sacred flame is lit, and the bride and groom make an offer of rice to symbolize their hope of fertility.  Here’s the most important part of the service, “The Seven Steps”.  The marriage is not completed until this has been completed.  The Seven Steps symbolize food, strength, wealth, fortune, children, happy seasons, and friendships.  Together the bride and groom either take seven steps around the sacred flame or walk around it seven times. Once married, the bride and groom feed each other five times with little bits of sweet food, and the ceremony ends with prayers and readings.

As a wedding coordinator, this is what I have to look forward to on July 23, 2011 with Shantel and Audel’s wedding.  Can’t wait!

Beverly Harris Weddings & Events

(310) 487-9698

Why is choosing a wedding a dress so special?

Ever since Britain’s Queen Victoria caused a stir by choosing to wear a spectacular white dress created especially for her wedding to Prince Albert—at a time when most women simply donned their best dress for the occasion—women have devoted weeks, months, even entire childhoods dreaming about this utterly romantic garment. Your wedding gown is the dress of a lifetime---and will set the style and tone for the entire wedding. Before you shop, have fun and explore your fantasies. Look through magazines with friends, and don’t forget to surf the Internet; mark the pages of anything that catches your eye, whether it’s a particular fabric, cut, trim, or the entire dress. You may fall in love with a specific dress then plan your wedding around it. However, it’s usually best to determine the day, time, and formality of your reception first, then shop for that special look.

Once you’ve found your dream dress, select bridesmaids’ and ushers’ attire that is complementary in formality and style. Mothers’ dresses should also complement the wedding colors scheme.

Photo #1: Jeffrey Neal Photography
Photo #2: Glenn Currie Photography

Why do wedding attendants wear the same dresses?

It was stated that under the Roman law, 10 witnesses were required to make a wedding legal. To confuse the evil spirits that lurked at the altar, several witnesses dressed exactly like the bride and groom. Another reason: In Europe, it was common for the bride, groom and all their friends to walk together to the church. Afraid that someone would spot the happy couple and put a curse on them, the groom’s friends wore clothes almost identical to his, and the women dressed themselves like the bride, in an attempt to trick evil wishers

Why is it customary for the bride to wear something blue?

Brides in ancient Israel wore a blue ribbon on the border of their fringed robes to denote modesty, fidelity, and love - ideals still associated with that color. Blue is also the color that represents the purity and innocence of the Virgin Mary.

Photo by: Jonathan Rosen Photography

Why wear a wedding ring?

It was said that the circular shape of the wedding ring symbolizes never-ending love. According to folklore, the ring was to protect the bride against evil spirits; if the bride or groom dropped the ring during the ceremony, bad luck would be with them forever. In the beginning, rings were made of rushes, hemp, or braided grass, which has to be replaced every year. Early Romans chose more durable iron to symbolize the permanence of marriage.

Back then, gold was very popular, but more expensive, symbolizing lasting beauty, purity, and strength. In ancient Egypt, before coins were minted, gold rings were used as currency and as a symbol of the groom's wealth and his intention to wed. To show that he trusted his wife with his money, the Egyptian husband placed a gold ring on the third finger of her left hand.

Only one ring was worn, until the 13th century. The declaration of Pope Innocent III that a waiting period was to be observed between betrothal and marriage led to separate engagement and wedding rings. The first recorded account of a diamond engagement ring was in 1477, when Maximilian I, King of Germany, proposed to Mary of Burgundy and offered her a diamond ring to seal his vow.

Photographs by: Gloria Mesa Photography

Why is there a wedding cake?

A symbol of good luck and fertility, cake has been a part of wedding celebrations since Roman times, when a small bun was broken above the bride's head at the close of the ceremony. Wheat, the main ingredient, symbolized fertility: crumbs were eagerly sought by guests as good-luck charms.

During the Middle Ages, custom required the bride and groom to kiss over a pile of small cakes donated by wedding guests. In Elizabethan times, bridesmaids baked small, sweet buns with currants, which served as the centerpiece for the wedding feast. In the 17th century, it was an innovative visiting French baker who frosted the stack of buns so that they would stand upright--creating the first tiered and frosted wedding cake! The Chinese originated the custom of serving each guest a slice of cake to spread the good luck.

Why is it bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the ceremony?

Once, it was considered bad luck for the groom to see his bride and for the bride to see herself in a mirror in her wedding clothes before the wedding. Because the wedding ceremony marked a break between old and new, never to overlap, people thought that if the groom saw the bride before the ceremony, she would not be pure and new and if the bride saw herself in a mirror before the wedding she would leave some of herself behind in the reflection.

Brides stay away from those mirrors!

Why is it traditional to have bridesmaids and ushers?

Long ago, marriage by capture was the norm. A groom's friend helped him kidnap his mate and defended him against anyone who might try to steal the bride--including her family. The best man and ushers represent the warriors. At the altar, the groom always stood on the bride's right side, leaving his right hand--his sword hand--free to defend her.

In later years, it was customary for the bride to travel to her groom's village accompanied by escorts, her "bridesmaids," who were dressed in similar bride-like gowns to confuse rival suitors and robbers. In England, the bride was escorted to the church by boys, or "bride knights," symbolizing her innocent status; on the way home, she was escorted by married men, or "bridegroom men."