Not too long ago, I went to India for one of my cousin's weddings. I've only been to a couple of weddings, but most of them were when I was really young, so I don't really remember much. But, when I went in August, I didn't go to just any ordinary wedding, I went to a mixed culture wedding. It was a mix between Telugu culture and Marathi culture. I was able to see the blend of different Indian cultures make a beautiful ceremony. It was so much fun and having the entire family under one roof was one of the greatest experiences ever. Here are 10 highlights and my favorite parts from Indian weddings!
1. Mehindhi Night/ Sangeeth
Mehindhi night is a night dedicated for all the girls in the family to get mehindhi. While some girls are getting mehindhi, others are dancing in circles and having a great time. The bride also gets her mehindhi done at this time. It's a fun experience to dance with and party with your family. When I went over the summer, mehindhi night was one of my favorite activities because all the girls had gorgeous henna on our hands and danced around the entire night. We took tons of cool pictures showcasing our henna designs!
2. Dancing all night with the live band
Dancing is a huge part of Indian tradition and extremely fun. We danced almost every single day and stayed up celebrating! Even when we sent the bride off, we sent her by celebrating her and dancing and it was extremely fun have the entire city and family dancing on the streets with the live band!
3. Telling funny stories with the entire family
The dancing nights usually also included story time where the entire family sat down to tell funny stories and reminisce about childhood memories. Having the entire family under one roof is the fun part because the entire house is constantly always busy! I was able to learn so much about my family and everyone's childhood stories from this and bond with everyone through laughter!
4. Learning about traditional Indian weddings
Because I don't remember much about weddings since I was young, this wedding was a great way for me to learn the deeper meaning of what happens in weddings. I got to learn so much about Indian traditions and how important each and every step in the wedding ceremony is. So even though I wasn't in school, I was definitely learning a lot! Because this was a mixed wedding, I was able to see how two cultures combined turned into a beautiful wedding ceremony. The different traditions from each side summed up to be one of the greatest experiences ever!
5. Haldhi ceremony
This was my first ever Haldhi ceremony since it's not a Telugu tradition and is a Marathi tradition. Haldhi is basically playing holi with the entire family. Everyone had to wear yellow and It was so colorful and a great way to bond with my family! We had an evening filled laughs and colors!
6. Wedding ceremony
The actual wedding ceremony was so extremely busy. I learned that Indian weddings have a deeper meaning to every aspect in the ceremony performed to stress the importance of a husband and wife relationship. Although it was a very long and complicated ceremony with so many steps, it was so cool to watch and see everything! One of the coolest parts of the wedding day was when the groom entered on a horse and everyone threw flower petals as a way of celebrating!
7. Getting dressed up in fancy clothes
It's not every day you get the chance to wear your fanciest lehenga! Every day of the wedding celebration was a chance to wear something new and fancy!
8. Reception party
The reception party was after the wedding ceremony and was filled with many treats and activities! And of course- dancing! The reception party is normally hosted by the groom's side of the family so we traveled to the groom;s hometown which was where the party was being held. There was lots of music and great decorations to enjoy!
9. The entire town unites like a family and is invited to the celebration
During Indian weddings, the entire city comes together to help the wedding run smoothly like a family. It's like a huge team working to make everything go in order and was so amazing to watch everyone unite!
10. Endless rows of tasty food
Food is crucial in Indian weddings! It's always a good choice to keep the guests happy! There were always endless rows of tasty food being made freshly right infront of your eyes! There were at least 5 different types of dessert everyday and more than 7 main dishes to feed all the guests!
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