Indian wedding

Indian Dream-Wedding
 
Wether in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan or Afghanistan – the wedding day in these countries is, as everywhere in the world, one of the most important days in a bridal couples life. That´s why it´s given special attention and love to the wedding preparations.
From the engagement to the henna feast (haldi ceremony – similar to the meaning of a bachelor party) up to the actual highlight, the wedding feast there are many differences regarding region and religion. There are many various occasions and ceremonies which might take weeks or even months. The end of a South Asian wedding will be the first official appearance of the newly-married couple. This might be a reception (like a party) or the first visit at the brides parental home after marriage.
 
As different as the individual customs and rituals in an Indian wedding may be, they all provide a perfect opportunity to publicly demonstrate the wealth of the involved families.
 
Starting with the wedding invitations for not seldomly a couple of hundred guests, to the celebration of the feasts, up to the different outfits of the bride, which of course she needs for each of the occasions, the motto is: the more magnificent and elaborate, the better!
 
Common denominator in most of the South Asian weddings is the colour red for the actual wedding dress (saree or lehenga), which symbolizes fertility and is considered lucky. In order to complete the breathtaking beauty of the bride, she needs some more accessoires on her wedding day:

• Bangles
• Anklets (Payals)
• Bridal jewellery – consisting of a collar (haar), a long necklace (mangalsutra), a hair string (maang tikka), a nosering (nath), a pair of hand jewellery (haath phool) and earrings with combined hair jewellerey
• Red bridal veil

 
During the celebrations, the bride changes her outfits several times. That´s why shopping for the brides wardrobe plays an important part and often starts several months in advance. This part is surely one of the most exciting ones for everyone who is involved.